Sysco LABS triumphs at SLASSCOM National Ingenuity Awards 2023

Sysco LABS Process team members collect award for Best Innovation in Internal Processes, Technology or Framework – Western Province (from left) SLASSCOM Vice President Nishan Mendis, SLASSCOM Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum Co-Lead Charindra Wijemanne, SLASSCOM Women Technopreneur Forum Forum Lead Zhara Cader, Sysco LABS Team Lead Process Ahmadh Abdullah, Sysco LABS Senior Manager Process Pradja Dolewatte and Sysco LABS Software Engineer Achintha Bandara

Sysco LABS, the captive innovation centre for Sysco, the world’s largest foodservice provider, won two prestigious awards at National Ingenuity Awards 2023.
Organised by SLASSCOM, the awards, now in its fifth year, recognise the remarkable talent and achievements of individuals, school teams, universities and companies across Sri Lanka, under multiple categories.

The Sysco LABS Engineering and Architecture Group’s (EAG) Process team was adjudged winners in the Best Innovation in Internal Processes, Technology or Framework – All Island and Best Innovation in Internal Processes, Technology or Framework – Western Province categories.
Speaking about the awards, Sysco LABS Managing Director Rasika Karunatilake said, “Innovation of internal processes, technology and frameworks are as important as product and service innovations because they enable you to operate at a superior level. I’m proud of the team’s work in creating the Beacon Dashboard Suite and we are honoured to receive this recognition for our continuous improvement and optimisation efforts.”

The winning Beacon Dashboard Suite and supporting process framework were created by Sysco LABS’ Process Team, with the support of engineers from different teams, with the aim of transforming the company into a metrics-driven organisation. The solution ensures a greater level of transparency across different teams and provides valuable insights. It facilitates data-driven decision-making throughout the organisation.

Elaborating on the winning tool, Director Engineering and Architecture Nishantha Hettiarachchi added, “Being an engineering organisation, Sysco LABS generates a significant volume of data in our day-to-day operations. However, this data often resides in disparate systems and exists in different formats, tailored to specific operational needs. As a result, it may not be readily consumable by senior leadership. Our process team’s focus was on creating a tool to facilitate data accessibility and develop a leadership dashboard designed to present the most vital information in a unified view – ensuring everyone within the organisation could be on the same page.”

Sysco LABS Process team members collect award for Best Innovation in Internal Processes, Technology or Framework – All Island (from left) SLASSCOM Vice President Nishan Mendis, Sysco LABS Software Engineer Achintha Bandara, Accentura (Category Sponsor) CEO Chandana Ranasighe, Sysco LABS Senior Associate Process Buwaneka De Silva, SLASSCOM Past President Channa Manoharan, Sysco LABS Senior Manager Process Pradja Dolewatte, Sysco LABS Associate Project Manager Thilini Jayawardena and Sysco LABS Associate Software Architect Isuru Mohottala