‘Round 2 Solutions‘ showcases robust performance, achieving an average annual growth of 40% and closing its latest fiscal year with THB 364 million in revenue, defying sluggish economic conditions. Riding the wave of a booming Thai ERP/CRM market, Managing Director Vichien Lanchanavanich highlights how Cloud, AI, and system upgrade trends are compelling organizations of all sizes—from SMEs to large enterprises—to accelerate investments. The company is leveraging strategic alliances with G-Able and Nippon Steel for full-scale customer base expansion while tackling the critical IT talent shortage through its innovative “Academy Program,” designed to transform business professionals directly into SAP consultants.
Amidst ongoing global and Thai economic uncertainty, businesses are rapidly adapting to multifaceted challenges. A key strategy involves leveraging digital technology to enhance efficiency and gain a competitive edge. Consequently, the market for enterprise management solutions like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) in Thailand is experiencing a resurgence, growing robustly and bucking the broader economic concerns.
Round 2 Solutions Co., Ltd., a leading SAP and Salesforce consulting and implementation service provider in Thailand, is a prime example reflecting this vigorous growth. Under the leadership of Managing Director Mr. Vichien Lanchanavanich , the company has not only navigated various crises over its 10-year history but has also achieved remarkable growth, particularly in the last four years, boasting an average annual growth rate of 40%. It concluded its 2024 fiscal year with revenues of THB 364 million, a significant jump from approximately THB 118 million in 2021.
“Our company started operations around 2014-2015, so we’ve just completed our 10th year,” Mr. Vichien stated, reflecting on the beginnings before elaborating on the evolving company structure. “Previously, we were a private company. Then, during 2021-22, Nippon Steel, a Japanese company, acquired about a 15% stake to support our SAP endeavors. Most recently, last year (2023), G-Able became the major shareholder with approximately 75%.” This strategic alliance with G-Able, a Thai digital solutions giant, and Nippon Steel marks a significant step, strengthening Round 2 and opening doors to new opportunities.
Thai ERP/CRM Market on the Rise, Embracing Digital Megatrends
Mr. Vichien analyzed the driving forces behind Thailand’s ERP and CRM market, attributing the growth to several factors. “I see it from 2-3 perspectives. Firstly, even if the Thai economy faces headwinds, businesses are still growing. There’s a generational transition in local family businesses, and large corporations are expanding. This means businesses increasingly need standardization and systems to support them.”
The second factor is the burgeoning digital ecosystem. “We have social platforms, marketplaces, supply chains, demand chains – many aspects have gone digital. It’s convenient, which drives the need for systems that can connect with partners and other platforms,” he explained. The final element is the evolution of the solutions themselves. “SAP and Salesforce themselves have developed new versions, features, and pricing models, like moving to the Cloud. These three factors contribute to the market’s significant growth today.”
Cloud and New Mindset Revolutionize ERP/CRM Investment
One of the most critical transformations is the advent of Cloud Computing, which has completely reshaped investment patterns in ERP and CRM systems. Mr. Vichien detailed, “Previously, it had to be On-Premise – you needed to acquire servers, install them, and manage them yourself. Now, with SAP or Salesforce, we are hosted by the provider. We simply subscribe to use the service. This lowers the initial investment significantly. There’s no need for extensive infrastructure preparation, no need to buy excess capacity, and no need to constantly maintain the hardware.”
Beyond easier investment access, the mindset of business owners and implementation methodologies have also shifted. “In the past, you’d take SAP and figure out how to customize it extensively to fit your specific processes. This led to heavily customized projects with costs easily reaching THB 50-70 million or more. Today, the mindset has changed. You take SAP and first ask yourself, ‘How can we adapt our business processes to align with SAP’s built-in Best Practices?’ This reduces the need for extensive customization, lowers complexity, and significantly cuts implementation costs. We’re now seeing projects in the low tens of millions of baht, sometimes even below ten million.”
This change has directly fueled market expansion into the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) segment. “Previously, investing in SAP might have been difficult if your business revenue wasn’t in the tens of billions. Now, businesses with revenues around THB 2-3 billion can afford it. This has opened up the middle market considerably,” Mr. Vichien added.
Round 2’s Strength: Mastering Two Worlds – SAP & Salesforce Integration
Amidst heightened competition, Round 2 differentiates itself with a unique strength: deep, certified expertise in both major platforms – SAP, focusing on internal enterprise management (ERP), and Salesforce, the leader in customer relationship management (CRM) focused on external processes.
“If you look at most partners, they might specialize solely in SAP or solely in Salesforce. We are one of the few that master both,” Mr. Vichien pointed out.
“The SAP side covers internal management – accounting, production, inventory. But Salesforce handles the external world, starting from lead or prospect generation (people who aren’t yet customers), tracking activities, assessing sentiment, all the way until they become customers. SAP doesn’t typically cover this initial phase, but Salesforce excels here. Nearly 100% of Round 2’s CRM clients also have SAP as their backend system. Therefore, we are highly specialized in integrating these two systems seamlessly, both in terms of data and processes, which is crucial.”
This thorough understanding of both ecosystems enables Round 2 to provide consulting and deliver solutions that comprehensively meet clients’ needs, from back-office operations to customer-facing interactions.
AI and Data: The New Frontier for Enterprise Software
The rapidly emerging trend of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also a key focus for Round 2, ready to be introduced to clients. Mr. Vichien emphasized the distinction between Consumer AI (like ChatGPT) familiar to the public and Enterprise AI or Agentic AI, which is being integrated into systems like SAP and Salesforce.
“Enterprise AI involves embedding AI within the organization’s ERP/CRM processes. It’s like having an agent that can perform tasks within the process on our behalf and interact with us,” he explained. However, Mr. Vichien approaches this thoughtfully from a consultant’s perspective. “I’m somewhat conservative. If the client’s foundation isn’t solid – if processes aren’t standardized and data quality is poor – deploying AI won’t yield its full potential. AI needs to run on reliable processes, data, and policies. If the foundation is weak, AI can’t perform effectively.”
Therefore, Round 2’s strategy is to first help clients build a strong foundation. “This year, we are introducing work methods to ensure the client’s fundamentals are sound and correct, enabling AI deployment to be genuinely beneficial.” Furthermore, Round 2 has extensive experience in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) since 2021, with over 300 use cases involving bots performing repetitive tasks within SAP, effectively paving the way for the Agentic AI era.
‘Academy Program’: An Innovative Solution to the Consultant Shortage
The most significant challenge facing the IT consulting industry is the shortage of skilled personnel, particularly experts in complex systems like SAP, who are in high demand. “Demand currently outstrips the supply of partners and professionals available to meet client needs. We need to mobilize and build new resources quickly,” Mr. Vichien stated, describing the situation.
To address this, Round 2 initiated the “Academy Program,” a novel and noteworthy approach. Instead of solely focusing on IT graduates or new hires who require lengthy training and may lack deep business understanding, Round 2 opts to recruit experienced “business professionals.”
“We announced recruitment for professionals with prior experience in accounting, perhaps 2-3 years, even if they haven’t touched IT. They interview with us, and if successful, we hire them as full-time employees at a salary no less than their previous one. Then, we provide comprehensive SAP training, including instructors and certification exams. Upon completing the program (4-6 months) and passing assessments, they become Junior SAP Consultants,” Mr. Vichien explained the concept.
“I believe it’s easier than trying to teach accounting standards or business processes to IT people. Taking someone who already understands the business and adding SAP knowledge – which today doesn’t necessarily require extensive coding – should be faster and yield consultants who truly understand the client. The client benefits from talking to someone who genuinely grasps their business reality. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
The pilot program for accounting professionals received an overwhelmingly positive response, with over 50 applicants in the first round, and the first batch is set to begin training in May. Plans are underway to expand this model to other functional areas like Production and Sales, potentially revolutionizing talent development in Thailand’s IT consulting sector.
Robust Growth, Strategic Alliances, Towards New Goals
Driven by precise strategies, clear strengths, and adaptation to new trends, Round 2 has consistently delivered outstanding performance, even during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fluctuations. “Every crisis presents an opportunity,” Mr. Vichien remarked. “Like during COVID, if you needed to pivot your business but lacked data or processes, how would you know which way to go? Or consider potential economic volatility from external factors like trade policies – without a good system, you’re more vulnerable. A solid system helps you adapt and compete.”
Looking ahead to 2025, after the significant leap to THB 364 million in 2024 revenue, Mr. Vichien targets continued double-digit growth (10-15% or more). This confidence is bolstered by the strength derived from alliances with G-Able and Nippon Steel. “G-Able provides access to potentially non-overlapping customer bases and offers robust infrastructure, while Nippon Steel helps us penetrate the unique Japanese corporate market. This ‘trifecta’ creates a highly synergistic ecosystem,” he noted.
The journey of Round 2 Solutions under Vichien Lanchanavanich‘s leadership offers a compelling case study of business growth amidst change. Identifying opportunities in a booming market, building distinct strengths, wisely adopting new technologies, and tackling the classic personnel challenge with unconventional thinking are all crucial factors propelling Round 2 Solutions to market leadership, poised to seize further growth opportunities in the digital economy era.
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