Somewhere in Joo Koon, there’s a room with a wall of screens showing complex dashboards that monitor the freshness of our stocks and supply levels across the country in real time. Resembling the superhero command centres seen in the movies, our Supply Chain Ops Centre (SCope) keeps our stores amply stocked, even in times of crisis.

Able to pinpoint high-demand items as they run low in stores, SCope mobilises stock replenishments with speed and accuracy. And it’s manned by a special task force called the D.O.T., led by Eugene Teh, James Liew and Dave Lee, formed specifically to strengthen our grocery supply chain operations.

Director of Strategy and Analytics Eugene Teh recalls, “Recognising that Covid-19 has resulted in structural shifts in global supply chains, we immediately got ourselves organised and created new dedicated dashboards to closely monitor the most essential products, so we can better serve the people in Singapore and attend to their needs.”

James Liew, Director of Operations, further enhanced SCope to survey supply chains across the globe and provide timely information for decision-making. “When the Suez Canal got blocked by the Container Ship Ever Given in Mar this year, our system bought us time to react by alerting us, so that our Retail Business team can plan for alternates and ensure that our supply lines remain intact.”

Eugene adds, “We also learned a lot since last year’s Circuit Breaker; it’s taught us what to look out for as we designed this system, and how to mitigate bottlenecks and beef up our provision efficiencies.”

Director of Operations Technology Dave Lee brought all the elements together. “We visited several large-scale operations centres and took inspiration from there. SCope was designed taking all the best practices and fitting them into our system. It caters for Operation Hub, Partners centre, Compass room for Crisis Management Co-ord centre. The lights, rhythm, materials, beauty and network infrastrcture were the elements of design.

With a team like D.O.T. working round the clock to keep the country’s essentials abundantly available, you can rest easy knowing your grocery needs are well secured.