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Danish wholesaler Lemvigh-M眉ller transformed manual document handling with 麻豆原创 Business AI.

The company automatically processes incoming business documents, including orders, delivery notes, and invoices received as PDFs and emails, reducing manual work and helping teams focus on execution rather than paperwork. Discover how a 200-hour AI project became a scalable foundation for broader business process automation. Read the article.

For Lemvigh-M眉ller, an efficient supply chain isn’t a nice-to-have鈥攊t’s the business model. “Our company is low margin, and we are living from a very efficient supply chain,” says Frederik Aakerlund, CIO of Lemvigh-M眉ller. “We need to cut costs wherever we can, and we need to make sure our customers get our products as quickly as possible.”

Not every business partner connects via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), the standard for exchanging business documents directly between IT systems. For Lemvigh-M眉ller, that means a steady stream of orders, delivery notes, and invoices arriving as PDFs and emails鈥攄ocuments that, until recently, had to be read and entered manually.

“Today we are receiving so many PDF files and emails that we don’t have the time to read them,” Aakerlund explains. “Basically, we don’t update our system, or we don’t find the deviations from what we expect, quickly enough.”

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Letting AI read the mail

To close that gap, the team built a use case for receiving documents from business partners that can’t be exchanged via EDI and having them read automatically by 麻豆原创 AI engines.

“This is exactly where AI is helping us,” Aakerlund says. “It’s reading 10 20-page documents in a few seconds, updating our system, and there’s no person involved.”

Behind the scenes, the solution combines a mix of 麻豆原创 Business AI Platform, AI components, and 麻豆原创 Fiori apps, integrated with Lemvigh-M眉ller’s core 麻豆原创 system鈥斅槎乖� Cloud ERP Private, which the company adopted two years ago.

The shift in daily work is tangible. “Our users, instead of reading a lot of emails, are just working in a dashboard, finding the things they need to work on,” Aakerlund says. “We’re living the in a small part of our business.”
What started as a single use case has since become a template. “We’ve kind of made it a template for receiving business documents like orders, delivery notes, invoices, and so on,” Aakerlund notes. “Whenever we can’t get them digitally, we read them via this new system. It works for all kinds of PDFs and emails we receive from our business partners.”

Aakerlund’s advice to other companies considering AI projects: don’t start big.

“A good piece of advice could be to find the pockets of inefficiency in your company and apply AI there, instead of going for some really, really big project,” he says. The first version of the use case took just 200 hours over 10 weeks to build. “It turned out to be a reusable architecture, with reusable templates for a lot of other business processes.”

It reinvented circus arts and became a world leader in live entertainment, performing for more than 365 million spectators in 90 countries. Today, the organization operates 38 shows in cities around the world, supported by over 4,000 touring artists and staff from more than 80 countries.

Each touring show functions like a moving profit center. A production may operate in Mexico City, then move to London, then Paris鈥攂ringing with it new companies, employees, assets, tax requirements, local regulations, merchandising operations, and artists from dozens of nationalities.

As Philippe Lalumi猫re, vice president of Information Technology at Cirque du Soleil, explains, 鈥淧eople underestimate the complexity of running a circus.鈥�

Orchestrating an autonomous accounts payable process

This is especially true for the company鈥檚 accounts payable (AP) department. Every year, more than 70,000 invoices flow through Cirque du Soleil, non-stop, 24/7. Around 40% of vendor inquiries are standard requests for invoice status. But answering those questions was far from simple. AP specialists had to search across systems, review invoice histories, understand payment status, determine the cause of delays, and manually respond.

The work was repetitive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining. 鈥淔rom a morale point of view, receiving e-mails from suppliers, some of them a bit impolite because they鈥檙e asking, 鈥榃hen are we going to get paid?鈥欌�攊t鈥檚 not a fun job,鈥� Lalumi猫re says.

Finding the right problem to solve鈥攑utting AI into action

As an 麻豆原创 customer for more than 25 years, Cirque du Soleil knows firsthand how to leverage 麻豆原创 technology not only to run its operations, but also to reinvent them.

Cirque du Soleil, known聽as聽an early adopter and leader in digital transformation, was approached by 麻豆原创聽AppHaus聽with a question: how could 麻豆原创 generative AI technology be used to improve your business processes?

The answer emerged through collaborative workshops involving 麻豆原创, Cirque du Soleil’s IT team, and business users across its departments. Accounts payable quickly rose to the top due to its lean structure, high volume of interactions, and clear automation potential. And the choice aligned with the broader business evolution鈥擜P automation is one of the most widely adopted AI use cases across industries.

With a clear opportunity identified, Cirque du Soleil and 麻豆原创 moved from ideation to execution, developing an AI-powered solution that automated AP processes and improved responsiveness.

AI enters stage right鈥攆rom vision to reality

The workshops led to something more than an automation project鈥攖hey led to Genato, a multilingual AI agent that now works alongside the AP team.

The polyglot agent scans the AP inbox, analyzes sentiment, identifies urgency, extracts invoice numbers from messages and attachments, connects to 麻豆原创 data to retrieve invoice status, and drafts a response for human review. If it cannot find an invoice or resolve an inquiry, it flags the issue.

鈥淭rust in the quality of the answers coming from the agent was an initial concern,鈥� Lalumi猫re says. 鈥淏ut, the team quickly realized that Genato鈥檚 information was spot on.鈥�

Together, Genato and the AP team now serve Cirque du Soleil’s diverse global supplier network more efficiently.

Lalumi猫re, however, is clear about one thing: 鈥淵es, AI is a very powerful tool, but it鈥檚 not pixie dust. Sprinkling AI into processes is not going to solve everything. There is work involved.鈥�

That work included designing聽appropriate connectors聽and integrating with the company鈥檚 麻豆原创 and AP systems using . This enterprise AI foundation聽can bring together capabilities and technologies (think 麻豆原创聽Business Data Cloud, Business Transformation Management solutions, and 麻豆原创 Business AI), unifying AI, data, process context, and governance, so customers can build, integrate, scale, and run AI that delivers business impact聽while working to ensure the solution is sustainable and cost-efficient.

The impact was evident almost immediately. Generative AI began prioritizing urgent supplier requests, retrieving invoice information, drafting responses, and translating communications automatically, delivering measurable improvements across the AP organization:

• 97.92% improvement in handling priority requests
• 25% reduction in AP backlog
• 25% faster response times for non-urgent inquiries
• Improved vendor satisfaction and employee morale

The impact on employees cannot be overstated. By removing repetitive research and emotionally charged supplier follow-up from the team鈥檚 workload, Genato has become more than a tool. 鈥淲e now include Genato as a virtual team member,鈥� Lalumi猫re explains, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a paradigm shift.鈥�

That adoption is the clearest sign of success. Lalumi猫re recalls that after the prototype moved into production, one of the end users made her feelings clear: 鈥淣o, no, no, you cannot take it away from me! There is no way I鈥檓 going to live without it now.鈥� Today, she is one of the solution鈥檚 biggest ambassadors.

Collectively, the solution demonstrates how AI can be introduced into a focused business process, quickly earn user trust, and create a blueprint for broader enterprise innovation.

As Lalumi猫re puts it, 鈥淵ou鈥痗ould say we鈥檙e an 麻豆原创 shop.鈥�

The next act of AI innovation

For Cirque du Soleil, accounts payable is only the beginning.

Lalumi猫re believes that 鈥淎I is a huge and beautiful tool, but you still need human judgment to prioritize use cases and move forward.鈥� He also sees AI evolving across three layers: personal productivity with solutions such as Joule; AI applied to business processes, such as Genato; and, eventually, AI embedded in the audience experience itself. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e at the dawn of a new era of circus arts,鈥� he says.

His advice to others beginning their AI journey is simple: start small, involve users early, and be willing to experiment. 鈥淭ry a small proof of concept and be ready to throw them away,鈥� Lalumi猫re says. 鈥淭he AI train is moving, and you have to hop on.鈥�

For a company built on reinvention, transforming accounts payable may seem far removed from the spotlight, but for Lalumi猫re, the principle is the same: innovation happens when people are willing to rethink what’s possible. Today, that mindset is improving back-office operations. Tomorrow, it may help redefine the audience’s experience.

Sid Misra is CMO of 麻豆原创 Business AI Platform Technology Foundation.
Top image courtesy of Cirque du Soleil.

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Salling Group, northern Europe鈥檚 largest retailer, shares how a modern 麻豆原创 landscape is helping support more than 2,100 stores across six countries

Learn how 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud, RISE with 麻豆原创, and a strong supply chain foundation are helping the company improve efficiency, support employees, and better serve customers. Read the article.

The company鈥檚 history goes back more than 100 years, and what began as a small textile shop in Aarhus, Denmark, is now an international retailer with 鈧�12 billion in revenue.

麻豆原创 has supported Salling Group for over 20 years and is central to its operations, said Alan Jensen, CIO and executive vice president at Salling Group. Recently, the company has modernized its ERP system to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud via RISE with 麻豆原创.

With this cloud-based infrastructure in place, the retailer is ready to begin its AI transformation.

Improving everyday life

Salling Group鈥檚 reason for introducing AI is threefold: improve customer experience, simplify for employees, and boost operational efficiency. 鈥淲e want to make everyday life better for our customers by having the right product for the right price every time they need it,鈥� Jensen said. 鈥淲e also want to make every day better for our employees, so the tools and systems they work with are intuitive and easy to use.鈥� This aligns with the company鈥檚 purpose to improve everyday life for customers, colleagues, and the communities it is a part of.

The company views AI as a key enabler, focusing on how to turn AI into real business value for customers, employees, and the company overall. One such area where AI will have real impact on the retailer is logistics, Jensen said. Currently, Salling Group uses in its 29 distribution centers. The application helps manage high volumes of goods and run sustainable, risk-resilient operations via digitalized warehouse processes in the cloud. For Salling Group, this means on-time delivery to stores and efficient supply chain operations.

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What鈥檚 next

Salling Group is using 麻豆原创 solutions and AI to modernize its retail operations end-to-end, with a clear emphasis on customer experience, employee productivity, and supply chain excellence鈥攚hile ensuring new technologies deliver tangible business outcomes.

When it comes to 麻豆原创, Jensen is looking forward to seeing how the Autonomous Enterprise will further Salling Group鈥檚 success with AI.

鈥淭he Autonomous Enterprise looks very exciting,鈥� Jensen said. 鈥淭here is definitely a lot in how we can improve the way we run our business every day, so we need to be curious and see how we can use it.鈥�

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The family-owned maritime group Damen Shipyards is taking the next step in its digital journey.

The company is using intelligent capabilities to support operations, employees, and customer-facing processes. Read more.

Anyone who is looking for a prime example of how migration to the cloud can do far more than just simplification and standardization should take a closer look at Swarovski. The legendary manufacturer of precision-cut crystals, jewelry, and watches鈥攚ith its origins in Wattens, in the Austrian region of Tyrol鈥攈as transformed its IT landscape from a cost factor into a strategic tool for a digital future.

The transformation was guided by Lea Sonderegger, serving in a dual role as CDO and CIO at Swarovski, with such great success that she was awarded the special 鈥淐loud Excellence鈥� prize in the large enterprise category at the CIO of the Year ceremony held by CIO Magazine last October.

The judging panel found her brownfield approach to be especially praiseworthy: Swarovski employees use but continue to use the familiar processes and databases. A complete redesign of these processes in parallel to the migration would have been too risky and cost-intensive. It would have also resulted in a much longer project duration, Sonderegger is convinced.

25,000 tests with 600 participants

The brownfield implementation was carefully executed. Preparations took two years and involved more than 600 participants performing around 25,000 tests. Two dress rehearsals with strict governance ensured that every function and every data point was ready for the migration.

Sonderegger and her colleagues reserved a 66-hour conversion window for the go-live on April 20, 2026. During this period, all global IT processes at Swarovski were paused. During the subsequent sensitive hypercare phase, 24×7 support ensured that any issues that arose could be dealt with quickly. Thanks to these measures, the transition was seamless. After the conversion window closed, all processes resumed without problems.听

Simplification and standardization ensure consistent data

Despite the large effort involved, this migration was merely the first step. While the switch to 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private created the technical foundation, it鈥檚 the subsequent investments that deliver additional added value. These investments concentrate on the incremental reduction of complexity through consolidation of fragmented solutions, the reassessment of user-specific code, and the harmonization of data鈥攁ll with the overall goal of creating a more coherent, easier-to-handle ERP landscape.

To achieve this, Sonderegger and her team are replacing user-specific applications with 麻豆原创 standard solutions step by step and only leaving custom developments in place where they offer clear advantages. 鈥淭he combination of simplification and a return-to-standard solutions improves data consistency, provides for robust, reliable processes, and, ultimately, makes our entire organization more agile,鈥� Sonderegger says.

Cloud technology is not an end in itself

By integrating key functions such as finance, supply chain management, retail, and e-commerce鈥攁nd enabling their combined use in the cloud鈥斅槎乖� Cloud ERP Private provides for reliable processes and consistent data quality all while enabling customer experiences on a wide variety of front-end solutions on this side of the ERP system.

麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private manages a diverse product range at Swarovski across different regions and price points and integrates with the planning results provided by other 麻豆原创 and non-麻豆原创 systems.

鈥淚n all of these activities, cloud technology is never an end in itself, but rather a lever for improving efficiency, resilience, and innovative capabilities,鈥� Sonderegger says. This determination is especially important to her.

It鈥檚 not an IT project, it鈥檚 a business transformation

Ultimately, Sonderegger and her team succeeded in executing the project on time and on budget because its scope was clearly defined, and strict discipline in change management prevented mission creep. In addition, the company benefited from the experience of its implementation partner, 麻豆原创 Consulting, and its unrestricted access to 麻豆原创 expertise.

The example of Swarovski proves that even an essential, unavoidable migration can and should do much more than just avoid risks and cut maintenance costs. The implementation of 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private was imperative here, because 麻豆原创 ERP Central Component (麻豆原创 ECC) had reached the end of its lifecycle.

And the implementation is showing the luxury goods manufacturer the way to the future because everyone involved in the process didn鈥檛 just consider it to be an IT project but, above all, a business transformation from day one. One that involved hundreds of experts from different fields and that enjoyed full management support from the beginning.

AI-driven demand forecasts optimize warehouse stocks

Artificial intelligence is also playing a key role in this implementation, with 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private as the operational backbone of an AI ecosystem that can deliver reliable, real-time data and robust, standardized transaction processes.

Swarovski doesn鈥檛 use artificial intelligence as a standalone technology, but instead as an integrated capability that complements business processes across all functions. The company is already using AI for demand forecasting, for example, and then uses the results to optimize warehouse stock levels across regions, with the aim of improving the customer experience.

And the AI agent factory initiative enables the development of AI agents that link 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private data with data from non-麻豆原创 systems, always with the objective of 鈥渁utomating repetitive tasks, supporting decision-making, and boosting productivity along the entire value chain,鈥� Sonderegger emphasizes.

Top image courtesy of Swarovski

At the center of that effort sits a deceptively complex challenge: understanding, in real time, which revenue and cost factors are driving or eroding gross margin across a highly diversified business. For years, answering that question meant manual reporting, delayed insights, and finance teams spending valuable time on data gathering rather than analysis.

That鈥檚 now changing, thanks to a co-innovation initiative developed together with 麻豆原创 and Numen, a global 麻豆原创 partner specializing in digital transformation and enterprise software implementation.

From manual reporting to proactive decision intelligence

The project鈥檚 goal was to replace a labor-intensive gross margin analysis process with a generative AI application embedded directly into Natura &Co’s financial workflows. Built on 麻豆原创 Business AI Platform, 麻豆原创’s unified foundation integrating business technology, data, and AI capabilities, the application connects directly to data in 麻豆原创 S/4HANA to provide finance teams with automated insights and narrative recommendations in real time, without the need for manual data pulls or offline reporting.

The application enables users to explore revenue, cost, and margin drivers interactively, identifying at a glance which elements are protecting or eroding margin performance across markets and product lines. Crucially, human oversight remains central to the design: the AI application generates insights, while finance professionals retain full control over interpretation and decisions.

鈥淭he implementation of gross margin analysis using AI in 麻豆原创 S/4HANA marked an inflection point in the analytical capability of our finance area,” said Rog茅rio Dias Garcia, tech manager, ERP Latam, Natura &Co. “We overcame delays and raised the standard of insights by integrating margin analysis from 麻豆原创 S/4HANA with a large language model connected via the 麻豆原创 AI Core layer. This architecture allowed us to provide, in an agile, secure, and completely anonymous manner, a stratified and precise view of gross margin offenders and protectors鈥攄iscriminating exactly which revenue or cost elements were driving market performance.鈥�

A collaborative architecture for scalable AI adoption

Natura &Co鈥檚 application derived from a prototype 麻豆原创 partner Numen created in early 2024 at 麻豆原创鈥檚 global on business AI, leveraging the generative AI capabilities of聽麻豆原创 Business AI Platform. The solution was designed and developed through close collaboration between Natura &Co, Numen, and 麻豆原创. From the outset, the approach was to align AI adoption with concrete business priorities, ensuring the application would be scalable and production-ready rather than a standalone prototype.

Numen brought deep 麻豆原创 implementation expertise to the project, combining knowledge of 麻豆原创 S/4HANA architecture with hands-on experience in building solutions on 麻豆原创 Business AI Platform. The technology stack鈥斅槎乖� S/4HANA, 麻豆原创 AI Core, 麻豆原创 Fiori, and 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform鈥攑rovided the secure, integrated foundation needed to connect financial data with generative AI capabilities in an enterprise context.

鈥溌槎乖� enabled the transformation by providing the technological foundation and expert support,鈥� said Carlos Aravechia, head of Data Design & Intelligence at Numen.

The success of the project has validated a broader conviction at Natura &Co: that generative AI, embedded directly in ERP workflows, can fundamentally reposition finance from a transactional function to a strategic business partner.

A blueprint for other businesses

The Natura &Co project demonstrates a pattern that other organizations can replicate, particularly those running 麻豆原创 S/4HANA. The combination of structured ERP data with the contextual reasoning capabilities of large language models creates a foundation for decision intelligence that goes well beyond traditional business intelligence tools.

The project was built within a six-month co-innovation sprint and went live in August 2025. It is currently in use across Natura &Co鈥檚 Equador operations.

Looking ahead, Natura &Co is already planning the next phase: integrating Joule Agents to further automate the extraction of standard analytical content and deepen the AI-driven optimization of financial processes.

鈥淭he success of this initiative validates the transformative potential of embedded AI within our ERP,鈥� Dias Garcia noted. 鈥淲e are now ready to move forward鈥攄eepening these insights and integrating the capability of Joule Agents to maximize the extraction of standard content and further optimize our business decisions.鈥�

For 麻豆原创 customers evaluating how to move from AI experimentation to AI in production, the Natura &Co project offers a concrete, replicable model: start with a high-value, well-defined business process, embed AI directly into existing workflows, and build in human oversight from the start.

When suppliers send order confirmations as PDF files, even minor discrepancies in price, quantity, or delivery dates can trigger significant manual effort within procurement. For Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller, one of Denmark鈥檚 largest wholesalers within steel, plumbing, heating and electrical products, this has long been a familiar challenge, consuming substantial time and resources.

The company has now tackled the very point where earlier automation initiatives often stalled. With a new solution based on several specialized AI agents, developed on 麻豆原创 technology and implemented in close collaboration with NTT DATA Business Solutions, supplier PDF order confirmations can now be read, interpreted, compared, and processed automatically鈥攄irectly against 麻豆原创 systems.

鈥淲e have previously tried both RPA and traditional automation approaches without really achieving the desired effect. The key difference this time is that we broke the task down into multiple independent AI agents, each responsible for a specific part of the process. Together, they now handle what previously required manual review,鈥� says Frederik Aakerlund, IT director at Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller.

10 weeks from idea to AI agents in production

The project originated with an e-mail from Jess Frederiksen, an AI鈥憇avvy project manager in Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller鈥檚 Market and Procurement organization. After successfully matching an order confirmation with a purchase order using ChatGPT as an experiment, he approached the IT director to explore whether this could be turned into a fully integrated system solution.

From the initial tests to production deployment, the entire project took just 10 weeks. According to Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller, this short implementation timeline was critical in allowing the solution to demonstrate tangible business value quickly and build internal support.

鈥淭his was not a long-running project. In 10 weeks, we moved from idea to AI agents in production, already delivering measurable value to our procurement officers,鈥� Aakerlund says.

Over time, Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller expects the solution to free up resources equivalent to three to four full-time employees. These resources will instead be redeployed to higher-value activities, including handling the most complex and exception鈥慸riven orders.

鈥淭he objective is not to reduce headcount, but to use our expertise more effectively. The AI agents take care of routine tasks, enabling procurement officers to focus on cases where their experience genuinely matters,鈥� Aakerlund adds.

More than 100,000 order confirmations automated

Each year, Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller sends approximately 175,000 purchase orders to more than 2,000 suppliers. While part of this volume is handled in a structured manner via EDI, around 60% of supplier order confirmations are still received as unstructured documents.

With the coordinated AI agents in place, the company can now automatically identify delays, quantity changes, and price discrepancies鈥攁nd respond significantly faster.

鈥淧reviously, when order confirmations were handled manually, it could take hours or even days before changes were reflected across the organization. Today, the AI agents update the data almost immediately, allowing customers to receive a much more accurate picture of deliveries far sooner,鈥� says Klaus Heinemann, head of 麻豆原创 ERP at Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller, who led the development together with the project team. 鈥淚n addition, we now identify price discrepancies before the final invoice is issued, saving time both for us and for our suppliers.鈥�

Multiple AI agents orchestrated in a single workflow

The solution is built around three cooperating AI agents, each with a clearly defined role in the process. One agent handles incoming e-mails and attachments, a second extracts and structures data from PDF documents, and a third compares the extracted information against purchase orders in 麻豆原创 to determine whether there is a match or a deviation.

As a result, complex and unstructured supplier data can be processed in a unified, automated workflow without requiring procurement officers to open and manually review lengthy PDF files.

鈥淲hat makes this solution robust is the interaction between the agents. Each agent is highly specialized, but they are orchestrated in a way that ensures the process flows seamlessly from start to finish,鈥� Heinemann explains.

During the project, the importance of master data quality also became increasingly clear.

鈥淚n areas such as Incoterms and other master data, we identified improvements that need to be addressed. This has been an important learning not just for this initiative, but for our broader work with AI,鈥� he says.

While it is still too early to measure the full impact on customer experience, error rates, or claims, expectations are that faster and more precise handling of supplier confirmations will, over time, lead to fewer surprises and significantly improved delivery transparency. Internally, the solution has been met with strong interest and curiosity among employees.

鈥淧rocurement officers clearly recognize the value of being relieved from the most tedious routine work. This has sparked a constructive dialogue about how technology can best support their day鈥憈o鈥慸ay responsibilities,鈥� Heinemann says.

Business AI with a clear business outcome

According to Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller, the investment is expected to deliver a return within a relatively short timeframe.

鈥淲e are talking about quarters rather than years when it comes to ROI. That is why it was essential for us to get the solution into production quickly and focus on processes with a clear and measurable impact,鈥� Aakerlund says.

For 麻豆原创, the project serves as a concrete example of how artificial intelligence can be embedded directly into core business processes rather than remaining a disconnected experiment.

鈥淢any companies talk about AI agents primarily in terms of automation. Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller demonstrates that the real challenge鈥攁nd the real opportunity鈥攍ies in coordination,鈥� says David Pontoppidan, head of AI at 麻豆原创 for the Nordics and Baltics. 鈥淚t is the orchestration of three specialized agents directly within the core process that makes this solution robust. This is also where many multi鈥慳gent initiatives fail, not due to limitations of individual agents but because of insufficient coordination. Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller has succeeded by anchoring the solution in its 麻豆原创 landscape, where data, business rules, and governance frameworks are already firmly established.鈥�

He continues: 鈥淚nnovation is not about company size. Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller shows that a Danish organization with short decision paths and a pragmatic approach to technology can move faster than many large global enterprises that are still in the planning stage. Ten weeks from idea to production is far from the norm, but perhaps it should be.鈥�

Designed for operations and scalability

The solution was implemented in close collaboration with NTT DATA Business Solutions, which was responsible for making the solution production鈥憆eady and fully integrated into Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller鈥檚 麻豆原创 landscape.

鈥淏y distributing responsibilities across multiple AI agents, Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller has been able to automate a complex process without losing transparency or control. This has enabled a fast and secure transition from pilot to production and ensures a more robust solution that can easily be expanded as new requirements emerge,鈥� says Kristian Dahl, 麻豆原创 UX manager at NTT DATA Business Solutions.

According to Dahl, the modular, agent鈥慴ased architecture was a key enabler in moving efficiently from proof of concept to live operation.

First step in a broader AI agent strategy

Initially, the AI agents have been deployed for selected supplier inboxes and business areas. However, Lemvigh鈥慚眉ller already sees significant potential in applying the same agent鈥慴ased approach across additional administrative processes.

鈥淭his is the first AI agent solution we have put into production. The experience has given us the confidence to consider similar approaches across other areas, including invoice processing and order management,鈥� Aakerlund concludes.

Ellen Vig Nelausen is a Nordic Integrated Communications Expert at 麻豆原创.

鈥淲e operate primarily to serve the needs of our customers and communities, so reliability is critical to SRP,鈥� Drake Winfrey, ERP solution architect at Salt River Project, said. 鈥淲e must ensure that anything we implement within our technology ecosystem doesn鈥檛 impact that reliability in any way鈥攁nd, ultimately, enables our team members to deliver the best possible service.鈥�

WalkMe鈥檚 superpower to work seamlessly on top of 麻豆原创 and non-麻豆原创 systems helps ensure technology enables reliability without disruption. SRP鈥檚 first encounter with WalkMe was part of its 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors implementation. At the time, Winfrey was the IT administrator for 麻豆原创 Concur solutions at SRP and, based on the success of the 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors implementation, saw an opportunity to add WalkMe in its travel and expense processes.

鈥淥ur employees only travel maybe once or twice a year, so no matter how user-friendly the system may be, there鈥檚 always going to be some pain points and friction,鈥� Winfrey said. And, for those who travel frequently, the SRP team knew they could benefit from in-app guidance to ensure processes were completed quickly and accurately.

It was a perfect use case for . At 麻豆原创 Sapphire Orlando, Winfrey shared five wins that Salt River Project experienced by applying WalkMe to its processes.

1 Greater process efficiency

At SRP, there are several standard expense reports that employees can submit in Concur Expense, such as personal mileage, safety gear, and telework.

To improve process efficiency, Winfrey built 鈥攕tep-by-step solutions that guide users through a series of actions to help complete a task鈥攖hat direct SRP employees through the report completion and submission process. 鈥淲ith WalkMe, we automate some of the fields and fill in critical information for the user, taking away some of those hidden dependencies,鈥� he said.

This proactive, in-flow guidance not only creates a simplified user experience for SRP employees when submitting expenses, but it has domino effects on IT support overhead. Since employees get the in-app guidance they need as they鈥檙e completing key steps, they submit reports accurately the first time, reducing support tickets or time spent correcting inaccurate submissions. 鈥淲e鈥檝e eliminated a lot of the support tickets and hand-holding we saw previously,鈥� Winfrey said.

2 Risk mitigation and improved compliance

Winfrey applied WalkMe solutions in SRP鈥檚 payroll system to help with policy reinforcement. By adding in-app reminders, especially during important times of the year like holidays, SRP ensures employees are following procedures, boosting data and process accuracy.

When users log in to the system, they see in-app pop-up messages to remind them about key dates, such as time card due dates and approval timelines, and can opt to take action immediately or receive a reminder. If the user opts to act, they鈥檙e automatically redirected to the company鈥檚 time and attendance system via another WalkMe solution. 鈥淲alkMe solutions are very simple to build and deploy鈥攁nd very effective compared to e-mails or chasing down people at the end of the pay period,鈥� Winfrey said. He knows this for a fact because he can use WalkMe analytics to see how many users have viewed the in-app reminder and how many have clicked through to the time card. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all reportable,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are a lot of metrics behind the scenes that you can use to understand trends and find ways to improve the experience.鈥�

3 Faster cycle times

Making changes to enterprise-wide systems can take time, as organizations are often constrained to the development cycles set by the IT department. 鈥淎t SRP, we have monthly releases, so unless it鈥檚 a critical update or fix, getting a change is usually going to take a few weeks,鈥� Winfrey said. 鈥淏ut with WalkMe, I can build and deploy content in 15 to 30 minutes.鈥�

This agility is especially powerful for real-time communication and keeping the employee experience seamless. For example, Winfrey explained how SRP can instantly support users during routine system updates or maintenance windows. When a specific tile requires temporary maintenance, Winfrey鈥檚 team can immediately place a real-time message directly over the feature. This keeps employees informed and guides them to alternative workflows, ensuring business continuity and a smooth user experience while IT completes its work behind the scenes.

4 Boosted cost efficiency

Empowering employees with self-service support 鈥渇rees up their time for more value-added activities. By achieving this impact, my team can deliver enterprise-wide value without increasing headcount,鈥� Winfrey said.

鈥淲e use WalkMe and the analytics it provides to look at different pages and see where the friction is and what processes are causing issues,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭hen we look at the support tickets and say 鈥極kay, these are the same questions we get on this screen every time, so we鈥檒l build a self-support solution.鈥欌�� A user can then see those top support questions in the flow of work and get guided assistance. As a result, they鈥檙e able to complete the task themselves. No help ticket required.

5 Enhanced digital user experience

Optimizing the digital employee experience means empowering employees with the digital tools and support needed to perform at their best. SRP uses WalkMe to anticipate user needs and ensure seamless change during major UI transitions. Using highly visual, contextual callouts like targeted Launchers that connect users to resources, eye-catching ShoutOuts for feature adoption, and Banner Reminders for critical updates, the team delivers personalized support that provides a unified, consistent user experience across multiple enterprise applications. 鈥淭here鈥檚 just a lot of flexibility and, honestly, a lot of creativity鈥� about the solutions they can deploy, Winfrey said.

What鈥檚 more, WalkMe solutions exist on top of current system landscapes. 鈥淎s we continue to see everything moving to the cloud, it鈥檚 all about clean core,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to be limited on what we can customize going forward.鈥�

What鈥檚 next for WalkMe at SRP

Salt River Project is building on its success with WalkMe solutions and establishing a center of excellence to better balance central governance and cross-departmental collaboration. 鈥淚n order to scale it, we really have to start building department-level WalkMe experts who know how to develop impactful content,鈥� Winfrey said.

It鈥檚 clear: with WalkMe, Salt River Project can improve process efficiency, strengthen compliance, accelerate change, reduce support burden, and create a better digital experience for employees. As SRP expands its internal WalkMe expertise, it is positioning itself to scale those gains across the business while maintaining the high operational standards the organization is known for.

is a site where potential and existing 麻豆原创 customers can explore 麻豆原创 Business AI solutions, access pre-built applications and content, and discover use cases, services, reference architectures, and best practices鈥攁ll free of charge.

The self-service portal offers opportunities to not only explore solutions but get a feel for how 麻豆原创 technology could work in your organization. Cost and ROI estimator tools prompt users to input information unique to their organization鈥攃ustomizations, hyperscalers, and number of users, for example鈥攁nd get tangible, personalized use cases to bring back to the business. Maturity assessments use details about an organization鈥檚 current platform strategy and architecture landscape to guide users on next steps to achieve the Autonomous Enterprise.

The site also includes missions that provide step-by-step guidance on how to materialize 麻豆原创 solutions, including what solutions and services may be needed, what the architecture can look like, how other customers are deriving value, and more. For AI specifically, there are almost 400 features and agents available for customers to explore in the 麻豆原创 Business AI Catalog.

At 麻豆原创 Sapphire Orlando, two customers using 麻豆原创 Discovery Center shared the value they鈥檙e getting from the site and how it鈥檚 guiding their approach to digital transformation.

Agilent

is a global leader in life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, producing and supplying analytical laboratory instruments, software, consumables, and services. Looking to avoid manual analysis and late detection in tariff and compliance changes, Agilent turned to 麻豆原创 Discovery Center. 鈥淲e have one core principle: do not solve the problem that has already been solved,鈥� Manthan Peshne, chief enterprise architect at Agilent Technologies, Inc., said. 麻豆原创 Discovery Center allowed Agilent to stay true to this principle.

鈥淲e started exploring 麻豆原创 Discovery Center and we found quite a few good building blocks, essentially in the form of missions,鈥� Peshne said. 鈥淲e also looked at some composable services which we could assemble together鈥t鈥檚 not a complete solution鈥ut we found a completely unrelated industry and use case that we could use.鈥� Using a mission set in the context of the oil and gas industry, the Agilent team was able to explore how an AI agent could interpret unstructured regulatory signals, extract the tariff context, determine its relevance, and convert that fragmented information into actionable alerts. Not only did Agilent find a solution to its problem, but the 麻豆原创 Discovery Center mission accelerated design thinking and development for the project.

鈥淲e also ended up with an enterprise pattern by building this solution, which gives us a platform where I could replicate this to other scenarios where I have external inputs or signals that we need to capture and put in the context of Agilent data,鈥� Peshne added.

Sutherland  

 is an AI-driven business transformation company that designs, runs, and automates enterprise operations at scale to help its clients achieve real, measurable business outcomes. A large part of this includes building and delivering production-grade agentic AI solutions on top of leading foundational models.

For Sutherland, 麻豆原创 Discovery Center has kick-started many projects. 鈥淚nstead of starting an MVP to see what the problem is and where to start, we have a ready-made solution from which we can pick up from,鈥� Amar Busireddy, 麻豆原创 enterprise architect at Sutherland Services, said. 鈥淚t gives us a start somewhere around 20%-30% depending on the scenario.鈥�

Having a starting point boosts confidence, Busireddy said, and enables Sutherland鈥檚 consultants to create solutions faster, which means faster time-to-value for its customers. Specifically, the missions available in 麻豆原创 Discovery Center have helped: 鈥淲e are using missions to kick-start educating our consultants and with implementing and helping our customers,鈥� Busireddy said. Missions around Joule are plentiful, including how to integrate the AI solution with 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions, 麻豆原创 Ariba solutions, and 麻豆原创 S/4HANA.

鈥淭here are many reference architectures given for many problems, which might not be sufficient for us or might not fit our requirements 100%, but that definitely give us the direction on what to use and what not to use. From there, we can plan budget and time,鈥� he said.

麻豆原创 Discovery Center: The starting point

The experiences of Agilent and Sutherland show that 麻豆原创 Discovery Center is more than a resource hub鈥攊t is a catalyst for action. By offering practical guidance, reusable missions, reference architectures, and planning tools that help evaluate fit, cost, and value, the site enables organizations to accelerate innovation without starting from scratch. For organizations looking to turn AI ambition into actionable business outcomes, 麻豆原创 Discovery Center is the place to begin.

鈥淭he global energy demand won鈥檛 stop growing,鈥� he explained. 鈥淎s renewables only provide a small share of the energy we currently use, we鈥檒l still need oil and gas that are safely produced as we transition to a lower carbon world.鈥�

Crude oil still remains indispensable where alternatives are limited, particularly in heavy transport and the chemicals industry, and natural gas plays a key role in the low-carbon transition, both as an energy source and in large-scale hydrogen production.

A unique model

What鈥檚 interesting about Harbour Energy, one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse independent oil and gas companies, isn鈥檛 just that it鈥檚 big. What鈥檚 interesting is how it got big and how it operates differently from traditional energy companies. The company was founded in 2014 by private equity firm EIG Global Energy Partners with a goal to build a global, independent company by acquisition.

鈥淲e鈥檙e basically trying to solve a very hard problem. How do we scale like a major, but stay agile like a startup?鈥� Young said during his presentation about Harbour鈥檚 rapid growth journey. He explained that in a company that grows through acquisitions and runs multiple ERP systems, the role of technology is less about 鈥渙ne system鈥� and more about connecting everything, standardizing insight, and accelerating change.

Masters of integration

Most oil and gas giants grew over decades. Harbour did it in about 10 years by pursuing an aggressive strategy of mergers and acquisitions, buying assets such as oil fields from industry giants like Shell. The company also scaled rapidly across 11 countries giving it a broad geographical reach. Crucially, Harbour Energy was often able to integrate acquisitions within a year, demonstrating a rare combination of speed and integration.

鈥淎 lot of companies struggle after acquisitions,鈥� Young said. 鈥淪ystems break, processes clash, value gets lost. At Harbour, we focus on quickly stabilizing new assets, extracting synergies early, and reducing operating costs even while growing.鈥�

Young鈥檚 team took a different approach to technology. While most companies push for one massive ERP system, Harbour doesn鈥檛 blindly take that path. It runs multiple ERP systems when it makes sense, focuses on fit-for-purpose architecture, and uses tools to connect processes rather than force everything into one box. Such flexibility is a big advantage for a company that keeps acquiring new businesses.

The digital backbone

Because Harbour Energy operates multiple ERP systems rather than a single monolithic platform, complexity is unavoidable. , particularly 麻豆原创 LeanIX solutions and the 麻豆原创 Signavio portfolio, connects this landscape by aligning processes, linking capabilities to systems, and providing a unified view of 鈥榳hat鈥檚 where,鈥� ultimately creating visibility across an otherwise fragmented environment.

鈥淏efore we implemented the 麻豆原创 tool chain, processes were hidden in Excel and PDFs. It was all part of the local knowledge we acquired,鈥� Young said. 鈥淲e had no clear view of duplication or inefficiencies. For example, we found that we had dozens of HR systems, which we were able to reduce by half.  We were able to consolidate 33 different ways to do travel expenses into just one.鈥�

One major impact is speed. Whereas traditional transformation planning took up to 24 months, now, with the tool chain and process modeling, key design cycles can sometimes be achieved in four to six weeks. This is enabled by standard process templates and automated modelling for faster validation cycles leading to faster execution of integration and transformation programs.

In addition, tools like the 麻豆原创 Test Automation solution by Tricentis and 麻豆原创 Cloud ALM for application lifecycle management help ensure that releases are safer and fewer operational surprises occur during go-lives, which is critical in an industry where downtime is expensive.

By connecting systems and processes, the tool chain enables cost transparency across business units and investment prioritization based on real data. This directly supports financial discipline and shareholder value creation

For a company built on acquisitions, probably the biggest value driver is that the tool chain helps rapidly map the systems of acquired companies and compare them against Harbour鈥檚 core model identifying what to keep, retire, or migrate. This is why Harbour can integrate acquisitions quickly instead of getting stuck in years of IT consolidation.

Structure before automation

Only when processes are structured and visible can they be used for automation, which is why these tools all play a crucial role in enabling AI adoption. Standardized workflows and process maps are input for AI tools, and digital adoption platforms guide users through systems.

The three key engines provided by the 麻豆原创 tool chain include:

• Transparency engine makes the business visible end-to-end
• Standardization engine aligns processes, systems, and capabilities globally
• Acceleration engine speeds up M&A integration and transformation delivery

Together with 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud for global forecasting and planning, these tools are at the heart of the company鈥檚 successful business transformation.

Young listed the three strategic levers keeping the company strong, resilient, and ambitious. The first is maintaining strict financial discipline, followed by using data driven insights that ensure the company remains competitive, and, last but not least, equipping the business teams with advanced capabilities ensures resilience.

鈥淭he 麻豆原创 tool chain allows us to grow aggressively through acquisitions without collapsing under complexity,鈥� Young concluded. 鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially the difference between chaotic expansion and controlled, scalable growth.鈥�

Check out the 麻豆原创 integrated tool chain and its core capabilities .

The journey began in early 2019 with the launch of Agile Finance, an end-to-end transformation initiative designed to support the company’s aggressive growth trajectory, which included a goal to double in size. The initiative was built around three strategic pillars: enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the finance organization, promoting career fulfillment, and establishing a robust digital operating model. The impact was significant, with the finance function achieving approximately 35% productivity gains in its labor force.

The third pillar鈥攖he move to a digital operating model鈥攊s where the partnership with 麻豆原创 Taulia began.

鈥淭he 麻豆原创 Taulia Dynamic Discounting solution was introduced not merely as a cost-cutting measure, but as a strategic tool to transform and digitize the interaction with Applied’s extensive, global supplier base,鈥� Junaid Ahmed, corporate VP, Finance at Applied Materials, says. 鈥淲e understood that to reap the benefits of digitization, we had to ensure the suppliers were on board. It needed to be a win-win outcome.鈥�

Unprecedented flexibility for suppliers

The program empowers suppliers鈥攖housands of them worldwide鈥攖o self-select which approved invoices they wish to discount for early payment. This is not a continuous, all-or-nothing commitment but rather a decision made on an invoice-by-invoice basis. This flexibility allows suppliers to manage their working capital needs with greater precision, taking advantage of early payment during their own critical periods, such as quarter-end or year-end, to help meet their own financial targets.

The system also drastically improves transactional efficiency. Suppliers no longer have to call Applied to track invoice status, approval, or payment date. All this information is available 24/7 in the 麻豆原创 Taulia solution, reducing resource allocation on both sides and ensuring both reap the benefits of moving to an integrated, digital system.

Strategic benefits for Applied Materials

For Applied, the program is a testament to its focus on balancing efficiency with strong supplier relationships. The philosophy is a 鈥渨in-win鈥� built on a crucial spread: Applied Materials, as a Fortune 500 company with strong cash flow, has a significantly lower cost of capital than many of its suppliers. By funding the discounts, Applied captures a return鈥攖he discount income鈥攚hile offering its suppliers funding at a rate close to their cost of capital, but with greater convenience.

This relationship-focused approach is critical. Applied鈥檚 supplier account managers actively support the program because they recognize its mutual benefit, not viewing it as a finance mandate to push costs onto the supply base.

Furthermore, the “dynamic” nature of the discount rates is a powerful risk mitigation tool. Unlike fixed contractual discounts, the rates can be adjusted in response to global economic changes, such as shifts in interest rates. When interest rates rose after the pandemic, Applied was able to adjust the discount rates accordingly with minimal pushback, as the core proposition remains the valuable spread between the parties’ cost of capital.

The 麻豆原创 Taulia Dynamic Discounting solution has been rolled out globally, giving all suppliers the opportunity to use it. This has been critical over the last 12 months as many businesses around the globe have been subject to new and often unexpected tariff costs impacting their margin and their liquidity.

鈥淭he flexibility of the solution means suppliers can access funds when they need them, which helps them navigate some of the economic uncertainty that many businesses are facing,鈥� Dirk Holoubek, managing director, Finance Shared Services, explains. 鈥�2025 saw a 23% increase in usage of the discounts, reflecting the pressures that suppliers are feeling right now on their cash flow.鈥澛�

The solution’s capability to drive sophisticated analytics is also a major strategic asset. It helps provide insights into the different costs of capital between Applied and its supplier base. This data allows for targeted outreach and communication, ensuring that the offer of capital support is proactively extended to the suppliers that need it most.

The strategic value of the solution is further cemented by its ownership. The acquisition of Taulia by 麻豆原创 brings several advantages.

鈥淭rust is really important to both us and our suppliers,鈥� Ahmed says. 鈥淔or our suppliers to adopt a new solution, they need to know its technology they can rely on in the long term. Being part of 麻豆原创 creates that assurance in the long-term future of the program.鈥�

Looking forward, Applied Materials is already focused on the next stage of the transformation project: Agile Finance 3.0, which is focused on enabling the organization to become AI-first. The company is deploying a global, organization-wide AI assistant to drive personal productivity, but the strategic application of AI in the supplier management space is even more profound.

AI is expected to transform decision-making enablement by analyzing critical information and communicating effective options. In the future, AI will be able to proactively assess the specific needs and attributes of the supplier base, enabling Applied to address issues more quickly and resolve them earlier. The benefits are already tangible in e-invoicing: AI has made the solution more flexible and “human-like,” capable of reading minor changes in invoice format that would have previously caused electronic errors. This reduced rigidity and increased flexibility are directly contributing to the overall efficiency of the digital operating model.

By leveraging the 麻豆原创 Taulia Dynamic Discounting solution, Applied Materials has not only digitized a process but also strategically transformed its financial operations, creating a system that is agile, resilient, and focused on maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with its global supplier ecosystem.

Cedric Bru is CEO of 麻豆原创 Taulia.

This momentum is aligned with consumer audio brand Victrola鈥檚 journey. Since its creation in 1906, has evolved into a global company known for its iconic record players, modern audio products, and mission to bring lifelong music memories to everyone

As it expanded into new sales and distribution channels, the company began to outgrow the limits of its existing ERP system. While its 麻豆原创 ERP Central Component (麻豆原创 ECC) system was stable and served the business well over the years, Victrola needed more scalability and flexibility to match its ambitions. According to Adam Schneider, SVP of Digital Strategy at Victrola, the goal was not simply to maintain operations, but to create a foundation that could support innovation. 鈥淲e needed something that fueled our creativity at Victrola,鈥� he said. And 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP was the right fit.

Victrola鈥檚 鈥渓et鈥檚 go鈥� mentality

A move to the public cloud offered more than a technical upgrade; it empowered Victrola to adapt. In that spirit, the team approached the transformation as a complete reimagining of its system with a cloud-first mindset.

鈥淲e have a 鈥榣et鈥檚 go鈥� mentality in every single meeting we do. You鈥檒l see a lot of fist bumps at Victrola and we love it. It really keeps that change front and center,鈥� Schneider said.

The project team prioritized change management, openly communicating the reasons for moving to the cloud and the expected benefits. Giving the 鈥渨hy鈥� made a big difference, Schneider said, and everyone was 鈥渆xcited for something new.鈥�

It was also important for the team to engage with and get buy-in from company leaders, who were concerned about disruption during Victrola鈥檚 peak sales quarter. To address these concerns, the team ensured the transformation was a business-led project, involving about 75% of Victrola鈥檚 leaders, Schneider said.

Another way the team worked to prevent operational disruption and build confidence in the stability of the new system was to involve a partner with deep expertise in 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP. The right partner would also fit seamlessly into Victrola鈥檚 unique, candid, music-oriented culture, Schneider said, which it found in .

鈥淲e wanted someone that could really provide that business knowledge on the public cloud,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom a timing perspective, we couldn鈥檛 afford to have people figuring out the project as they鈥檙e on the project, so it really was the expertise of the public cloud that was a huge part in this.鈥�

With a winning team assembled, Victrola鈥檚 move to the public cloud was well-supported and bolstered by stakeholders across the company, 麻豆原创, and Reply.

Fine-tuning the foundation

Victrola’s covered order-to-cash and finance processes as well as large warehouse operations. The implementation itself was strategically timed to avoid overloading the team during the critical Q4 sales period, and it took about six months in total. Schneider said that the business adapted to the new system gradually: within the first month confidence grew, and by four months post-launch operations normalized with ongoing fine-tuning.

Victrola chose not to migrate historical data due to changes in organizational structure when it came to data management and the greenfield nature of the cloud system. This decision avoided technical debt and complexity. In addition, legacy customizations were largely eliminated through fit-to-standard workshops.

鈥淲e were looking for the ability to adapt with us, and we wanted a system that could be as simple or as complex as we needed it to be,鈥� Schneider said.

With the new cloud system, Victrola experiences greater trust in data accuracy and reporting agility. Financial processes have improved significantly, with profit and loss reporting time going from four hours to just 10-15 minutes. Faster closes and easier margin analysis contribute to Victrola鈥檚 improved agility, more informed decision-making, and stronger business performance.

鈥淲e鈥檙e more trusting in our data and that鈥檚 because we went through that exercise of really retooling what our landscape looked like and what our foundation looked like,鈥� Schneider said. It鈥檚 because of that re-engineering of data and transactions that Victrola has eliminated over 250 hours of finance-related work.

The next track

Now that Victrola is running on the public cloud, the sky is the limit when it comes to growth and innovation. 鈥淲hen we think about our AI strategy, I鈥檓 no longer scared of our system,鈥� Schneider said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e now applying an AI strategy to a state-of-the-art system that 麻豆原创 very much supports.鈥�

When asked what advice he鈥檇 give to companies contemplating a move to the cloud, Schneider said that there is never a perfect time to start, but it鈥檚 better to welcome transformation rather than fear it.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there is ever a perfect time to do these transformations,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 do think once you get into them, you start to really embrace them and feel good about it and say 鈥業t鈥檚 happening, let鈥檚 go.鈥欌��

Interested in learning more about how 麻豆原创 supports the transition from 麻豆原创 ECC to 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP? .

Photo courtesy of Victrola.

This was the exact situation facing Stephen Hawkes, director of Information Technology for the City of Charlottesville, Virginia. But instead of just managing the present, he and his team decided to build the future.

The perfect storm of challenges

For the City of Charlottesville, it was a perfect storm of challenges converging at once. At the heart of it all was a ticking clock: its aging, on-premise legacy system nearing its end-of-support date. This was more than a technical issue, it was a foundational risk to its operations.

At the same time, the expectations of its own employees were skyrocketing. “Everyone is an expert now,” Hawkes explains, pointing to the powerful smartphones and intuitive apps we all use daily. 鈥淐ity employees expected the same simplicity and modern design from their workplace software, but the old systems are causing friction and frustration.鈥�

This frustration was compounded by significant workforce constraints. Like most public sector organizations, Charlottesville found it difficult to compete with private sector salaries. “We are never going to be able to compete on pay,” Hawkes admits. This made recruiting and retaining skilled talent a constant battle.

And looming over everything was the growing shadow of cybersecurity threats. With AI-powered attacks becoming more sophisticated by the day, protecting the city’s data and infrastructure was a monumental task for a small IT team.

The quest for a modern solution

Inaction was not an option. The city needed more than just a simple upgrade. It needed a fundamental shift. It embarked on a bold, 14-month quest with a full digital transformation to move operations to .

This was its answer to the storm. By migrating two decades of data to the cloud, it built a new, resilient foundation for the future.

The impact on employees was immediate and profound. The new, web-based 麻豆原创 Fiori interface delivered the modern, intuitive experience everyone had been waiting for. “That’s what we’re probably most excited about,” Hawkes says. 鈥淲ith potentially powerful new AI capabilities at their fingertips, the city鈥檚 team can now exceed expectations, instead of struggling to meet them.鈥�

This new technology also became a powerful tool in the battle for talent. Hawkes sees the integrated AI tools as a “great leveler,鈥� enabling logical, problem-solving thinkers to perform complex data analysis without needing a specialized computer science degree. This widens the talent pool and empowers the existing workforce. And with the implementation of 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions, its HR professionals now have modern tools to improve recruitment and retention.

Perhaps most importantly, the move gave the city a powerful ally in the fight against cyber threats. While Hawkes is proud of his internal team, he knows they can鈥檛 be on guard 24/7. “We’re not, [but] they are,” he says of 麻豆原创’s global security operation. “That gives us some ease.”

Wisdom from the journey: lessons for fellow leaders

A journey of this magnitude is never without its lessons. When asked what advice he鈥檇 offer his peers, Hawkes shared three crucial pieces of wisdom.

First, he stressed the absolute necessity of executive buy-in. For years, the project struggled to get off the ground due to leadership turnover. It wasn’t until the city manager gave the definitive ‘let’s move forward’ that the quest could truly begin. That sponsorship is the key that unlocks everything else.

Next, he highlighted the importance of choosing the right partner. A transformation project is too complex to undertake alone. Hawkes credits the success of going live on the exact day they had planned 14 months earlier to the deep trust and true partnership they had with their system integrator.

Finally, he spoke about the critical, and often underestimated, element of change management. You can have the best technology in the world, but if your people aren’t prepared for it, the project will falter. “We were very intentional about our change management,” Hawkes recalls, emphasizing that planning for the human side of the transition is just as important as the technical one.

The City of Charlottesville鈥檚 story is a testament to what鈥檚 possible when vision, strategy, and technology align. It鈥檚 a narrative of turning daunting challenges into defining opportunities and building a government that鈥檚 ready for tomorrow.

To get the full, firsthand account of this incredible transformation, .

Jamison Braun is SVP and managing director for U.S. Public Services at 麻豆原创 America.

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Grupo UMA, a leading motorcycle assembler and distributor, is accelerating manufacturing growth across Colombia and Central America with 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private.

Operating in multiple countries and serving thousands of riders every month, the company needed standardized, automated, and data鈥慸riven processes to support expansion while maintaining quality and customer experience. By implementing 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private, Grupo UMA streamlined core business processes across finance, production, and logistics, replacing manual work with real鈥憈ime insights and end鈥憈o鈥慹nd process integration. Global operating models, automated workflows, and transparent cost visibility now enable faster decision鈥憁aking and scalable growth across the region. The impact: production increased from approximately 11,000 to 17,000 motorcycles per month, with a clear path to 20,000. Across markets including Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Colombia, Grupo UMA is improving supply chain efficiency, optimizing production capacity, and delivering consistent quality with solutions such as 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management (麻豆原创 EWM). Beyond operations, teams are shifting from manual, operational work to a more strategic, innovation鈥慸riven, and analytics鈥慺ocused approach鈥攈elping the organization evolve into a truly data鈥慸riven enterprise.

Discover how 麻豆原创 helps manufacturers in Latin America scale faster, operate smarter, and deliver better customer experiences with cloud ERP and read the full customer story on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

鈥淓very motorcycle we sell comes with an experience,鈥� he explains. 鈥淐ustomers come back to us for service, for spare parts, and for workshop support, so we truly connect each customer to a different kind of user experience, starting from the moment of purchase.鈥�

Many people in Colombia get around every day on motorcycles鈥攐ften on 鈥楤oxer鈥� motorcycles made by UMA, which aims to ensure riders feel safe on the road, Urrea Ospina says. To help achieve that, UMA has implemented rigorous quality processes that run on . 鈥淓very motorcycle leaving our factories follows best quality practices,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd we pass that value onto our customers.鈥�

In addition to Colombia, UMA operates in five countries in Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also in Venezuela, as well as Spain and Portugal,鈥� Urrea Ospina says. 鈥淎cross all these regions, we aim to make a positive impact on our customers with each of our brands and motorcycles.鈥�

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鈥淔or us, our 鈥楢dventure鈥� project鈥攖he name we gave the 麻豆原创 project鈥攚as crucial to our expansion and growth,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e needed global models so we could expand faster and run more efficient, automated operations.鈥�

Working with 麻豆原创, UMA established global models and automated operations across finance, production, and logistics, says Victor Bedoya Aristizabal, corporate solutions manager at Grupo UMA. 鈥淲e defined global models, starting in finance with global charts of accounts that let us analyze information and make financial decisions much more efficiently. From there, we extended the approach through production and plant operations and into logistics.鈥�

鈥淭oday, 麻豆原创 is a fundamental pillar for our processes from the start of the value chain to the end,鈥� Bedoya Aristizabal says. 鈥淲e utilize the full suite for production, pricing, finance, and warehouse management to deliver a superior product.鈥�

鈥淭aken together, these cross-cutting global modules have helped us evolve, save time, shorten implementations, and expand across regions,鈥� Urrea Ospina says. 鈥淔or example, in Colombia we鈥檙e implementing our spare parts warehouse with 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management, 麻豆原创鈥檚 supply chain management application. What we鈥檙e learning in Colombia can be replicated in Central America. Standardizing these logistics modules makes operations much more efficient while still accounting for each country鈥檚 specific needs.鈥�

He adds: 鈥淚 believe that if we hadn鈥檛 prepared with 麻豆原创 and the technologies we have today, the strong growth we鈥檝e had in Colombia would have been far more difficult. For example, we went from assembling 11,000 motorcycles in January of last year to around 17,000 motorcycles per month today鈥攏early doubling our output. Without 麻豆原创鈥檚 well-defined structures, process controls, and automations that replaced a lot of manual work, it would be much harder to reach the 20,000 motorcycles per month we expect to achieve soon.鈥�

鈥淭hat ability to scale鈥攂oth assembly volume and sales volume鈥攈as been driven by the Adventure project and everything we implemented with 麻豆原创,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think it has significantly improved employees鈥� day-to-day work. And that鈥檚 where we need to take the organization: toward a data-driven company that makes better decisions. Before we implemented Adventure, a person鈥檚 day-to-day was mostly operational work.鈥�

Urrea Ospina emphasizes that one of the main motivations UMA had for adopting 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private was to have concrete, real-time information鈥攆or example, knowing exactly the assembly cost of a motorcycle. 鈥淭hat is key for an organization,鈥� he says. 鈥淏eyond that, another need was to remove the manual work that all the company鈥檚 areas had, working and operating completely by hand.鈥�

Luis Orrego, production supervisor at Grupo UMA, agrees: 鈥淚nstead of having many Excel files open with multiple sheets and trying to reconcile everything, we now consolidate the data in one place. With 麻豆原创, all the sheets and reports I used to present are now available in a single view. I don鈥檛 have to run multiple steps, and I can see all my indicators: capacity, materials, and line resources.鈥�

Another motivation was UMA鈥檚 expansion plans to enter other regions and countries efficiently. 鈥淲e wanted defined global models that we could replicate quickly with 麻豆原创 in the regions where we operate,鈥� Urrea Ospina explains. 鈥淭hose factors led us to undertake the 麻豆原创 project, which has been a highly strategic and very successful initiative.鈥�

Implementing 麻豆原创 Cloud ERP Private has also had a profound impact on Urrea Ospina鈥檚 technology team. 鈥淚t completely changed our roles and what we focused on,鈥� he says. “We used to be a technology team focused on operations, not one that added value. Today, the technology team plays a strategic role. We have time to analyze where we鈥檙e going and what we can implement next for the business. Culturally, 麻豆原创 gave us confidence through information traceability, and it also gave us time to think. It opened the door to innovation鈥攅specially around analytics.鈥�

David Aguirre is a media production specialist on the Multimedia Team for 麻豆原创 News.
Rana Hamzakadi is deputy head of the Multimedia Team for 麻豆原创 News.

Founded in 1899, NEC Corporation is one of Japan鈥檚 leading technology companies, operating globally across IT services, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure. Over the decades, the company has continuously adapted to new waves of technological change, but today鈥檚 shift is different. Artificial intelligence is not just another innovation cycle; it is redefining how organizations operate at their core.

For NEC, this means rethinking not only technology, but also how work gets done, how decisions are made, and how value is created.

In a recent conversation with Thomas Pfiester, head of Customer Engagement & Adoption and member of the Extended Board of 麻豆原创 SE, NEC CIO Toshihiko Nakata shared how the company is approaching this challenge and why becoming an AI-native enterprise requires more than technology.

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NEC鈥檚 journey toward becoming an AI-native enterprise did not begin with AI; it began with a fundamental shift in how the company operates. By rethinking systems, processes, data, and organization as one, NEC laid the groundwork for continuous transformation.

Over time, this meant building a strong digital foundation, standardizing processes, embracing a clean core strategy, increasing transparency, and enabling more connected, data-driven decision-making across the business.

With this in place, NEC moved early to modernize its core systems with . The ambition went beyond cloud migration. It was about creating a more flexible and resilient environment that can evolve with changing business needs while addressing the complexity that had built up over time.

鈥淏y moving to RISE with 麻豆原创, we鈥檝e laid the foundation to modernize our corporate infrastructure and speed up our use of AI agents like Joule,鈥� Nakata-san says.

Simplifying that landscape became a strategic priority. Through its clean core approach, NEC is reducing complexity and creating conditions for faster innovation, turning its core into a platform for continuous improvement rather than maintenance.

Building on this foundation, NEC is now accelerating its next phase: scaling AI across the enterprise. Rather than treating AI as isolated use cases, the company is embedding it into everyday work, supporting employees, streamlining processes, and enabling new ways of operating. In collaboration with 麻豆原创, NEC is bringing AI closer to where decisions are made, integrating capabilities such as 麻豆原创 Business AI and Joule directly into its business processes.

Looking ahead, NEC sees AI as a defining force for the next phase of enterprise transformation. At the same time, Nakata-san emphasizes that realizing that potential requires more than technology. It requires the ability to continuously adapt, and that鈥檚 the cornerstone of NEC success.

Panagiotis Moutas is part of Executive Communications, Customer Engagement & Adoption, at 麻豆原创.

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Team Liquid, the world鈥檚 largest esports organization, is turning to Joule to transform how it manages the vast amounts of data generated in competitive gaming.

With a diverse portfolio of brands鈥擪ito, Crosby, Harrington, Gunnebo Industries, Peerless, and eepos鈥攖he company has experienced rapid growth, scaling its business from millions to billions in revenue. But the number of acquisitions left the company with a fragmented IT landscape of outdated, unsupported, and unscalable systems.

To establish a unified digital core and standardize processes, Kito Crosby embarked on a journey, implementing 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition to achieve its long-term single global instance strategy.

A winning strategy

Kito Crosby chose a greenfield, clean core strategy to eliminate the existing fragmentation and enable long-term scalability, Johnson Lai, Chief Digital Transformation Officer and Chief Information Officer, . 鈥淚n the past, we did not integrate our ERP systems, and this left our IT landscape very fragmented and limited our business process capabilities,鈥� he said. 鈥淭herefore, we wanted to refresh all of our ERP systems and really lay down a greenfield start that we can begin to create a transformational change for the entire company.鈥�

Selecting a greenfield and clean core approach鈥攂asically standing up an entirely new system that prioritizes standard functionalities over customizations鈥攚as key to remedying Kito Crosby鈥檚 current technology landscape, so that processes like order to cash, accounting, manufacturing, and shipping could be integrated. This approach also allowed the company to take a close look at core processes and streamline operations, especially in warehouse management and S&OP, Lai said.

Considering the project scope, Kito Crosby did not have the internal talent needed to stand up the servers and infrastructure, so it decided to move forward with RISE with 麻豆原创 and . 鈥溌槎乖� comes with a lot of great stuff, and we wanted to take advantage of that,鈥� Lai said.

The company began the transformation in North America, as that is its largest market and therefore posed the greatest risk in operating on a legacy, unsupported ERP system.

Never underestimate change management

While Lai shared that employees were motivated and excited to get started initially, the enormity of the project quickly became overwhelming.

Ironically, many wanted to customize the new 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition solution to act like the legacy tech. 鈥淓veryone agrees to the clean core approach until it鈥檚 their turn to look at their function, at which point they want customization. There was a piece of resistance to using 鈥榲anilla鈥� functionality,鈥� Lai said. 鈥淥nce we showed people live demos with their own data, that鈥檚 when the change resistance started to decrease,鈥� he added.

In IT specifically, there was a strong desire to build and run their own infrastructure and servers rather than have another company step in. A sense of ownership and accountability is important, Lai said, but ultimately Kito Crosby鈥檚 need to get off the legacy system in North America quickly made it necessary to partner with 麻豆原创. And it was the right move: 鈥淣ow some of the folks who questioned why we outsourced some of that to 麻豆原创 are our biggest champions鈥e find working with the 麻豆原创 team is no different than working with ourselves.鈥�

For companies with digital transformation projects on the horizon, Lai cautions to 鈥渘ever underestimate the change impact that employees face.鈥� Projects of a global scale require planning on all fronts, including allocating time for employees and business leaders to get on board.

Lessons learned and benefits gained

The ERP system revamp delivered measurable business value to Kito Crosby, including improved customer service, stronger inventory control, and more efficient manufacturing and warehouse operations. Notably, the business process improvements and enhanced system functionality drove Kito Crosby鈥檚 on-time delivery to its highest levels in more than 10 years.

鈥淲e see that benefit across the globe and we鈥檙e excited about taking what we鈥檝e done in North America throughout the entire world, consolidating all those little ERPs that are outdated and unsupported into 麻豆原创 to get to that single global instance,鈥� Lai said. Since going live on 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition and fully embracing its native capabilities, Kito Crosby has unlocked measurable business value and operational excellence. The transformation has driven strong performance gains across critical KPIs, including higher customer on鈥憈ime delivery, meaningful reductions in back orders, improved inventory accuracy, and accelerated intercompany processing.

At the same time, warehouse operations are setting new benchmarks for efficiency, achieving record volumes for receiving and put鈥慳way, replenishment, and shipping. These results have been delivered safely, with zero injuries and fewer resources.

To the cloud鈥攁nd beyond

Following its recent acquisition by leading worldwide designer, manufacturer, and marketer of intelligent motion solutions , Kito Crosby is continuing to build on its strong digital foundation.

鈥淏ecause we started with a greenfield and kept a clean core as much as possible, we feel like the upgrades will go even faster and with less effort,鈥� Lai said. 鈥淲e want to get to the latest [麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition] version so we can take advantage of the AI capabilities of .鈥�

Next on the ERP systems consolidation docket: the 麻豆原创 ERP Central Component (麻豆原创 ECC) 6.0 system in Europe.

鈥淭his is just one example of how our IT team is empowering the broader organization to further delight our customers and end user,鈥� Lai . 鈥淎s we continue to scale our business, we expect even greater returns as we further capitalize on the technology, expanded capabilities, and AI tools within our 麻豆原创 landscape.鈥�

Gillian Hixson is an integrated communications specialist at 麻豆原创.

Founded in 1917, the is comprised of 32 Clubs located across North America. It serves a global fan base of nearly 700 million annual spectators across in-arena, broadcast, and digital channels. With millions of fans worldwide watching and Clubs fighting for any edge they can find, the NHL needed a future-focused way to manage critical decisions shaping the game.

To develop, maintain, and grow a roster within the salary cap system’s guidelines is no small undertaking, especially given the numerous variables that change in real time. While instituting the salary cap helps maintain evenly balanced teams that deliver thrilling games, it also contributes to a complex front-office balancing act, where every potential trade or player acquisition poses a mind-numbing array of opportunities and complications, short and long term.

Across the League, Clubs develop their own roster-management approaches, each using different tools and resources. No matter the variations among the solutions, they were mainly labor-intensive, disconnected systems, which meant that teams did not necessarily have access to real-time data, let alone reliable data, or an efficient means to access and analyze the data they did have.

The NHL, however, had a vision鈥攁 unified system that would consolidate player and League data into one platform accessible to all Clubs.

The 麻豆原创-NHL Front Office App for iPad delivers on that vision by providing a centralized view of the League, down to the team level, and drilling further into player data, enabling front offices to make more informed, real-time decisions with greater accuracy and efficiency.

First steps: consolidation and collaboration

Before the League could make that vision a reality, several obstacles needed to be resolved, starting with what , VP of Digital Business Development at the NHL, described as the League鈥檚 primary pain point: disconnected, legacy data management systems. Pascal Bornet, AI and automation expert, applauded this approach, advising organizations to 鈥渟tart with the friction points.鈥�

Phase one, Foster explained, was 鈥渞eally updating our backend,鈥� consolidating all the League鈥檚 data, from contract to salary information, and combining it with player statistics and video clips on 麻豆原创 HANA Cloud.

Armed with a new database that would provide a seamless, fully connected single source of information for every NHL Club, the League was ready for its next challenge: creating a digital front-office solution that would meet the needs of 32 entirely different front offices, each with their own systems, priorities, 鈥渦se cases, day-to-day responsibilities, and current challenges with data or workflows,鈥� Foster explained.

The key to developing the League鈥檚 new application, Foster said, was leveraging 鈥渄esign-thinking principles鈥� and 鈥渁uthentic user feedback鈥� to create a single solution that would offer real added value to each user, from GMs to analysts to administrators, on each NHL team.

A power play digital solution

That disciplined, user-centered approach, combined with the NHL鈥檚 diligent attention to data consolidation, enabled the League to launch its 麻豆原创-NHL Front Office App for iPad in record time. While not mandatory, the app quickly proved its value and was rapidly adopted by all 32 Clubs. 

The app has already transformed day-to-day operations for Clubs, thanks to its ability to seamlessly access and interpret a single, reliable, and interconnected source of information on three different levels. The broadest level, the league view, offers data across the entire NHL, including current and projected salary caps for each club, off-season scenarios, and draft pick conditions; the team view breaks down the contracts of each player on the roster and provides visual cues for free agents or injured players; and the player view displays bios, contract PDFs, no-trade clauses, waiver status, performance bonuses, and even video clips of game highlights for every player in the League.

As Bornet said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 about the right data, instantly and everywhere.鈥� By rethinking the process first and prioritizing user needs, the League created a foundation for change鈥攐ne that keeps 鈥渉umans firmly in command鈥� and uses technology to 鈥渁mplify judgment, not replace it,鈥� Bornet added.

Foster attributed the new app鈥檚 resounding success to the processing power of (麻豆原创 BTP), which enables club-specific customizations and allows for real-time calculations to fuel mission-critical decision-making.

Playing the long game

The NHL and 麻豆原创 have a long-standing technology partnership that has powered several League-wide innovations, including NHL.com/Stats, the 麻豆原创-NHL Coaching Insights App, and NHL Venue Metrics. The Front Office App builds on this foundation and represents the next phase of the League鈥檚 digital transformation.

While the Front Office App is currently helping each NHL Club shape its team’s future, the League is continuing to look ahead. 鈥淭his is a project with a multi-year road map,鈥� Foster said.

As the NHL continues its innovation journey, it will remain laser-focused on user experience. Foster advised those looking to undertake their own digital transformation to take a page from the NHL鈥檚 playbook: 鈥淟et go of preconceived notions and realign your priorities according to user feedback. Be adaptable. Be fluid.鈥� And get excited, because 鈥渢he possibilities really are limitless.鈥�

That same approach, Bornet added, 鈥渁pplies far beyond Hockey.鈥� The NHL鈥檚 emphasis on identifying friction points and applying user-first design offers a practical template for any organization managing complex constraints and real-time decisions. Across industries, the challenge is the same: 鈥渢oo much data, too many variables, and decisions that can鈥檛 wait.鈥� The real breakthrough, he noted, 鈥渋sn鈥檛 the technology itself鈥攊t鈥檚 a mindset shift,鈥� from 鈥渁dding AI鈥� to 鈥渞emoving cognitive friction,鈥� and from 鈥渂uilding for power users鈥� to 鈥渄esigning for actual users.鈥�

Explore the episode, focused on the customer journey

Learn more about how the NHL engineered a game-changing, League-wide digital transformation:

• : Foster and Bornet talk with Thulium CEO Tamara McCleary about the untapped power of data, when it鈥檚 reliable, connected, and accessible, and how the NHL went from inspiration to iteration with the end users being essential to the transformation.

• : Foster聽talks with me about聽the process of creating a mobile app that聽meets聽the needs of 32聽distinct聽front offices, each with their own systems, use cases, day-to-day responsibilities, and priorities.

For five seasons on demand, visit .

Do you have ideas for topics or technologies we should cover, or would you like to be a guest on the show? We鈥檇 love to hear from you. E-mail us.

Timo Elliott is vice president and global innovation advocate for 麻豆原创 BTP at 麻豆原创.

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Naturipe Farms knows berries, and the grower鈥憃wned company has spent decades perfecting the art of delivering fresh, sustainably grown berries to customers around the world.

Naturipe’s Senior IT Director Carol McMillan explains how migrating to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA and has helped the company improve supply chain visibility, speed, and workforce experience. Learn more.

Naturipe has been an 麻豆原创 customer since 2008, and while initially it was not very proactive with software upgrades, the company鈥檚 philosophy has changed over time. Today, Carol McMillan, Naturipe鈥檚 senior IT director, emphasizes the importance of upgrading and upskilling the team regularly.

“There’s actually more of a risk not upgrading the product and not upskilling your team than there is being more aggressive with that timeline,” she says. Since migrating to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA in 2018, the company has undergone three upgrades, including .

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鈥淲e migrated to RISE with 麻豆原创, and we are looking at how we use those tools to optimize our supply chain and to create a better user experience for our workforce. Our workforce is constantly changing, and technology needs to change with the workforce,鈥� McMillan says.

She says it鈥檚 also important to stay at the forefront of technology in order to solve business problems efficiently, and notes that technological advancements have been crucial in managing the company’s exponential growth: “You can’t have linear growth in technology when you have exponential industry growth.”

McMillan says the Naturipe team uses 麻豆原创鈥檚 technology to prioritize its people and customers, improve workplace happiness, and give users a better experience. 鈥淲e use technology to make sure that we’re running as optimally as possible,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e look at process improvements and try to be at the forefront of technology. So, keeping up with the upgrades on a regular basis helps us be prepared for when business problems need to be solved, that way we already have the technology there to be able to solve them.鈥�

Delivering the freshest, highest-quality products to customers 365 days a year requires constant agility鈥攅specially in a category influenced by weather variability and the complexity of a highly time-sensitive supply chain. 鈥淏erries have a very short shelf life, so getting the best quality to our customers as quickly as possible is essential,鈥� she says.

To support this commitment, Naturipe Farms has invested in advanced logistics and supply chain technologies that enhance speed, visibility, and decision-making. These investments help ensure timely delivery of fresh products while also supporting employee satisfaction and work-life balance through wellness programs and flexible work arrangements.

Looking ahead, Naturipe wants to further enhance the user experience with more powerful tools and learn how to make better use of all the tools that come with RISE with 麻豆原创.  McMillan also identifies the potential of AI and the adoption of tools like Joule to improve Naturipe鈥檚 operations. “We really want to make the best use of AI and to give our users the best experience possible,” she says.

Her advice for other organizations in the agricultural industry includes the importance of putting people first, using technology to drive strategic growth, and not being a prisoner to risk. “It’s just as risky to not upgrade your technology as it is to have an aggressive timeline and have the tools that you need in order to drive that exponential growth,” she says.

Heartland Dental is the largest dental support organization in the United States, with over 3,000 supported doctors in more than 1,900 supported practices across 39 states and Washington, D.C. But beyond numbers, what sets Heartland apart is its tight knit community and people culture. As Jerome shared, “The first thing I associate with Heartland is community; we鈥檙e doctor-led. In our support role, we don鈥檛 tell dentists how to practice. Our role is to make their lives easier鈥攅nabling dentists to concentrate on patient care.”

Making lives easier is a vision Heartland shares not only for its supported dentists but for its own operations. The company’s digital journey began “backwards” starting in 2018 with 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP), instead of with ERP, to resolve disparate data from all over. Once 麻豆原创 BTP was established and adopted by the organization, it then began to incorporate .

What makes this journey truly stand out is how Heartland is using technology to serve people, supported through seamless integration with tools like 麻豆原创 Concur solutions, embedded聽AI鈥攕uch as smart invoice management鈥攁nd embedded analytics. These features are freeing up time and resources so teams can focus on what matters most: supporting doctors and improving patient care.

The team has rolled out聽麻豆原创 Build Work Zone across its supported practices and is investing in聽AI tools like 聽to help employees access information faster, automate repetitive tasks, and focus on what really matters鈥攑atient care and experiences. Jerome explained, “Just like we take the administrative burden off our supported doctors, 麻豆原创 takes the tech burden off us, so we can focus on supporting doctors and their teams.鈥�

Heartland’s next big milestone is going live with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition聽and taking AI a step further to automation.

Heartland Dental鈥檚 story shows that with the strategic adoption of technological innovations, it鈥檚 possible to build a future-ready healthcare support organization grounded in people and purpose.

Chris Putvinski is a communications specialist at 麻豆原创.

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BITZER, a聽global leader in heat and cooling technologies, partnered with NEURA Robotics and 麻豆原创 to showcase the potential of cognitive robots powered by embodied AI from 麻豆原创 to transform and streamline warehouse operation.

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In an interview, BSH Head of Governance, Methods, and Systems Heiko Schletz explained how the company is reshaping finance and why its move to the cloud is a critical ingredient to a successful AI-enhanced future.

Technology follows vision

Represented in more than 50 countries, BSH manufactures home appliances in 39 factories worldwide. Schletz鈥檚 team oversees group controlling and is responsible for ensuring that financial data flows smoothly from its core systems, such as ERP, all the way up to the consolidated group level. His team manages how financial data is structured and integrated across all global entities, ensuring it can be used effectively for company-wide reporting and decision-making.

BSH is working to bring accounting and controlling together into one integrated process, supported by real-time data and analytics. One principle is guiding this transformation: technology follows vision, not the other way round. As part of its transformation journey, BSH is embracing change by testing new technologies to support its vision.

To simplify reporting efforts, for example, , 麻豆原创鈥檚 next-generation data management platform that can unify and govern all 麻豆原创 data and seamlessly connect with third-party data.

A recent use case automatically connected accounting balances, controlling P&L data and market metrics in 麻豆原创 Datasphere and delivering consolidated reports without spreadsheets and manual effort. 鈥淭his shows where the journey is going鈥攋oining sources, bringing them together,鈥� Schletz says.

Breaking down silos to empower AI

BSH鈥檚 long-term goal in the financial area is to get rid of silos between accounting, controlling, and treasury. Schletz envisions a parallel ledger architecture that supports both鈥攍egal entity and consolidated group views鈥攅nabling advanced analytics such as value-driver trees. By moving to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, integrated with 麻豆原创 Datasphere and 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, BSH aims to create a single source of truth for finance spanning from subsidiary ledgers to group-level consolidation.

Schletz is convinced that with a cloud-based, synchronized toolset, his finance team can deliver the latest figures for decision-making faster and with less manual consolidation. 鈥溌槎乖粹�檚 AI evolution is running in the direction we also want to go,鈥� Schletz explains. 鈥淭he technology meets our vision and that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 a perfect fit.鈥�

The company has relied on 麻豆原创 solutions for decades, starting with 麻豆原创 R/3 and now running 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, 麻豆原创 Business Warehouse, and 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud. The next milestone is cloud migration: RISE with 麻豆原创. 鈥淚n the next two years, we go into the cloud,鈥� Schletz says. 鈥淲e want a synchronized toolset that gives us a holistic view.鈥�

To get the most out of analytics and AI functionalities, BSH is currently consolidating and simplifying its comprehensive business application landscape. The company鈥檚 target is to move from six separate ERP solutions to one global 麻豆原创 S/4HANA environment that covers all subsidiaries and geographies.

How to prepare an 麻豆原创 S/4HANA transformation

Schletz鈥檚 advice for other organizations exploring the RISE with 麻豆原创 journey is to start with a clear vision. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 begin with a concept that combines accounting and controlling, don鈥檛 start with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA,鈥� he says, noting that a finance transformation is not an isolated IT project鈥攊t requires alignment across logistics, sales, and customer service. 鈥淭he 麻豆原创 S/4HANA conversion is a cross-functional adventure,鈥� he adds.

BSH鈥檚 journey is ongoing, but the direction is set. Cloud migration via RISE with 麻豆原创, integrated data, and a finance function designed for insight rather than manual effort. 鈥淲e want the machine to do what it does best, so people can focus on creating value,鈥� Schletz concludes.

As the business expanded, so did the complexity of its operations and the expectations of its customers. The existing manufacturing development team, focused on small-scale factory applications, found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the pace. The data was often locked in silos or other systems. To address this, Howdens set out to automate and collect data from multiple points across its supply chain. 

Considering off-the-shelf solutions that could be tailored to its needs, Howdens Joinery needed a solution that would continue to evolve with the company. Through a detailed assessment of several manufacturing execution systems (MES), Howdens Joinery decided to replace all outdated manufacturing execution systems with the  solution, making it the heartbeat of its production processes with the help of a featured partner, . 

Reinventing kitchens with an innovative and customer-centric process 

The kitchen has evolved from a simple cooking space into the heart of the home. Knowing this, Howdens Joinery has adapted its offerings to meet the changing needs of its customers. 鈥淭he kitchen market has changed a lot over the years,鈥� says David Peacock, IS Manufacturing System technical lead at Howdens Joinery. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 sell a kitchen; we provide a living space, the central part of their homes.鈥� 

Howdens expanded its range beyond the standard kitchen colors and styles. This approach enables customers to experiment with various colors and styles before making a final decision. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like a trial run,鈥� Peacock explains. 鈥淲e can see if a new color is worth adding to our main range. If it鈥檚 popular, we can roll it out on a larger scale.鈥� 

This strategy not only helps customers find the perfect kitchen but also provides Howdens with valuable feedback on what works best. To support this expanded offering, the company invested in a new factory and upgraded paint lines. These improvements enhanced production capacity and equipped the team with new skills and expertise. 

Traditionally, the company made a stock model, but now customers can visit depots and order kitchens in any color and style they want. 鈥淲e have a fast turnaround, with manufacturing and shipping taking just five days,鈥� Peacock says. 鈥淭o make this possible, we updated our entire order strategy and implemented the new system in less than 12 months.鈥� 

By embracing innovation and listening to customer needs, Howdens Joinery has successfully transformed its business to stay ahead in a competitive market, making it easier than ever for customers to get the kitchen they truly want. 

鈥淗aving our own homegrown MES provided us a clear view of what needed to be produced on each production line,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n real time, operators could start or stop orders and receive confirmations. And we continued to add more features and functionalities to our MES.鈥�

Reducing order production lead time from 21 days to 14 days 

Howdens Joinery faced two major challenges as it transformed its approach to kitchen manufacturing. The company sells the individual pieces of a kitchen, such as cabinet doors or shelves, that are ordered separately.听

Highlighting that the company is聽sales order-driven, Peacock further adds,聽鈥淲hen you convert the sales orders into production orders, you get a sort of production order per piece. Tracking this is easier said than done.鈥� Each聽piece follows a specific route through the factory, depending on its shape and the machinery it needs to pass through. Since the company isn鈥檛 selling finished panels that are simply waiting on a shelf, tracking each part and keeping everything together was a great challenge.听

Another major hurdle was managing the concept of process lots. Because of the specific routing required for different components, orders often needed to be split and sent down two separate production routes. These production orders would then be grouped into SFCs (shop floor controls), but this sometimes made the process more complicated rather than simpler. 

鈥淲e are potentially in a one-for-one relationship with the production order, so the SFC number became a bit redundant,鈥澛燩eacock explains. The complexity increased when multiple orders were launched simultaneously.听He adds: 鈥淲e might be launching different production orders at a time, but we did not want in [麻豆原创 Digital Manufacturing] the guys on the shop floor to press start 40 times.鈥澛燭his led the company to create a mechanism for efficiently grouping orders, allowing, for example, all orders of a certain color to be processed together on the same production line.听

鈥淲hen you purchase [麻豆原创 Digital Manufacturing], you鈥檙e not just buying manufacturing, but you’re buying the ability to build a manufacturing landscape. So you can do your own customizations,鈥� he adds. 

With 麻豆原创 Digital Manufacturing, Howdens Joinery enhanced operational efficiency and achieved a supporting mechanism to support both make-to-stock and make-to-order production models. 

Continuous improvement as a key driver for the future of manufacturing 

Howdens Joinery is leveraging diverse technologies in production systems. Particularly as a company expanding its manufacturing capabilities, this requires the integration of IT and operational technology, as well as seamless communication with machinery and the automation of production workflows鈥攕uch as custom 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP) processes and production connectors.听聽

With this integration, Howdens Joinery achieved direct communication with various types of machinery, thereby enhancing production efficiency and reducing the need for manual intervention. 

鈥淲ith 麻豆原创 Digital Manufacturing, we gained operational excellence in our supply chain processes, leading to more efficient planning and an enormous increase in production. We reduced order production lead time from 21 days to 14 days in 2023 to 2024, contributing to faster customer fulfillment,” Peacock says.

Moreover, Howdens achieved a 99.98% service level from primary sites to depots in 2024, demonstrating near-perfect product availability. “We will continue this journey of continuous improvement to deliver the best products for our customers,鈥� he says. 

The innovative manufacturer plans to replace its legacy MES systems with a fully digital manufacturing solution, ensuring streamlined and efficient operations. With robust data quality and a flexible approach to integrating new technologies, Howdens Joinery is planning to integrate AI into its manufacturing processes as the next step. Its proactive approach to utilizing new technology for operational excellence is a great industry example for the broader manufacturing community.  

To learn more about Howdens Joinery’s transformation story, check out the full customer story .听

Oyku Ilgar is part of 麻豆原创 Supply Chain Management Thought Leadership & Awareness.

Bringing a sport like dressage into the digital age would be no small feat, but that is precisely the challenge Black Horse One undertook in 2016.

Partnering with 麻豆原创, Black Horse One CEO Daniel G枚hlen and his team of 12 brought a quiet digital revolution to the paper-based, tradition-bound world of equestrian sports鈥攊ntroducing digital scoring systems, streamlining event operations, and facilitating fan engagement鈥攖hat supported and enhanced the experience of trainers, athletes, judges, federations, event managers, and fans all over the world.

However, Black Horse One saw room for even more innovation in equestrian sports, particularly in addressing the operational challenges of equestrian event management and the untapped potential of the industry鈥檚 heavily siloed data.

Digital transformation unlocks boundless potential

With its 鈥渃onsistency, affordability, and proven reliability,鈥� 麻豆原创 quickly became mission-critical for Black Horse One. Building on that success, G枚hlen turned to to bring the company鈥檚 next vision to life鈥攁 digital event management system designed to transform how equestrian competitions are run. The new system delivers real-time, end-to-end oversight and streamlines every workflow, giving 鈥渟how organizers and national federations a 360-degree software鈥� that has cut event preparation time in half.

The industry quickly took note, and Black Horse One went from 100 equestrian shows a year in 15 countries to around 300 in 32 countries and from 50,000 unique users per month to as many as 3 million鈥攁n exponential increase in operations that the company supports with the same small team.

Further digitization of processes and information has helped Black Horse One dismantle the data silos that challenge many industries, especially one as rooted in tradition as equestrian sports. Data pours in from multiple sources: national federations maintain separate records for each horse, judges and audiences submit marks in real time, and organizers update competition systems on the fly. Every change must be reflected instantly, not only to maintain accurate results but also to meet fans鈥� expectations for real-time updates.

G枚hlen, himself a former equestrian athlete, explains that many seasoned trainers and riders struggle to capture and pass on their hard-earned expertise and knowledge built over decades in the arena. A platform that enables real-time recording and sharing of performance data, scoring insights, and training techniques across a global, always-on network is transforming how the dressage community preserves and transmits its know-how.

And, in a sport where animal welfare is paramount, continued technological advancement offers additional layers of information and accountability when it comes to tracking and monitoring horses, which, G枚hlen hopes, will continue to equate to happier, healthier equine athletes.

Leveraging AI in a world of tradition

Black Horse One continues to take a storied sport across new technological frontiers, leveraging 麻豆原创 BTP to help bring artificial intelligence (AI) into its offerings. The company is already using AI to analyze performance data and biomechanical metrics, delivering personalized training and technique insights. It can even generate AI announcers when human ones aren鈥檛 available. G枚hlen notes that Black Horse One is still in the early stages of exploring the 鈥渢remendous鈥� potential of AI鈥攗sing it to support and advance equestrian sport in ways that are not only exciting but also wise and effective.

G枚hlen himself offers sage advice when it comes to assuaging stakeholders鈥� fears around digital transformation and AI in particular: 鈥淧eople really need to see that the technology supports them rather than replaces them.鈥�

Real and sustainable innovation

Black Horse One鈥檚 remarkable story of leveraging technology to transform an age-old sport demonstrates that there is no company too small or industry too niche to benefit from digital transformation.

For those looking to embark on a similar journey, G枚hlen has advice: first, start with the pain points, 鈥渨here processes are currently inefficient or fragmented,鈥� and then find the technology to ensure meaningful innovation. Second, G枚hlen advises companies to earn and keep their customers鈥� trust. 鈥淚n many of our mission-critical settings, if we make a mistake, we can鈥檛 undo it. So, make sure that you choose your technology wisely,鈥� he says.

Finally, and most crucially, remember that innovation is a process, not a destination. 鈥淣ever stop learning,鈥� G枚hlen says. 鈥淓ach project should push you and your team to grow technically and strategically. This is how innovation stays real and sustainable.鈥�

The full episode

Learn more about how Black Horse One brought digital transformation to the tradition-bound world of equestrian sports.

• : G枚hlen, CEO of Black Horse One, talks with Tamara McCleary, CEO of Thulium, to share his motivation and journey merging tradition with technology to transform equestrian events, improving the sport and the sporting experience for athletes and audiences and winning over even the most traditional participants.
• : G枚hlen talks with me about what it took and the technologies that have resulted in a suite of applications that revolutionized the dressage world.

Do you have ideas for topics or technologies we should cover, or would you like to be a guest on the show? We want to hear from you, just e-mail us.

Timo Elliottis vice president and global innovation advocate for 麻豆原创 BTP at 麻豆原创.

To support ongoing expansion, Far East sought more streamlined and efficient lease lifecycle management operations, leading the company to progressively digitalize the entire leasing lifecycle.

Manual processes prompt change

The leasing process at Far East has traditionally been resource-intensive, involving multiple manual steps and significant human intervention across various stages, including pre-offer approvals via e-mail, rental computations, budget comparisons, contract drafting, amendment management, and rental change tracking.

This approach required substantial manpower and created multiple data entry points across the leasing lifecycle, which could affect accuracy and timeliness. Manual updates to rental terms and amendments also contributed to inefficiencies.

The project marks an important step toward operational excellence. By identifying and addressing these systemic challenges, Far East is laying the foundation for a fully digital, integrated leasing platform that supports seamless process flow, real-time data visibility, and more informed decision-making. It is a bold shift toward a strategic, data-driven approach to leasing that enhances agility, accuracy, and growth.

A strategic move forward

For this reason, FEO decided to undertake a strategic transformation to digitalize its leasing operations through a robust, intelligent, and integrated 麻豆原创 ecosystem. This initiative unifies the full leasing lifecycle, from lead generation to contract execution and financial settlement, while enhancing operational excellence, data transparency, and customer service.

麻豆原创 was selected as the strategic platform for leasing digitalization due to its ability to deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that connects business processes across the leasing lifecycle. With at the core, Far East benefits from a powerful digital foundation that aligns real estate, finance, and operational workflows into a single source of truth, supporting data integrity, process consistency, and real-time visibility. 麻豆原创鈥檚 cutting-edge technologies鈥攊ncluding 麻豆原创 Customer Relationship Management (麻豆原创 CRM), 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP), and 麻豆原创 Fiori apps鈥攅nable intelligent automation, advanced analytics, and a clean core architecture that supports both standardization and innovation.

This integrated ecosystem empowers FEO employees to leverage real-time analytics for data-driven decisions and reduce errors and eliminate bottlenecks with automated tasks, streamlined processes, and optimized workflows.

The result? FEO experienced an 80% improvement in sales process efficiency at closing leasing sales.

Impact of the leasing digitalization project

The successful implementation of the leasing digitalization project has delivered tangible improvements across the organization, from the residential and commercial group business unit to its financial, operational, and compliance domains. By streamlining and automating leasing processes, FEO achieved over US$500,000 in annual cost savings while reducing operational overhead. The project eliminated redundant data entry through intelligent field derivation and automated rental computations, helping to minimize errors and boost workforce productivity.

In addition, the leasing lifecycle has been accelerated, cutting the lead-to-contract process and reducing contract generation time from days to just minutes. With 100% system uptime since go-live and strong user adoption, the platform has become a reliable tool for leasing operations. Intelligent validations, including budget checks and competitive rent evaluations, have strengthened regulatory compliance and enhanced decision accuracy. Collectively, these outcomes have strengthened FEO鈥檚 position as a digitally enabled real estate business, well-equipped for agile, data-driven portfolio management and continuous innovation.

FEO has made significant leaps forward in the property management industry. Employee productivity has increased with streamlined processes. Regulatory compliance with industry regulations and standards is managed with intelligent validation. And, analytics provide valuable insights into tenant behavior, rent trends, and property performance.

An 麻豆原创 Innovation Award winner

For its property management achievement, Far East Organization was selected as a 2025 麻豆原创 Innovation Award winner in the Industry Leader category.

Nicolas Englo is program manager for the 麻豆原创 Innovation Awards.

Bekaert aspires to become a people- and data-driven company. This requires a thorough strategic and cultural transformation, in which artificial intelligence plays a crucial role. To get started, the company set priorities, leveraging the already available in its existing HR solutions such as 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions. By focusing on a few embedded AI use cases and creating a stand-alone AI tool on top of that, it started exploring and seeing the AI benefits.

“AI is a means to achieve our goals, a logical extension of our HR strategy,” says Jorn Waterschoot, global head of HR Technology at Bekaert. 鈥淎I’s growing capabilities, cost-effectiveness, and versatility are transforming businesses by enhancing user experiences, enabling experimentation, and encouraging adoption. At Bekaert, these strengths are leveraged in HR while carefully managing hidden costs and focusing on end-to-end implementation to maximize AI鈥檚 potential. At Bekaert, the goal is to make AI feel like a candy store: once employees experience its versatility, they are encouraged to explore it further.鈥�

First use case: the AI Master Data Assistant

Together with its long-standing partner and , Bekaert worked along a human-centered approach to innovation to identify opportunities and use cases. One of these identified use cases was a stand-alone AI tool that Bekaert used for HR data improvement. This tool was not integrated in the existing software landscape and required of users to extract and import data. 

To improve this laborious process, Flexso helped design and build a custom AI solution, called AI Master Data Assistant, with the help of 麻豆原创 AI Core in 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform. This new solution has been fully integrated with 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions, using 麻豆原创 Integration Suite. Currently, the solution uses a specific AI model from generative AI hub in 麻豆原创 AI Core. However, the flexibility with various models offered through the generative AI hub capability would allow the partner to use another AI model for this solution in the future.

Who benefits from AI in HR at Bekaert?

The AI Master Data Assistant allows the Bekaert HR teams to enhance data quality by automatically identifying, correcting, and preventing errors in employee records. The assistant can detect inconsistencies, duplicates, and missing information, ensuring that all data is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. In practice, it means that users can enter natural language prompts to get proposals for improvement. Via chat-like conversations, they can standardize formats, correct errors, and validate entries in real time.

For innovation projects, Bekaert usually rolls out new solutions gradually first through a number of role-specific use cases, then deploy them indiscriminately across the organization. For the new AI Master Data Assistant, the HR business partners and HR admin roles benefitted first.

Flexibility for the future

As part of the global 麻豆原创 AppHaus Network, Flexso always strives for a human-centered and sustainable co-innovation approach with its customers. It is about bringing innovation into the hands of people. David Pierre, AI practice lead at Flexso explains: 鈥淭he AI world is developing so fast. So, the principle in our solution is that we are AI model agnostic. Today, we are using model GPT to support our use case. But if we have a better model in the future, then we can also switch to other models as they are all supported by 麻豆原创 BTP.鈥�

Imke Vierjahn is 麻豆原创 AppHaus communications lead.