Company Overview: Cẩm Nguyên Group

Cẩm Nguyên Group is a Vietnam-based, multi-industry business group with a growing presence in three strategic sectors:

Industrial Manufacturing – Steel Pipe Production

Cẩm Nguyên operates a steel pipe manufacturing facility that supplies both domestic and international construction and infrastructure projects. With a focus on durability and standard compliance, the steel division plays a key role in the group’s long-term industrial growth.

Logistics & Infrastructure – International Port and Warehouse Services

Through Cẩm Nguyên International Port, the group provides logistics infrastructure including:

• Port operation and cargo handling services
• Warehouse and factory leasing
• On-site customs clearance support with an embedded customs office

The port serves as a logistics hub for both import and export activities, contributing significantly to regional economic development.

Agriculture – Rice Milling, Processing, and Export

As part of its agribusiness arm, Cẩm Nguyên specializes in:

• Sourcing and purchasing raw rice, brown rice, and paddy
• Processing and milling at in-house facilities
• Packaging and exporting to global markets

The rice division is export-focused, working with international buyers and government tenders, and is managed by a lean but highly active team.

Business Model & Organizational Structure

Cẩm Nguyên follows a multi-sector, vertically integrated business model, where internal departments coordinate across industries, yet face operational complexity due to the diversity of workflows.

Staff size: >100 employees

Operational footprint: Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding logistics hubs

• Departmental structure includes:
  Rice Export Division (Sales, Logistics, Warehouse, Accounting, Production)Port & Infrastructure Division (Cargo Operations, Customs Support, Equipment Management) Corporate Shared Services (Finance, Administration, Strategy)
  • ‍

Despite its modest headcount, Cẩm Nguyên handles high transaction volume, cross-department coordination, and multi-phase processes daily—making efficiency and real-time collaboration essential.

Challenges Before Digital Transformation

Although Cẩm Nguyên Group was expanding across multiple industries, the company faced a range of operational challenges stemming from manual workflows, disconnected departments, and limited system visibility. These bottlenecks affected both day-to-day efficiency and strategic execution.

1. Delays in Contract Approvals and Cost Reimbursements

Cause: All contracts—export, raw material purchases, internal procurement—were processed manually via email or physical documents, moving from one approver to another without a centralized system.

• Impact:
  Each contract took
  1–2 working days
  to complete approval.Delays in purchasing raw materials or confirming export orders.Increased pressure on downstream teams (Warehouse, Quality Control, Logistics) due to late approvals and limited preparation time.

2. Disconnected Collaboration Across Departments (Sales – Accounting – Logistics – Warehouse)

Cause: Departments used different tools (Zalo, Excel, paper forms), and lacked a unified platform for sharing data and tracking progress.

• Impact:
  Misalignment in order details, volume, and shipping schedules.Accounting lacked timely access to payment schedules and cost requests.Warehouse staff had limited visibility into upcoming shipments or dispatch plans.Duplication of tasks or missed steps became common due to poor coordination.

Manual Inventory Tracking – No Real-Time Data

Cause: Inventory reports for rice, packaging, and rotating materials were updated manually in Excel and only refreshed once or twice a week.

• Impact:
  Inaccurate stock levels made it hard to plan procurement.Overstocks or expired materials increased due to poor oversight.Inventory discrepancies of up to
  3–5%
  were common, distorting financial reporting.

Fragmented Communication – Lack of Workflow Transparency

Cause: Internal communication relied heavily on personal Zalo chats, without structured task assignment, tracking, or documentation.

• Impact:
  Managers had no clear visibility into who was handling what.Tasks were often duplicated or completely overlooked.Time was wasted tracking down scattered information or clarifying responsibilities.

These challenges collectively slowed down business operations, created friction between departments, and limited Cẩm Nguyên’s ability to scale effectively. The leadership team recognized that a centralized digital solution was critical to building a more agile and efficient organization.

Digital Transformation Roadmap – How UpBase Collaborated with Cẩm Nguyên

UpBase didn’t just provide software—it acted as a strategic partner, working alongside Cẩm Nguyên throughout the entire digital transformation journey. This included auditing workflows, customizing systems, deploying solutions, and training teams. The process was structured into four clear phases:

Phase 1: Business Process Audit & Departmental Mapping

UpBase began with a comprehensive assessment of all core departments through on-site interviews and workflow analysis.

• Rice Export Division: The team collaborated with key stakeholders to understand:
  The full export process from customer acquisition to paymentInventory flow: inbound – outbound – stock trackingContract creation, service fee approval, and material tracking
• Port Division: UpBase analyzed the operational procedures of Cẩm Nguyên International Port, covering:
  Cargo handling (loading/unloading, container storage)Customs support and documentationTransportation scheduling and coordination

Organizational Structure & Workflow Mapping: All insights were documented in Lark Docs for transparent, collaborative sharing across departments.

Phase 2: Designing Custom Digital Workflows on Lark

Based on the mapped workflows, UpBase designed and configured tailored digital processes directly within the Lark platform, including:

• Contract & Service Fee Approval Workflow
  Creating internal/external contracts for rice, export, and port operationsMulti-level approvals (e.g., from Accounting to Board of Directors)Automated debt tracking and contract status updates
• Export & Shipping Coordination Workflow
  Logistics teams create detailed shipping schedulesTask assignments for KCS (quality control), warehouse, and transport teamsService confirmation and cost reporting to Accounting and management
• Inventory & Material Management
  Real-time updates of rice and rotating packaging inventoryDigital logs of material usage and handling servicesIntegration with daily warehouse operations for better accuracy

Phase 3: Deployment, Training & Change Management

UpBase conducted hands-on training sessions for each team using real examples from Cẩm Nguyên’s daily operations.

• Adoption support included:
  Guided onboarding for team leadsQuick-access guides and FAQs inside Lark DocsWeekly check-ins with key departments for feedback and optimization

Phase 4: Performance Review & Continuous Improvement

After the initial rollout, UpBase helped Cẩm Nguyên:

• Review KPIs like contract processing time, approval bottlenecks, inventory accuracy, and interdepartmental response time
• Identify gaps and iterate on workflows
• Plan for future scaling, including mobile use for field workers and integration with financial reporting tools

Key Results After 3 Months

Within just 3 months, Cẩm Nguyên Group achieved notable improvements:

• Contract approval time reduced from 1–2 days to just 4–6 hours, speeding up decision-making.
• Inventory updates shifted from weekly to real-time, cutting stockouts by 80%.
• Interdepartmental errors dropped from 5–7 per month to less than 1, thanks to centralized workflows.
• Admin time was reduced by 60%, freeing up staff for higher-value work.
• Communication became more structured via Lark, replacing fragmented tools like Zalo and email.

Cẩm Nguyên now operates with greater speed, accuracy, and coordination across all departments.

Conclusion

With UpBase x Lark, Cẩm Nguyên Group has:

• Digitized critical workflows
• Boosted cross-department collaboration
• Gained real-time visibility into operations
• Built a foundation for sustainable, scalable growth across all business sectors.

Whether in logistics, agriculture, or manufacturing, UpBase x Lark is the trusted partner for digital transformation in Vietnam’s mid-size enterprises.