Supply chain innovation
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American Tower: transforming supply chain into the digital era
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AMERICAN TOWER
Business Chief speaks to Collin Mugisha, Head of Supply Chain, American Tower, to discover how the business is digitally transforming its supply chain
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merican Tower’s global portfolio of approximately 171,000 sites is composed of towers in advanced, evolving and
developing wireless markets, in various stages of wireless network deployment. It has selectively expanded internationally to complement its core US operations, as it believes that the network development trajectory seen in the US will ultimately be replicated overseas. Established in 1995, American Tower is one of the largest global Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) that operates and develops wireless and broadcast communications. Its portfolio includes: 171,000 communications sites with 41,000 properties in the US and 130,000 properties internationally. American Tower does not think in the short-term, it is here for the long haul, with ambitions to make wireless communication possible everywhere through its innovation, efficiency, growth and leadership.
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AMERICAN TOWER
“We’re still way behind to digitalise the systems and this isn’t good because lack of digitalisation causes a lot of inefficacy and increases cost” 06
— Collin Mugisha, Head of Supply Chain EMEA, American Tower
Collin Mugisha, Head of supply chain (EMEA), American Tower, has worked in the Supply Chain industry for almost 20 years. In that time, he has had a broad scope of experience across procurement, logistics, warehousing, P2P processes, management of contractors, contracts, relationships, partnership building and use of technology in supply chains. After seven years of working at American Tower, Mugisha still loves his work with the company. He believes that American Tower’s “unique processes and systems” are key to its com-
E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Collin Mugisha Mugisha is a self-motivated individual currently working with American Tower Cooperation as Head of Supply Chain (EMEA) in charge of procurement, logistics and warehousing and facilities. By the time of this appointment, Mugisha worked with ATC Uganda as the Head of Supply Chain Manager, Airtel Uganda Limited (Bharti Group) as the Head of Procurement, Hima Cement limited (Lafarge group) as Procurement Manager, Shell Uganda Limited, now VIVO Energy (Royal Dutch Shell group), in the roles of Logistics Coordinator, Secondary distribution manager and Project Team Head, VMI (Vendor Management Inventory) responsible for country distribution, planning, forecasting, reporting and performance management and monitoring, with a special focus in Strategic Planning and distribution. Previously, Mugisha had worked with British American Tobacco (BAT) as a Management Trainee, Procurement Officer and Leaf Export Supplier Account Manager in charge of all leaf planning, sales, outbound logistics and exports to various BAT sister companies and other clients in the international tobacco industry. Mugisha has 19 years’ experience in supply chain. He has a master’s degree in supply chain management, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Supplies and Procurement and a Certified International Procurement Professional CIPP.
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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘AMERICAN TOWER - 24/7 COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE’ 09
petitive edge, along with its process
break into new markets to “double its
across multiple cultures, its ambition
portfolio and double its possibility,” he
to expand into new markets and its
continues. “With this expansion,
long-term vision.
American Tower aims to give back to the African community by developing
VISION FOR AFRICA
community initiatives.” Nigeria is
American Tower – headquartered in
American Tower’s largest market in
Boston, Massachusetts – “has always
Africa and although there is significant
had the strategy to grow over a period
potential within the African market, it
of time,” says Mugisha. The company
is a sector that is not without its
now operates in countries such as
challenges. For example, current
India, Mexico, France, Germany and
power availability in Africa remains a
Brazil. In 2015, it opened its office in
limiting factor, due to technical sites
Nigeria, Africa, with the ambition to
needing 24/7 power. As a result, says w w w.a me ri c a nto wer. com
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“ I would like to have a scenario where we don’t even have to come into the office and are able to do all tasks from wherever” — Collin Mugisha, Head of Supply Chain EMEA, American Tower
form in order to integrate its targets into one platform for performance management, and has since been modifying its capabilities to best suit the company. “Performance management helps you identify goals, attributes and characters that you need to improve on. This is an incredibly important process,” explains Mugisha. “Whether its digitally or manually, performance management helps you become better at what you do, so if you do not evaluate your performance against what you are doing it becomes difficult to improve.” Mugisha asserts that the business continuously looks to digitise any inefficient processes: “The manual
Mugisha, “management of this side of
process of who does what, when they
the business is required at all times to
did it and why they did it is inefficient,”
ensure the company is in line with its
he explains. “Digitalisation of this
service level agreements.”
process will streamline operations in Africa and leave a trail to track for
DIGITALLY TRANSFORMING AMERICAN TOWER’S SUPPLY CHAIN
analysis of outcomes to help further
At American Tower, analysis and
far, Mugisha has implemented the
performance management is an
supply chain functions of the ERP
integral part of the supply chain
system to help with this process, with
process. From inception, the company
further changes being implemented
has rolled out the Oracle ERP plat-
when required to help foster improve-
develop and grow the business.” So
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$1,813mn+ Approximate revenue
ficient for cost management. To further digitalise supply chain, Mugisha wants to eliminate office space entirely for tasks that can be done from any location, such as mak-
1995
Year founded
5,200
Approximate number of employees
ing approvals for orders. “I would like to have a scenario where we don’t even have to come into the office and are able to do all these tasks from anywhere. I don’t have to be in the office to make approvals about an order or a purchasing position for example,” says Mugisha. Additionally, he wants to “be able to automate each and every process” that is in supply chain, not only just in performance evalua-
ment, development and growth. With
tion. Over the years, American Tower
the help of technology such as Oracle,
has worked with a number of valuable
American Tower has standardised its
partners such as Galooli POWER,
processes across the world, imple-
which has assisted American Tower to
menting guidelines and policies that
develop software for site monitoring:
are cost-effective and efficient. “If you
“Working together in the last seven
go to Nigeria, you’ll find that it is the
years, Galooli brings a true value and a
same process as in Uganda as op-
strong relationship to American Tower
posed to making it different for every
and emphasises the importance of
supplier everywhere.” Without a doubt,
us as a real partner,” Says Leehu
Mugisha believes American Tower
Hacohen. Other companies American
will 100% benefit from the company’s
Tower has worked with include Incell
efforts towards digitalisation, but only
Engineering, which provides American
if all processes and systems are ef-
Tower with batteries, and iEngineering
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“Comprehensive procurement process plus improved technology and innovation will give you enhanced value and potential savings” — Collin Mugisha, Head of Supply Chain EMEA, American Tower
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Group, which assists with developing
implement the best security and pro-
prototypes and upgrading commu-
ductivity practices towards both remote
nication towers. These partnerships
assets and workforce management.
are mutually beneficial for American
Acsys hardware along with its web-
Tower and its partners as they work
based software, gives us a holistic view
to grow with each other, and evolve
of the entire remote infrastructure’s
solutions to help other businesses in
security status, both during planned
Africa in the future.
servicing and idle hours. This has
A sturdy locking solution and a smart
enabled us to reduce the theft of sought-
autonomous access control is the first
after commodities like batteries, fuel,
line of defence to protect cell towers
starters and other critical telecom
critical infrastructure. ATC, has
installations. Its OTP-enabled smart keys
strategically partnered with Acsys to
& mobile apps allow ATC to assign w w w.a me ri c a nto wer. com
“ If you go to Nigeria, you’ll find that it is the same process as in Uganda as opposed to making it different for every supplier everywhere” — Collin Mugisha, Head of Supply Chain EMEA, American Tower
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17 access privileges in real-time, thereby
Eaton Towers in an approximately
reducing the number of round trips in
US$1.85bn deal. The signing is yet to
field necessary to retrieve and return
take place, however, due diligence is
access keys resulting in substantial
being carried out to assess Eaton
OPEX reductions‘’
Tower’s portfolio prior to the takeover, focused on five key areas: Uganda,
THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN TOWER
Kenya, Ghana, Burkina Faso and
Looking to the future, Mugisha sees
Niger. The merging of American Tower
digitalisation and standardisation as
and Eaton Towers is a response to
being a key trend in the African
American Tower’s mission to “get into
market, “we’re still way behind to
new markets and new operations.”
digitalise operational systems and this
Merging with Eaton Towers will help
isn’t good because it creates a lot of
expand its site portfolio in Africa, grow
inefficiency and increase cost.” In
its experience of different markets,
addition to this, American Tower is
and offer new technologies. As a
currently in the process of acquiring
result, these benefits will help with w w w.a me ri c a nto wer. com
AMERICAN TOWER
“ Innovation will continue to be a very important aspect for our business moving forwards” — Collin Mugisha, Head of Supply Chain EMEA, American Tower 18 PA R T N E R S
EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, is a key supplier to American Towers. EnerSys supplies American Towers with state-of-the-art energy systems (batteries, enclosures and rectifiers) that provide a secure thermally managed environment for its backup battery systems. They ensure very low energy consumption, providing for
OPEX savings. The enclosures are custom-designed for use in rugged and harsh environments and fully integrate with the solar panels on its towers. In addition to enclosures, EnerSys offers an extensive portfolio of premium f looded and sealed batteries for the telecommunications market. They offer exceptional performance, long life, compact footprint, high energy density and ease of installation.
American Tower’s goal to be even more cost effective and efficient. Alongside the benefits of the company’s merger with Eaton Towers, Mugisha does foresee that there will be challenges such as software integration of the two companies, receptive customers to each other’s products, standardising company processes and training employees on new system changes. For Mugisha, American Tower’s capacity to maintain relationships with network operators, ability to provide high quality products and its focus on providing real estate wireless and broadband solutions is paramount. “Innovation will continue to be a very important aspect for our business moving forwards,” he says. As American Tower aims to continuously evaluate its processes and develop innovative solutions for its customers, it seems certain that these goals will be achieved.
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American Tower 6th Floor Rwenzori Towers Nakasero Rd Kampala Uganda T +256772718228 www.americantower.com