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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.

Compatibility Packs provide temporary usage rights, allowing certain classical 麻豆原创 ERP functionalities to operate within 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, aiming to ease the migration and maintain business continuity for customers moving from 麻豆原创 ERP to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA.

For most of the Compatibility Packs, the usage rights end on December 31, 2025, which has been extensively communicated to customers, partners, and user groups and is documented in .

To counter for the fact that despite the extensive communication聽several customers still need some more time to manage this transition, 麻豆原创 is offering this final transition period in an effort to provide customers with greater choice and flexibility.

Accompanying this extension, 麻豆原创 will offer tailored programs for customers that are moving to the respective 麻豆原创 cloud solutions that replace the compatibility pack functionalities. We encourage affected customers to contact their 麻豆原创 representative.

Stefan Steinle is EVP and head of Customer Support & Cloud Lifecycle Management at 麻豆原创.

Headquartered in Homberg (Ohm), Germany, with worldwide locations, in 2024 KAMAX generated 鈧�1 billion in revenue and employs 4,000 people dedicated to serving OEMs globally.

To maintain its competitive edge, the ambitious company embarked on a transformative journey to streamline its supply chain through digitalization and intelligent logistics management. This transformation centers around the deployment of (麻豆原创 EWM),  (麻豆原创 TM), and a comprehensive 麻豆原创 S/4HANA platform, supporting superior logistics efficiency, transparency, and sustainability.

Optimizing logistics at scale

Handling approximately 400 transports daily across multiple global plants, KAMAX manages two distinct logistics flows: goods pre-packed and stored in warehouses, and a “pack-to-order” system where items are packaged just before shipment. Currently, three plants operate on 麻豆原创 S/4HANA with 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management and one pilot plant with 麻豆原创 Transportation Management integrated, while others are transitioning from 麻豆原创 ERP Central Component (麻豆原创 ECC).

The implementation of the advanced shipping and receiving process dramatically improved logistics transparency and efficiency.

“The use of the unified package builder, which leverages real data instead of estimates, allows us to provide precise shipping information to freight forwarders earlier in the process,” Jens Hoidem, director of IT Business Solutions at KAMAX, explained. This improvement enhances truck planning and communication with carriers, positively impacting the company’s logistics operations daily.

KAMAX collaborates exclusively with freight forwarders, working with approximately 20 carriers globally. At the advanced shipping and receiving pilot plant, about 60 deliveries per day are coordinated, involving around 2,000 handling units across five to six trucks. This network supports operational responsiveness without compromising control.

On premise today, cloud-ready tomorrow

Currently, three of KAMAX鈥檚 plants run on 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, with the remaining plants on 麻豆原创 ECC, all on an on-premises basis designed to be cloud-ready for future transitions.

Hoidem pinpointed the critical process improvements brought by advanced shipping and receiving in combination with 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management and 麻豆原创 Transportation Management: 鈥淭he shipping registration now uses the unified package builder, relying on accurate, real data rather than estimated figures. This has substantially improved truck planning and early communication with our freight forwarders, impacting around 60 deliveries and about 2,000 handling units daily at our pilot plant.鈥�

Over 95 percent of KAMAX’s transport is by truck. “We maintain a global footprint close to our OEM customers to optimize delivery times and costs,鈥� Hoidem added. 鈥淲e currently engage about 70 to 80 different freight forwarders worldwide, facilitating diverse and dynamic transport needs.鈥�

Sustainability and process automation

KAMAX has a bold strategy for sustainability and aims for carbon neutrality by 2037. Implementation of 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management and 麻豆原创 Transportation Management plays a crucial role in supporting KAMAX’s goal by enabling better route planning, efficient truck utilization, and minimizing empty runs.

鈥淩educing CO2 emissions through smarter transport management is a key project outcome,鈥� Hoidem added.

The German company is also actively advancing in automation. In China, KAMAX has piloted RFID technology integrated with automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to automate intra-logistics, reducing manual labor and enhancing productivity.

the company’s digital subsidiary, has developed an Operator Cockpit linked with 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management for real-time monitoring and automated production order management. Using laser technology, KAMAX automated piece counting, saving about 40 labour hours in May at their Slovakian plant across 1,200 containers.

KAMAX plans to roll out 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management, 麻豆原创 Transportation Management, and advanced shipping and receiving across all seven plants, progressively improving automation and digitalization of intralogistics processes. 鈥淲e aim to integrate AI for advanced receiving and transportation management, continuing to optimize costs and capacity,鈥� Hoidem shared.

Curious about how KAMAX鈥檚 journey to streamline and future-proof its supply chain? .

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.

Through their innovative implementation of Soley’s Product Mining Platform with 麻豆原创’s supply chain management technologies, they prove that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.

The challenge: managing complex product portfolios at scale

CERATIZIT Group, a leading provider of hard material solutions for machining and wear protection, faced a challenge common to many modern manufacturing companies: managing a complex product portfolio with over 65,000 products. The company’s Cutting Tool Solutions division needed a solution to balance economic and ecological objectives while maintaining competitive advantage.

Klaus Lupfer, product lifecycle manager at CERATIZIT Deutschland GmbH, explains the company’s motivation: “In addition to the economic perspective on the product portfolio, the ecological aspect was equally important when partnering with Soley. As a company committed to sustainability for years, we are especially excited about the opportunities that the expansion of product carbon footprint data offers.”

The challenge was not just the product portfolio’s size but also the lack of transparency regarding product performance and sustainability metrics. Employees spent considerable time compiling reports rather than making strategic decisions, while limited insights into critical materials and suppliers prevented efficient phaseout of high-emission products.

AI-powered product portfolio analysis

Munich-based Soley GmbH, a past participant in the 麻豆原创.iO program, 麻豆原创鈥檚 former startup accelerator designed to foster and integrate innovative solutions into the 麻豆原创 ecosystem, developed an innovative response to this challenge. The Soley Product Mining Platform, available as part of 麻豆原创’s extension and add-on solutions, transforms complex product data into actionable insights through three core, AI-driven innovations that enable faster, smarter, and more impactful business decisions.

• AI Advisor uses AI to recommend precise actions鈥攆or example, suggesting which products should be phased out to minimize carbon footprint without sacrificing margins.
• AI Assistant provides an intuitive, natural-language interface that allows users to effortlessly interact with Soley, without requiring deep technical expertise.
• AI Detective analyzes data to uncover hidden dependencies and reveal strategic opportunities, such as identifying which configuration options should be eliminated to optimize both profitability and sustainability.

The Soley Product Mining Platform draws data from 麻豆原创 S/4HANA and 麻豆原创 Business Warehouse, utilizing 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP) as the service layer. 麻豆原创 Datasphere helps consolidate 麻豆原创 data and analytics, while 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud provides the analytics that form the core of the AI model. This technical architecture enables intelligent data extraction and transformation through 麻豆原创 Databricks, while massive graph analytics enable complex dependency analysis.

“With these 麻豆原创 solutions, we’re delivering a true game changer for the sustainability of the high tech and manufacturing industries,” says Ephraim Triemer, shareholder and advisor of Enterprise Accounts at Soley. “For the first time, our customers can go beyond ESG reporting and take real action鈥攄riving sustainability while staying laser focused on profitability.”

Seamless 麻豆原创 integration creates value

By combining CERATIZIT’s Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) data with financial metrics, the Soley Product Mining Platform creates a digital twin that uncovers opportunities, identifies risks, and analyzes product hierarchies, bills of materials, and carbon footprints. With AI-driven intelligence guidance, Soley developers ensure the platform’s capabilities enable decisions and outcomes that improve both profitability and environmental stewardship.

Earlier this year, Dominik Metzger was appointed as president and Chief Product Officer of 麻豆原创 Supply Chain Management, bringing a renewed focus on resilience, sustainability, and intelligent automation.

鈥淢y chief priority is to ensure that we help customers not only respond to disruptions but also proactively prepare and act,鈥� Metzger said. 鈥淲e can do so by leveraging AI, generative AI, real-time data, and predictive analytics with the power of 麻豆原创鈥檚 technology. Our vision is to build an autonomous supply chain鈥攃onnected, contextualized, and collaborative.鈥�

麻豆原创 SCM leadership driving transformation

The analysis delivered impressive, measurable results that demonstrate the power of combining AI-driven analytics with 麻豆原创 technologies. CERATIZIT discovered an 87% implementation rate of suggested measures, driving product sustainability and supply chain optimization. Simultaneously, the company identified a reduction of over 30% in end-of-life “ballast” products with negative carbon footprints while creating 100% transparency in sustainability data across all elements, product sets, and aggregation levels.

Alexander Springer, CEO of Soley GmbH, explains the strategic significance: “If you know which products are the most critical to the overall success of your business, you can focus on safeguarding the value chain for those products, taking proactive steps to avoid any potential supply risks.”

A model for sustainable digital transformation

The successful partnership between CERATIZIT, Soley, and 麻豆原创 demonstrates how modern companies can achieve both economic and ecological goals through intelligent use of data and AI. The combination of proven 麻豆原创 technologies and innovative analytics solutions creates measurable value for companies of all sizes. For other 麻豆原创 customers and partners, this example shows that sustainability and profitability need not be opposing forces鈥攚ith the right technologies and partners, both objectives can be achieved simultaneously.

Learn more about the latest updates to 麻豆原创 supply chain management. The Soley Product Mining Platform is available on .

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America鈥檚 biggest integrated cannabis company Trulieve chose 麻豆原创 S/4HANA to provide it with the scale and flexibility it needs in a highly dynamic market.

Read the article to learn more about Trulieve鈥檚 success: https://sap.to/6056AiWNe.

鈥淲e are an agricultural company,鈥� she continued, 鈥渂ut we also have to be able to process the product, so we are simultaneously a manufacturing company and a distribution company because we have to control how things are being moved to all of our stores. And then we are a retail company because we sell it in our stores. We track the entire supply chain.鈥�

Trulieve has been an 麻豆原创 customer since 2020. It initially chose 麻豆原创 because its legacy system couldn鈥檛 keep up with the company鈥檚 growth and demand. 鈥淲e needed to leverage and the scale it gave us just to be able to keep up with sales,鈥� Zimmerman explained. Today, Trulieve鈥檚 麻豆原创 portfolio also includes 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions and 麻豆原创 Concur solutions.

Trulieve started in 2016, so the company is only nine years old, which gave it the ability to be cloud-native from the start. 鈥淲e didn’t have any of the legacy technical debt that a lot of other companies may have. That enabled us to have all cloud-based solutions and when new technology becomes available, we’re able to quickly adopt it. That definitely puts us in a position to be able to leverage technology of the future, as opposed to being tied to legacy technology,鈥� Zimmerman said.

That鈥檚 important because keeping up with the growth in the marijuana market is top of the agenda for Trulieve, which already operates in multiple states and is a market leader in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

鈥淥bviously we want to continue that growth,鈥� Zimmerman said. The biggest catalyst for growth is when states legalize recreational marijuana use, which opens up the entire market for Trulieve鈥檚 hand-grown marijuana products. 鈥淭he big focus for us is scalability and stability in our solutions to make sure we are able to support that growth,鈥� she said.

鈥溌槎乖� enables us to have more insight into our growth and manage production better than any other system that’s out there,鈥� Zimmerman said.  And since Trulieve is a publicly traded company, running 麻豆原创 S/4HANA also helps ensure that Trulieve鈥檚 management has access to all the internal controls and other features they need for regulatory and other purposes.

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Zimmerman emphasized that Trulieve also relies heavily on data鈥攖he company鈥檚 customer data platform combines data from multiple applications, enabling it to market more effectively to its customers and make operational decisions. 鈥淭hat definitely empowers our teams to be able to provide real-time information to our leaders, who can then make decisions literally on the fly in terms of pricing our products, or whether we need to make a promotion in order to achieve sales targets.鈥�

She also believes that the AI tools 麻豆原创 is embedding in its solutions will deliver real benefits: 鈥淚 think we have a number of opportunities in terms of being able to leverage AI with our retail dispensary associates operating on the actual sales floor.鈥� For example, she said it might be used by associates in the stores or on the phone to suggest products to customers based on data previously captured through Trulieve鈥檚 supply chain, coupled with other information and metrics.

But she said the biggest thing Trulieve has learned is that to be able to scale your business you have to have solutions that are going to be able to adapt to that scale. In addition, in a dynamic market, companies need solutions that adapt and are highly flexible.

鈥淭his environment is incredibly dynamic, so that means that tomorrow we could get legislation that opens up cannabis to the entire country,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen that happens how would it change our organization? We have to be super adaptable to any of those types of changes that are going on in the in the larger political realm.鈥�

麻豆原创 technology, she said, provides the scalability and flexibility, together with the data, the company鈥檚 leaders need to make the best decision in real time.

Top image via customer video

That is the reality. Behind all the talk of faster deployments and streamlined processes lies a deeper shift. It requires rethinking your data, core processes, and how teams work together. And this shift does not begin at go-live. It begins months earlier, with the questions asked and the foundations put in place.

Many companies still approach cloud ERP as an IT upgrade. But the success of these programs rarely comes down to just technology. It comes down to how well you prepare, how you approach process standardization, data readiness, governance, and change leadership.

Even with the best intentions, challenges still show up. Teams struggle to balance global templates with local needs. Subject matter experts do not always have the time to fully participate. Expectations around timelines and automation can be misaligned from the start.

In a , Abhishek Vasudevan, head of 麻豆原创 S/4HANA at Westernacher, shared his perspective on what separates successful ERP transformations from the rest — from the most critical prerequisites to the common mistakes and what ERP looks like when it truly enables the business.

Breaking down business challenges and expectations

鈥淒isconnected systems cause poor integration, data delays, and isolated teams,鈥� Vasudevan explained. 鈥淭he fragmentation creates barriers to real-time data visibility and integration, forcing reliance on manual work to piece together information from disparate sources. This slows decision-making and enforces artificial walls between business functions.鈥�

Switching to an integrated, modern cloud ERP platform helps businesses break down barriers and provides real-time, cross-functional data flow.

Vasudevan also highlighted a critical hurdle: 鈥淭here is a clear disconnect between how legacy users operate and the demands of moving to an integrated ERP system. The key question is whether the workforce can adapt to these changes and take on the challenges of adopting a new system and new ways of working.鈥�

But one misconception is expecting a fully integrated ERP to be operational quickly by simply activating system functions. Faster implementations — which can sometimes take weeks or months instead of years — depend heavily on an organization’s ability to standardize processes across sites while retaining competitive differentiators.

鈥淪uccess requires a phased “crawl, walk, run” approach focusing on processes, people, and standardization,鈥� further explained Vasudevan.

Before a company ever starts configuring a system or training users, there is foundational work that must be done to set the stage for success. These are the conversations and actions that happen behind the scenes 鈥� months before go-live 鈥� that ultimately determine whether the implementation will deliver value.

Essential prerequisites for a successful ERP implementation

An effective cloud ERP adoption starts long before go-live. Based on extensive experience across industries, Vasudevan outlines six critical areas organizations must focus on early:

1. Start with your data: Data is often the Achilles鈥� heel of ERP projects. Companies must start by understanding where their data lives, how clean it is, and whether it covers all critical business processes. That means assessing your sources early, ensuring completeness, and working with ERP experts to understand what fields matter and how your data should be structured.
2. Understand the technical preparation, especially for upgrades: Even if you are doing what feels like a technical upgrade — like moving from 麻豆原创 ECC to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA — there is still deep preparation involved. Organizations must think through customer-vendor integration, system sizing, platform readiness, and historical data decisions. These technical topics are not just backend items; they directly affect the ability to execute a project smoothly.
3. Rethink and standardize your processes: ERP implementations are a golden opportunity to simplify operations and remove legacy complexity. The more standardized processes are across regions, business units, and functions, the easier it becomes to scale and automate.
4. Set up strong governance from the start: You need the right structure in place to guide the program, enable fast decisions, and stay aligned. That includes a clear steering committee, empowered business leads, and a process for how deviations will be evaluated and approved.
5. Identify your internal change agent: Your system integrator will support change management, but someone from within your organization must to champion the change. This person should understand how things work today and be able to work across teams to bring clarity and alignment.
6. Start identifying key and end users and prepare a plan for them early: Do not wait until testing or training to engage end users: start early. Understand their day-to-day, shape the design through day-in-the-life scenarios, and roll out MVPs that invite feedback.

Listen to the full podcast episode here:

Coming up, we will explore the most common challenges businesses face during and after ERP implementation. From data readiness gaps to change resistance, we will unpack the patterns that often derail projects 鈥� and how to stay ahead of them.

The company produces healthy vegetable oils, oilseeds, creams, and spreads while maintaining a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. With a presence in over 32 countries and a team of more than 2,000 employees, Sesajal is a beacon of excellence in the food industry.

The customer has a long history of working with 麻豆原创 solutions and took a major step forward in 2024, migrating to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Private Cloud and integrating 麻豆原创 Build as its primary tool for extending business . Sesajal used 麻豆原创 Build Process Automation to integrate AI-powered workflow automations, enabling smart decisions based on data insights.

Partnering with 麻豆原创 for transformation

Leading Sesajal’s journey into digital transformation is Chief Innovation Officer Alfonso Cedillo Navarro, who has been at the forefront of implementing technology-driven solutions to enhance operations and deliver value to customers around the globe.

The use of 麻豆原创 Build has proven to be transformative, enabling the creation of user-friendly business applications and streamlined key processes like vendor creation.

One of Sesajal鈥檚 standout projects involves a solution built with 麻豆原创 Build that integrates seamlessly with the 麻豆原创 S/4HANA system, enhancing usability and efficiency.

Collaborating with 麻豆原创 AppHaus

A pivotal moment in Sesajal’s journey was to start collaborating with the 麻豆原创 AppHaus team. Known for its human-centered approach to innovation, the team helped Sesajal unlock new opportunities brought about by 麻豆原创 Build.

“Working with the Sesajal team was truly inspiring,” shared project manager Mirela Viersa, a customer solution adoption specialist at 麻豆原创 AppHaus. “Their openness to innovation and dedication to creating real value for their users made this collaboration a success. By applying a human-centered approach, we were able to co-create solutions that not only streamlined processes, but also delivered tangible benefits — all while keeping the core clean. This project is a testament to what鈥檚 possible when technology and people work hand in hand.”

Within the 麻豆原创 Build starter kit program, the Sesajal team received comprehensive training along the 麻豆原创 AppHaus methodology. They embarked on a design thinking process to identify a business use case, eventually developing a proof of concept tailored to their needs.

鈥淭he 麻豆原创 AppHaus team is incredible to work with,鈥� Cedillo Navarro said. 鈥淭heir human-centered methodology helped us identify the right business use case and build a proper prototype. It鈥檚 a phenomenal way to connect business and user needs, saving time and adding more value to users.鈥�

Redefining innovation

By combining the power of 麻豆原创 Build with the 麻豆原创 AppHaus approach, Sesajal has found a way to address real business challenges through technology. From simplifying processes to creating tangible results, these tools are reshaping how the company operates.

Reflecting on his experience, Cedillo Navarro noted, 鈥淟everaging the 麻豆原创 AppHaus approach and 麻豆原创 Build allows us to develop applications that tackle real business challenges while utilizing the best of modern technology. It鈥檚 innovation at its finest.鈥�

Sesajal’s digital transformation journey is a testament to the potential of human-centered design and advanced technology. It demonstrates how collaboration and the right tools can drive meaningful results, setting the stage for continued innovation in the years to come.

The solution was clear: implement a cloud-based ERP architecture designed to adapt, scale, and drive a full-scale transformation.

Building strategy on speed and people

E.ON Digital Technology鈥檚 move to the cloud was never about chasing modernity for its own sake, but about seizing control in a fast-moving world. The company understood that transformation is not only about technology; it’s about people and their needs.

Together with employees, E.ON Digital Technology crafted a strategic vision to keep pace with rapid technological change while empowering teams to deliver real solutions. At the core of this transformation was the Digital Lighthouse Project, which became the guiding force through the complexities of digitization.

As Athanasios Tabakis, the lead of the Digital Lighthouse technology at E.ON Digital Technology, explained, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just implementing isolated solutions; we鈥檙e building a platform that integrates speed, planning, reporting, cost transparency, and AI into one seamless ecosystem.鈥�

This cloud ERP foundation shattered old habits, igniting true transformation by putting agility and speed at the heart of the business.

Today, E.ON Digital Technology boasts an intuitive, adaptive, finance-first design, built around how people actually work. The company鈥檚 guiding principle remains unchanged: transformation doesn鈥檛 start with systems; it starts with trust and clarity.

Max Englisch, manager of Finance Transformation at , emphasized the human and scalable nature of the project: 鈥淭his has never just been about technology. It was about creating a vision that scales, brings people in, and drives real impact — not only for E.ON Digital Technology, but also across the entire company.鈥�

PwC Germany continues to support E.ON Digital Technology in rolling out this vision, ensuring the Digital Lighthouse remains a catalyst for change.

Beyond technology: culture, process, mindset

Standardizing across a complex group like E.ON Digital Technology involves far more than technical upgrades. It requires navigating cultural, operational, and political layers. The S/4 United Program, the backbone of Digital Lighthouse, launched the company鈥檚 journey toward 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition as the 鈥渕other ship鈥� guiding the entire enterprise.

Innovation layers were carefully added on top to balance strategic consistency with the flexibility to differentiate. Early work focused on identifying where processes could deliver efficiency and value, laying a solid foundation for future-proof operations. As Tabakis put it, 鈥淭he future of ERP is invisible. It anticipates your needs, speaks your language, and acts when it truly matters. It is not just digital; it is almost human.鈥�

E.ON Digital Technology鈥檚 transformation challenges the entrenched mindset of 鈥渢his is always how we鈥檝e always done it.鈥� In a heavily regulated and complex energy sector, data consistency is critical for both compliance and for confident decision-making. By building a semantic layer aligned with business logic, the company moves from fragmented inputs to coherent, faster decisions with increased accountability.

鈥淪uccess comes from those who relentlessly pursue their vision until it becomes a reality,” Englisch added. “That鈥檚 exactly what E.ON Digital Technology has achieved.鈥�

E.ON Digital Technology embraces AI and flexibility for the future

E.ON Digital Technology鈥檚 innovation journey did not stop at cloud ERP. Early adoption of transformed data into conversational insights. Now, the company is advancing toward agentic AI, where AI proactively supports decision-making by alerting teams to deviations and nudging interventions before the issues arise. In energy finance, where timing is everything, this responsiveness is a game changer.

Trust in AI remains paramount. Tabakis noted that 鈥渢rue confidence in AI comes when it aligns with how people think and work. Our mission is to build that trust step-by-step, helping people see AI not as a threat, but as a powerful ally to accelerate their work.鈥� This human-centered approach is essential in a world where half embrace AI鈥檚 promise and half fear its impact.

The energy transition itself demands agility. Renewables introduce volatility, and new consumption patterns like heat pumps and electric mobility add complexity. The grid must balance supply and demand in real time, pushing E.ON Digital Technology鈥檚 business units — and adding their IT teams — to stay flexible.

To manage this, E.ON Digital Technology relies on , a real-time financial management engine that mirrors actual usage, supports dynamic modeling, and scales with demand within the ERP. This technology allows the company to trace billions in value flows accurately and auditable, ensuring flexibility and compliance go hand in hand.

Englisch summarized the future vision: 鈥淭he future of ERP lies in creating an open, connected data foundation that integrates 麻豆原创 and non-麻豆原创 sources, enabling scalable data products and AI-ready architectures. It鈥檚 about moving beyond process efficiency to real-time insights that empower business users to unlock true value.鈥�

E.ON Digital Technology鈥檚 transformation journey shows how cloud ERP, combined with human centered approach and cutting-edge AI, can drive speed, trust, and agility in the complex, rapidly evolving energy landscape. It is a blueprint for how companies can not only adapt but also lead in the digital age.

With six locations and a rapidly expanding international presence, WestWood faced growing complexity in managing siloed data and keeping up with ever-evolving compliance requirements. The company鈥檚 small product safety team was stretched thin, struggling to maintain manual processes and ensure the highest standards across teams and departments. To better serve customers and streamline its operations, WestWood set out to find an integrated, automated solution.

To address these challenges, the German construction company adopted a comprehensive suite of cloud solutions, services, and learning resources to accelerate its digital transformation.

Working together with聽麻豆原创 gold partner , WestWood implemented and . WestWood unified business processes, standardized information management, and automated workflows across the company. This integrated approach made critical data accessible to all relevant teams, helping WestWood stay ahead of compliance regulations and support sustainable growth.

Automating product safety for innovation and growth

鈥淲e wanted a solution that automated important steps of our product safety processes and was flexible, so we can evolve our workflows as compliance standards change and our company expands into new markets and regions with dynamic requirements,鈥� explained Martin Wegner, product safety manager at WestWood.

The flexibility of WestWood鈥檚 products has spurred innovation, such as the growing trend of green roofs, which require robust waterproofing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 becoming increasingly popular to grow plants on roofs, creating a 鈥榞reen roof鈥� that is environmentally friendly and improves air quality,” Wegner added. “New construction trends such as this encourage us to continuously innovate.鈥�

Given that many of WestWood鈥檚 protective, decorative, and slip-resistant finishes require special handling, product safety and compliance are mission-critical. Previously, these processes were manually and fragmented across departments, making it difficult for the small team to keep up with changing regulations.

Harnessing automation for superior customer service

With , WestWood automated the delivery of product safety information. Now, every customer automatically receives up-to-date safety data sheets with their orders, and these updates can be sent instantly to all previous customers, ensuring safe and compliant use of WestWood products. Previously, this was a time-consuming manual process. Thanks to the automated customer service process, now over 24,000 e-mails are sent automatically each year, saving time and ensuring compliance.

鈥淎utomating this process is an amazing time-saver,” Wegner noted. 鈥淚t makes our lives so much easier and helps us ensure the latest safety and usage instructions are reliably available to our customers.鈥� Centralized data management also provides a continuously updated, auditable track record of all product safety activities.

Automation has also improved internal processes. The product safety team now receives automated notifications whenever product safety information is needed and can easily support multiple languages and fulfill local compliance requirements and regulations.

According to Wegner, 鈥淎s we expand into new markets, the built-in internationalization features of 麻豆原创 S/4HANA will be crucial to our success and help us deliver outstanding customer service and support sustainable processes in compliance with local regulations.鈥� This enables WestWood to have faster, more practical management of customer orders for around 10 users across 3 departments, supporting the innovative company鈥檚 global expansion.

鈥淭hanks to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA for product compliance, it is impossible to forget things,” Wegner said. “No information gets delayed in communication between departments, and customers instantly receive the latest safety and usage information for our products.鈥�

Streamlining workflows and supporting sustainability

With 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, and support from Innovabee, WestWood no longer needs to run on-premises IT systems and can focus on adding value for its customers.

Building on the success of its implementation, WestWood plans to further streamline its operations. The ambitious company aims to consolidate two systems for dangerous goods management into a single 麻豆原创 application. They are also planning to fully automate label printing, which is an important step as new regulations require larger font sizes and more detailed information. Automatic label printing based on existing product data will optimize management, eliminate redundancies, and save significant time and effort.

WestWood is also committed to sustainability. By reducing paper use and leveraging integrated solutions from 麻豆原创, the company is expanding its sustainability management and reporting capabilities. Streamlining and automating compliance with documentation and labeling guidelines, as well as managing hazardous chemicals, allows WestWood to protect the environment at every stage — from production plants and warehouses to end customers.

Improved insights and reporting are also helping WestWood future-proof its business and stay competitive in an industry shifting toward greater environmental, social, and governance transparency.

To learn more, read WestWood’s customer story: .

Using RISE with 麻豆原创, BMW Group converted the factory鈥檚 operations to modern cloud software, which also enables greater integration of AI. The successful go-live among this complex shift operation was the result of an extraordinary team, a strategic partnership lasting more than 30 years, and seven years of co-innovation between BMW and 麻豆原创.

Creating a new standard as partners

Following the initial rollout of the new solution at BMW Group鈥檚 MINI plant in Oxford, England, the Regensburg plant is the first full-scale BMW Group facility to transition to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA.

The rollout of the new cloud solution for the parts process chain (abbreviated as PKT in German) affected the entire logistical process chain for the digital control of parts supply in vehicle production — from ordering required components from suppliers, receiving, and warehousing to delivering them to the production line.

In addition to purely logistical processes, the solution also covers the plant鈥檚 quality and maintenance processes. For the first time, the new PKT template for 麻豆原创 S/4HANA enabled unified management of parts supply across all production technologies required to build a vehicle.

The project鈥檚 success is rooted in a team that worked across corporate boundaries toward a shared goal. Customer Services & Delivery and Product & Engineering teams from 麻豆原创 partnered with BMW to create a blueprint for holistic digital transformation in production logistics — from the press, body, and paint shops to final assembly.

Awareness of the importance of this transformation project was palpable among every 麻豆原创 employee involved. 鈥淲e made one thing clear to everyone on the team: every single car counts,鈥� says Carola Schoenfelder, chief project expert, Strategic Customer Innovations at 麻豆原创, and program lead for 麻豆原创 at BMW. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 only about IT; it was about the factory, the people, and the result.鈥�

Transformation as a staircase

Around one-third of employees at the BMW plant in Regensburg work directly with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA components, including and 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management. Involving those affected in the change process was critical to success. Another factor in the project鈥檚 success was learning from experience. The smaller MINI factory in Oxford had already completed its go-live, which helped guide the project team as it worked on the bigger Regensburg project.

Instead of designing the transformation as a metaphorical 鈥渞ock face鈥� that had to be climbed without any safety equipment, the team viewed it as a 鈥渟taircase鈥�: an incremental, guided transition. In addition, satellite support points were set up within the factory to offer support at any time.

Identifying optimization potential

Six months after go-live, it is clear that the transition to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition is more than just a technical upgrade; it鈥檚 noticeably changing daily operations. In particular, the new 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management application is proving to be a key technology that supplies important data and identifies potential for optimization.

Thanks to the new data foundation, the potential for optimization can be more precisely identified, for example, by the use of tugger trains and reduction of internal transport kilometers.

Standardization brings not only efficiency but also flexibility. Employees can switch between tasks more easily, and even between factories, because less specialized knowledge is needed. The processes are more streamlined and more transparent.

鈥淭he global digitalization of our production logistics significantly increases transparency and standardization, allowing us to respond more quickly to changes in demand or supply shortages,鈥� explains Michael Nikolaides, head of Production Network and Logistics at the BMW Group.

Ready for an AI-driven future

Strategically, the new IT infrastructure has brought significant changes. The cloud provides speed and flexibility, without users having to worry about the technology in the background. Moreover, the introduction of standardized cloud solutions is a crucial step toward fully harnessing the potential of AI in the future. To benefit sustainably from AI, standardized software solutions that can be quickly enhanced with new capabilities are needed.

鈥淲ith the next stage of digitalization in production logistics — enabled by consistent, unified data structures and standard process templates — we have significantly advanced the AI enablement of the BMW Group,” explains Alexander Buresch, CIO and senior vice president of BMW Group IT.

Over a seven-year period of co-innovation, BMW shared its automotive-specific requirements while 麻豆原创 mapped large sections of these requirements in 麻豆原创 S/4HANA and in the industry solution 麻豆原创 S/4HANA for manufacturing logistics. 鈥淎s part of our partnership with 麻豆原创, we have transferred key corporate processes to a service-oriented, cloud-based platform, achieving a new level of efficiency, quality, and automation,鈥� Buresch says.

Those who use a shared standard can also find solutions collectively, share them, and co-develop solution designs. If other automakers configure on the same standard in the future, BMW will also benefit from new 麻豆原创 releases.

The strategic collaboration to develop the PKT template began in 2018 as a project driven by deep expertise and strong commitment. The go-live in Regensburg is a key indicator that 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Private Cloud can meet the complex demands of a high-volume vehicle plant. Together with BMW, the 麻豆原创 consulting team demonstrated that with meticulous preparation, a lossless go-live in a complex shift operation is possible. The rollout process works and can be adapted and expanded plant by plant.

Hendrik Haas, senior vice president, general manager, and head of Customer Services & Delivery Middle and Eastern Europe at 麻豆原创, adds: 鈥淭he collaboration with our lighthouse customer BMW is making waves in the market and demonstrates how digital transformation in production logistics can be successfully implemented. BMW鈥檚 Regensburg factory was an important step, with extraordinary commitment from both sides of the partnership. We will continue the RISE with 麻豆原创 transformation at the main factory in Munich this summer, together with BMW.鈥�

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In recent years, amid the evolving regulatory landscape and interdependencies with other business areas, a new set of cross-process requirements have surfaced.

麻豆原创鈥檚 answer is the shift from a reactive, centralized compliance management system to a proactive approach that adapts to an organization’s needs. We are transforming 麻豆原创 Environment, Health, and Safety Management from a monolithic system of record into a modular and connected suite.

Environmental management: from static tracking to intelligence

麻豆原创 solutions for environmental management address the management of waste and emissions as well as water and wastewater.

Updates to EHS solutions are intended to assist users in completing tasks more quickly and efficiently. For example, intelligent permit management is possible thanks to automated regulatory requirement extraction, making permit management tasks less tedious. In the future, proactive regulatory intelligence will prepare customers for the impacts of changing compliance requirements.

By focusing on proactive document extraction and a single entry point for compliance, customers can expect to benefit from reduced compliance preparation time and enhanced audit readiness.

Workplace safety management: from reactive to proactive

The updated workplace safety process orchestrates and extends the individual capabilities of safety performance management, operational risk management, and incident management.

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Recent and upcoming updates leverage AI and increase usability to support safety instruction, reporting, and performance tracking 鈥� enhancing customers鈥� productivity and ability to demonstrate EHS value to stakeholders. More and better documented safety observation enable faster risk prioritization and preventive action, leading to fewer near-misses and incidents.聽

Capabilities include:

• Integrated risk assessments that connect hazard identification directly to operational controls and safety protocols
• AI-assisted safety instruction generation that equips teams with relevant information about hazards to health or environment and protective measures to prevent malfunctions, accidents, or emergencies
• Performance analytics that use real-time safety data to provide proactive insights for continuous safety improvement

By streamlining or automating manually intensive tasks like risk assessment and instruction document creation, your team can reduce time spent by as much as 65 to 70 percent, freeing them to focus on what matters. In addition to time savings, AI has the potential to reduce incidents and near misses by using simple and inclusive language in the instructions that reduces misconceptions by the executing workers.

Our EHS architecture evolution: from system of record to active, modular suite

Short-term, incremental improvements cannot meet the demands of modern EHS needs. 麻豆原创鈥檚 vision for EHS transformation will take us from the reactive to proactive, and eventually predictive by leveraging AI integrations. These solutions will give customers the competitive advantage in regulatory responsiveness and operational efficiency.

Find more insights from 麻豆原创鈥檚 recent the and the

Gunther Rothermel is chief product officer for 麻豆原创 Sustainability.

Its equipment and personnel operate in some of the harshest environments on Earth. Every piece of equipment is vital for safe, efficient operations; even minor failures can cause significant downtime, production losses, or safety risks.

Maintenance costs for oil, gas, and energy companies are substantial, involving helicopters, specialized technicians, and strict safety protocols. A single maintenance trip can cost hundreds of thousands of euros, while unplanned downtime can result in millions in losses.聽聽

Recognizing these challenges, Aker BP decided to embrace digitalization to improve efficiency and safety. Its goal was to build an infrastructure where equipment could communicate its needs proactively, alerting operators well before problems occur.聽

To realize this vision, Aker BP implemented as a hub for condition-based maintenance (CBM). In partnership with , the company leveraged and (麻豆原创 BTP) as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate maintenance and enable predictive, data-driven decision-making.聽

Vision behind Aker BP鈥檚 digital ambitions

Within the company, the key challenge was not just collecting data but making it actionable. Knowing the importance of digitalization, Aker BP decided to deepen the understanding of available data and use it effectively for informed decision-making while ensuring thorough documentation of these decisions.

鈥淚n Aker BP, we have a strong ambition to modernize and digitalize the way we work,” shared Torben Kristensen, Advanced Reliability engineer at Aker BP. “It is not just an ambition, it is a necessity.鈥�

Operating Normally Unmanned Installations (NUIs), Aker BP required robust monitoring solutions to gain clear insights into system health and to anticipate maintenance tasks ahead of time. This proactive approach was crucial given the remote and automated nature of the company鈥檚 facilities. 

Aker BP knows that automation is integral to achieving these objectives. The company decided to automate the processing and management of the decisions made in the previous steps to enhance efficiency and accuracy.聽

Putting plan into action

The foundation of the project was the use of 麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management to create a robust CBM hub. To meet Aker BP鈥檚 unique needs, the team leveraged standard building blocks from 麻豆原创 BTP to extend 麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management with the asset data onboarding application to manage data ingestion and integrate third-party alerts.聽

The challenges were efficiently collecting and processing time-series data and real-time alerts. With the assistance of Lighthouse, the team developed a custom onboarding application to streamline the data ingestion process for smooth integration and accurate real-time monitoring.聽聽

鈥淥ur goal is to establish a comprehensive maintenance strategy that eliminates unknown breakdowns on critical equipment,” explained Kim Alexander J酶rgensen, operations manager for Reliability and CBM at Aker BP. “By leveraging real-time data and condition-based maintenance, we aim for zero unknown failures, ensuring optimized reliability across our operations.鈥�

Using the data from 麻豆原创 S/4HANA allows engineers to fine-tune how thresholds for various assets are set; alerts are only triggered when necessary, avoiding interruptions. This integration meant that the system was always working with accurate, up-to-date information, which is critical for timely and effective decision-making.聽

Recognizing the value of third-party specialist systems that had years of accumulated knowledge about specific equipment, Aker BP focused on integrating alerts and events from these systems into the 麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management hub. This integration allowed Aker BP to benefit from external expert data without duplicating efforts, with maintenance responses based on real-time information.聽

The condition monitoring was handled in silos by different specialist systems, leading to inefficiencies and manual processes. The team created a unified overview page on 麻豆原创 BTP that consolidates data ingestion, alert management, and monitoring in one place, allowing engineers to manage alerts more efficiently and ensure that responses are timely and well coordinated.聽

Seamless user experience meets workflow efficiency

With the CBM hub, engineers now have a comprehensive view of system activities at their fingertips. The heartbeat overview continuously monitors both core and third-party systems, making sure they are operational and providing confidence in the reliability of the data. This also allows engineers to quickly detect any issues that may arise during the data ingestion process.聽

Alerts from multiple sources offer details on system health, maintenance needs, or potential failures. Presented hierarchically, these alerts help users prioritize and easily access the most relevant, actionable information. 

The 2020 migration to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA was a key milestone, enabling integration of various 麻豆原创 applications with 麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management. This links alerts from asset performance management to business processes like work orders and notifications. For example, an聽 麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management alert triggers an notification with context-specific data, allowing immediate action without switching systems.聽

Integration with third-party systems adds further context, including links to original alerts in source systems for deeper analysis. By centralizing maintenance data, Aker BP has integrated multiple 麻豆原创 applications into 麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management, facilitating seamless workflows and supporting the growing scale and complexity of operations.聽

Fine-tuning was essential after implementation, as alerts were initially too frequent. The team introduced a 鈥渕ass close鈥� feature to categorize multiple alerts as false positives or data anomalies, maintaining transparency by recording closure reasons and enhancing future learning. Additionally, engineers can now add comments to alerts, documenting and sharing findings directly within the system. 

Business benefits and what lies ahead for Aker BP 

麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management has provided significant business value to Aker BP, including increased operational efficiency through automated monitoring and maintenance, which allows engineers to focus on critical tasks. Cost savings have been achieved through reduced emergency repairs and lower operational expenses, and real-time monitoring improves safety by identifying potential issues before they escalate, particularly in high-risk environments.聽

The company implemented proactive maintenance, driven by AI and machine learning, and now can estimate potential failures, which has helped the company to minimize downtime and extended the asset lifespan. The system’s centralized data — integrated with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA — enhances data accessibility and interpretation, while its scalability means it can handle Aker BP鈥檚 growing operations.

鈥淔or our new project, ‘Yggdrasil,’ starting up in 2027, this solution is a prerequisite,鈥� said Terje Lindrupsen, senior maintenance engineer at Aker BP.

The company plans to expand this solution to all of its brownfield and greenfield installations, and also plans to transition to the latest Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities in 麻豆原创 Asset Performance Management, embedded IoT, in 2025, enabling even more advanced real-time monitoring capabilities.聽聽

鈥淭he business will always rely on its industry-leading team selling through an institutional business model but has evolved in recent years to be more consumer-facing, data-driven, and insight-driven, so we can help the coaches and the players with relevant information on how they can improve performance,鈥� Aravind Kashyap, Chief Information Officer, Riddell, said. For example, Riddell innovated with smart helmets that utilize the Internet of Things (IoT) to get deeper insights into head impact exposure and athlete performance. 鈥淭he company itself has gone through several routes of transformation because the game and its players demand it,鈥� he said.

Riddell is now transforming its enterprise foundation, embarking on a robust, three-year enterprise solutions revamp. The company has used 麻豆原创 solutions for almost 20 years, and its current solution is highly customized and very complex. 鈥淲e really want to get to a situation where we鈥檙e not uber customized and difficult to upgrade,鈥� Kashyap said. To benefit from technologies like data visibility, process automation, and AI, the company is working with 麻豆原创 and , a global 麻豆原创 consulting company, to adopt a cloud-first, clean core approach.

Legacy built it, strategy will fix it

Riddell is modernizing and simplifying its ERP system via a greenfield approach with . 鈥淥ur IT strategy is primarily looking at the next three years and what can we do at a foundation level, what are the things we鈥檙e doing on the information aspect, and what things we are doing for greater efficiency,鈥� Kashyap said. The renewed IT strategy will enable the business to focus on growth, efficiency, and automation projects by leveraging information and advanced technologies while still driving down IT operation costs.

The project is as much about improving Riddell鈥檚 IT foundation as it is about improving the experience for employees who use the systems, many of which are remote. Kashyap explained the focus on delivering a modern digital experience across the company: 鈥淒igital experience is huge for us. In fact, that鈥檚 one of the big themes that I鈥檓 driving in the organization. How do I bring experience to our business users鈥攚hether they are in a warehouse, whether they are in a sales position, whether they are a finance clerk, whether they are in the manufacturing location or plant鈥攁nd give them the best experience as a solution user?鈥�

This is in alignment with the strategic business transformation and change management approach KaarTech recommended to Riddell. Connecting the technical ERP transformation to the consumer experience and sales side of the business was key. 鈥淚f you just do a technical assessment and try to understand the IT landscape without connecting with the business, the transformation will go wrong,鈥� Parameswaran N, vice president, KaarTech, said. He added: 鈥淲e wanted this to be a business-led transformation and the business priorities and vision were much more than just a technical upgrade, so we mutually agreed that a greenfield approach was the right approach.鈥�

As a result of a thorough migration readiness assessment exercise undertaken with , a KaarTech proprietary digital transformation as a service (DXaaS) automation platform for 麻豆原创 digital transformations, available on , Riddell鈥檚 IT landscape was found to have 1,270 custom objects, 556 custom reports, 794 enhancements to standard programs, and 10 third-party integrations. The current endeavor, called Project STRIDE, aims to streamline these customizations and instead take a fit-to-standard approach wherever possible.

The team has identified about 180 global scope items and is looking at each one individually to compare the out-of-the-box scenario with the customization opportunity, Kashyap said. This process of determining what in the current system stays and what goes is time consuming and involves about 10% of the company鈥檚 850 employees, he explained, but it鈥檚 also necessary to prioritizing the fit-to-standard and clean core approach. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy, but that鈥檚 the only way it鈥檚 going to happen,鈥� he said, adding that it鈥檚 a 鈥渙ne team, one platform鈥� mindset. Keeping 麻豆原创 S/4HANA as the core allows for a 鈥渓imitless plane鈥� on which Riddell can take advantage of innovative technologies like AI.

In addition to the Riddell team, who supplies the internal expertise, knowledge, and working experience to Project STRIDE, 麻豆原创 helps with the valuation of each scope item and KaarTech helps with implementation.

鈥淥ur partners KaarTech and 麻豆原创 are making it possible. It鈥檚 a long journey,鈥� Kashyap said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about making the business comfortable with using the new enterprise solution.鈥�

Project learnings鈥攕o far

Riddell鈥檚 Project STRIDE demonstrates the potential behind a fit-to-standard approach, how digital experience drives user adoption, and the need for strong governance to accelerate decision-making.

The path to the cloud and a clean core is a worthy cause to achieve long-term agility, but it鈥檚 as much a method shift as it is a mindset shift, Kashyap said. 鈥淚t is an IT transformation; more importantly it is a business transformation.鈥�

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

As the company expanded, ONTRAS sought better visibility across its operations, especially those carried out by service providers. Manual communication interfaces led to information loss, hindering operational efficiency and service quality. To address these challenges, ONTRAS aimed to improve field operations with offline capabilities, ensuring better data integrity for uninterrupted operations and much faster response times.

After thorough research, the German utility company implemented smart forms within to capture and monitor real-time data from its field operations. supported ONTRAS throughout the implementation process, serving as the interface to 麻豆原创 and customizing and enhancing 麻豆原创 Field Service Management, including customizing the 麻豆原创 Field Service Management, connector for 麻豆原创 ERP, in order to meet the company鈥檚 specific requirements.

Faster process runtime with improved data visibility at ONTRAS

Working with a large external staff and a dispersed system led to a significant data gap.

Ines Kurmies, an 麻豆原创 specialist at ONTRAS, explained: “Our internal staff extracted data from 麻豆原创, while external staff used a manual Excel logging process, which made it difficult to understand the status of orders.鈥�

The external staff was receiving the orders through the 麻豆原创 system, but it was not possible to track their work. Feedback was received within the 麻豆原创 system only after completion, and the logs were uploaded to 麻豆原创, which meant the company lacked visibility into the steps in between.

ONTRAS needed a solution to maintain maintenance plans and functional locations within 麻豆原创 while providing access to external service providers via an interface. The company sought comprehensive data integration and a single source of truth with real-time data monitoring.

With the full integration of logs and smart forms, ONTRAS can now guide technicians through tasks, capture data, and provide a structured way to document the inspection process in real-time. Integrating these disparate systems created a single source of truth, helping the company eliminate inefficiencies and data gaps, enabling faster process runtime.

鈥淲ith the full integration of logs and smart forms, we achieved a much faster checklist revision,鈥� Eva Scholl, a maintenance engineer at ONTRAS, shared. 鈥淣ow we have an end-to-end digital process, so the process runtime in itself is one of the greatest benefits.鈥�

Real-time data and comprehensive tracking are crucial for preventative maintenance, rapid response to issues, and compliance.

During a gas pipe fitting inspection, the company’s system creates an order dispatched to a service provider, the responsible specialist, who then assigns it to an assembler. The assembler inspects the fittings, logging their work using smart forms in 麻豆原创 Field Service Management. This information is sent back to the responsible specialist, who reviews and completes the order. Finally, an audit report is generated as a PDF and transferred to 麻豆原创 Plant Maintenance Rapid Mart, where the company can view and process the inspection results. Without this real-time data flow, a faulty fitting might go unnoticed, leading to a gas leak and potential safety hazard.

The company can see what order is dispatched when it is processed and what the status is.

鈥淣ow, field sales representatives have more information and experience less information loss because they directly see the order from us — exactly what we want to see,鈥� Scholl added. 鈥淧reviously, there was a manual communication interface, which inevitably led to information loss.鈥�

Running safe, efficient, compliant operations in remote and challenging environments

For utility companies, inspecting and maintaining natural gas pipelines in remote rural areas is crucial. These locations often suffer from unreliable internet connectivity, leading to potential data gaps.

ONTRAS has significantly improved its field operations by implementing offline capabilities. Technicians can now conduct inspections, record findings, and complete digital checklists directly on their mobile devices on-site, even without internet access. Once back in an area with connectivity, all data automatically syncs to the central system, updating records and informing supervisors of completed work.

鈥淲ith 麻豆原创 Field Service Management, there is the app that can be connected to all applications,” Kurmies added. “We achieved the broadest coverage of our use cases for the first time, with many already covered by the standard product.鈥�

As the company continues to grow, the German Association of Gas and Water Compartments regulations are a central component, implemented to guarantee the technical security of the installations and the security of supply.

With 麻豆原创 Field Service Management, the company can now operate offline remotely without internet coverage and maintain the patching and checklist functions. This is especially important for technicians in remote areas lacking internet connectivity. Technicians must adhere to strict safety protocols and document every step. Offline checklists and patching functions ensure that no steps are missed, even in remote locations.

鈥淭his was the big challenge that we are also becoming more and more digital,” Kurmies further explained. “You also want to provide digital protocol templates and we simply reached our limits.鈥�

Convista played a crucial role in guiding the company through the 麻豆原创 implementation process, acting as the interface between 麻豆原创 and the company while adjusting 麻豆原创 Field Service Management to meet ONTRAS鈥� specific needs.

Heiko Winkler, IT manager at ONTRAS, highlighted the reliability and commitment of Convista as an implementation partner: “Convista is an exceptionally reliable and committed partner. Even in the second phase of the project, which was initially considered high-risk, their expertise and dedication ensured a successful implementation.”

Winkler noted the significant creativity applied to advising on the implementation, especially considering the initial uncertainty about its feasibility.聽Additionally, the company collaborated with for the technical implementation of the 麻豆原创 Field Service Management, connector for 麻豆原创 ERP, and made several adjustments to the setup and error messages. The entire implementation took approximately a year and a half.

The company currently uses 麻豆原创 ERP Central Component and is transitioning to , having already implemented 麻豆原创 Field Service Management. Winkler noted that they strategically rely on cloud products: 鈥淥ur philosophy is not cloud only, but cloud first.鈥�

ONTRAS aims to advance further with smart forms and continue to expand its 麻豆原创 S/4HANA implementation in the near future.

.

In addition to groceries and food, the group sells electronics services and has around 400,000 customers, along with 80,000 business clients and more than 1,800 suppliers, according to Vital CIO and CTO Alexander Gonzalez.

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Gonzalez is part of a new executive committee that is leading with the purpose of seeking to expand company reach, improve efficiency, and strengthen its market position.

鈥淚t all started in 2018, when we decided to have an analytics system and a clean core 麻豆原创 system to make all the data available to all the different parts of the company so they can make real-time decisions on purchasing and pricing for our customers,鈥� he said.

Gonzalez explained that this is particularly important in a nation like Argentina because prices are extremely volatile. 鈥淚t’s important for us to have that information readily available because Argentina is a highly inflationary country, where prices change really quickly,鈥� he said. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic Vital sometimes had to change 20,000 product prices in less than a day, 鈥渟o we have to do all of that analysis really fast.鈥�

Vital was a long-time 麻豆原创 customer, but when it came to choosing a digital transformation technology partner, the company did its due diligence.

“One of the main reasons we chose 麻豆原创 [S/4HANA] is we were used to using 麻豆原创,鈥� says Gonzalez. 鈥淏ut we did do our homework. We analyzed our business and processes for a year, then we took six months to talk with a lot of suppliers, 麻豆原创 included, and another three.鈥�

Ultimately, he said Vital decided on 麻豆原创 S/4HANA because it offered the potential to integrate a customer activity repository with its basic financial and core systems.

It took Vital 18 months to implement, but Gonzalez said the system 鈥渋ntegrated with our providers on the first day and we had all this real-time data within a week of going live. So that was great for us.鈥�

As a result, analytics that used to take three to four days can now be done in two hours and Vital can have a new pricing structure implemented in less three hours. Instead of employees wrangling Excel spreadsheets, Gonzalez said decisions are now based on real-time data and 鈥渁re not influenced by what a person wants, but by what the data is telling them to do.鈥�

Because all the company鈥檚 data — including customer data and POS data — are stored in a centralized customer activity repository, Vital now has complete visibility into that data and can use algorithms to predict sales and set prices and distribution priorities. 鈥淲e can change our pricing policy based on reception of goods and new purchase orders and adopt new pricing in real time,鈥� said Gonzalez.

Over the last year, he says, Vital saved around $35 million on perishables after the system warned managers that they would not be able to sell products on time. 鈥淲e negotiated with our suppliers; we made offers and made predictions of how it would work out and it turned into a real savings — that鈥檚 what technology is doing for our company.鈥�

Just as importantly, Gonzalez said Vital now works with one version of the truth. 鈥淚n all of the applications every user sees the same data, be it clustered by store or by department. The result is the same for everyone. There’s no difference in what the financial department sees, what operations see, what our buying department sees, or what our pricing department sees. All the data is clustered in one huge data center.鈥�

鈥淭he technology has really advanced how our users in the company experience data and decision making,鈥� Gonzalez added. Instead of spending time pouring over spreadsheets and reports, much of the analytical work is now done by the system, enabling users to make decisions in real time, for example, while they are negotiating with a supplier.

Now Vital is in the process of migrating all its applications, including its ERP, to the cloud. 鈥淎ll our applications are cloud-ready, and we maintain a clean core, so we can upgrade really fast,鈥� said Gonzalez, who expects to be ready to make that the move by the end of the year. 聽

The Vital CIO and CTO is also looking to AI to help the company鈥檚 employees make even better purchase and pricing decisions. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 see AI as replacing our personnel or people in the industry,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e see it at enhancement, we see it as turbocharging our system and making the data more reliable and useful.鈥�

Gonzalez believes that other companies can learn from Vital鈥檚 experience democratizing access to data.

鈥淎 lot of companies regard their data as really private and don’t share it with everyone in the company,鈥� he noted. 鈥淲e are open with the data. We tell everyone– from our people in the stores to our managers and our directors — that they have all the same data. This has really opened us up to be a really integrated and group-friendly company.鈥�

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When Bain & Company chose 麻豆原创 S/4HANA as its new ERP system, it took a page out of its own playbook to guide its implementation journey.

鈥淲e executed this change management successfully by leveraging our own playbook on ourselves,鈥� , Global Chief Technology/Information Officer, Bain & Company, told 麻豆原创. 鈥淛ust as we have done [with clients] multiple times across the globe, in partnership with 麻豆原创.鈥�

The 鈥減laybook鈥� is Bain鈥檚 methodical guide to modernizing an organization鈥檚 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. And it played a vital role in Bain鈥檚 own ERP journey.

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, Bain explained the process behind the implementation: 鈥淛ust as we advise our clients, we began with an airtight case for change, [leveraging] the migration as not just a check-the-box IT exercise but an opportunity to simplify our operations and ultimately transform our business.鈥� Bain accelerated its cloud transition with a project plan that combined implementation best practices from 麻豆原创 with Bain’s own change management and process redesign best practices.

The company鈥檚 airtight case, jointly developed by its IT and finance teams, was its need to simplify operations while rapidly growing worldwide.

Growing globally and customizing cumbersomely

Bain enjoyed significant growth over the last two decades, expanding into 65 offices across 40 countries and growing its workforce by nearly a factor of five to more than 18,000 employees, while also scaling further via about two dozen acquisitions. To keep pace with all that growth, it continually customized its homegrown ERP platform.

But that led to silos across offices and org charts, Razdan said. There were also problems scaling and integrating acquisitions, some of which ran on different platforms than Bain.

鈥淲e wanted to set up a platform that solves problems of today and sets us up for the future,鈥� Razdan said. 鈥淭hat was the business case.鈥�

After months of searching, Bain chose 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition for its standardized processes, industry best practices, and continual innovation, Razdan said.

鈥溌槎乖� S/4HANA was the best fit for Bain,鈥� Stephen Mackey, Bain鈥檚 EVP of Global Finance, said. 鈥淚t future-proofed our technology stack, enabled us to get the data that we needed to make business decisions, and also positioned us to be able to grow.鈥�

The aim was standardized core processes — kept clean with zero customizations, thanks in part to apps capable of add-ons and upgrades as needed. The next step would be driving adoption to assure successful change management.

How Bain managed change, Bain鈥檚 way

Bain鈥檚 ERP transformation playbook is full of hard-won lessons from the company鈥檚 own experience and research, according to Razdan. These include what Bain consultants have learned both from successful and more challenging implementations.

From the start, Bain was crystal clear about its case for change, according to Razdan. The company prioritized change management, which meant IT partnering with finance; it also meant cultivating a mindset conducive to change.

鈥淲e owned the change; we identified a group of high performers within our finance and our IT teams. This community of super-users could readily identify and deal with any of the problems that typically arise in an implementation of this size and scale,鈥� Mackey said. 鈥淭his was less just changing their technology; it鈥檚 changing employee behaviors and setting us up for how we want to grow and change processes going forward.鈥�

Bain also wanted to stick with industry best practices via 麻豆原创 standards. And keeping customizations off the platform, unlike Bain鈥檚 previous ERP environment, 鈥渨ould make life easier,鈥� Mackey said.

鈥淎dopting a clean core with minimal customizations means that we can absorb any changes that occur in the platform,鈥� Mackey said. 鈥淚t also gives us the ability to integrate our future acquisitions in a way that鈥檚 effective for Bain.鈥�

Why metrics and transparency were crucial

鈥淲e actually set up a program to be always measuring the value,鈥� Razdan said. 鈥淵ou have internal stakeholders, you have external stakeholders, you have partnerships; we kind of built an ecosystem of governance and partnership that enabled us to keep everybody on the same page because transparency and communication is critical to success.鈥�

Gauging progress via transparent key performance indicators was all the more impressive, given that most of this happened during the worldwide, pandemic-driven move to remote work.

鈥淲e could assess the implementation, as we went through it, to keep us on track [and] course correct,鈥� Mackey said. 鈥淭his enabled us to do the implementation from end-to-end in under three years, which was an incredible achievement.鈥�

A big-bang implementation also helped, according to Razdan. Bain thoroughly examined its business, as well as the complications of running multiple systems in parallel.

鈥淚t was a bold decision and, looking back, I鈥檓 really proud of it, particularly about the people and the partnership,鈥� Razdan said. 鈥淲e would not have done it any other way.鈥�

鈥淛ust the beginning鈥�

Since going live in July 2023, Bain runs all core financials around the world on the 麻豆原创 platform. Real-time data enable better, faster decision making, while automated core processes have reduced manual work, which helps Bain execute seamless updates as well as onboard acquisitions more efficiently.

鈥淲e have set up a great foundation with 麻豆原创 in terms of how we apply our own playbook,鈥� Razdan said. 鈥淚 think this just the beginning for our partnership; I鈥檓 really excited for the next phase.鈥�

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Valvoline Global created a single point of entry, where internal and external stakeholders can meet their business requirements.

The company is also turning to AI tools in its efforts, identifying early adopters within its ranks and giving them the tools they need to map the path forward.

Read the article .

鈥淚t鈥檚 no longer just good enough to sell products; you have to sell products with IT services,鈥� Valvoline Global director of Enterprise Architecture David Beach said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e now creating a standardized framework of how to do that.鈥�

Valvoline Global chose a 鈥渂ack to standard,鈥� known as a greenfield, approach — removing custom codes and add-ons — for agility, Beach said. Instead of reacting to a business demand, which often requires lengthy development times that result in cumbersome point-to-point integrations, an experience layer can now connect vendors, customers, suppliers, distributors, and internal users within Valvoline Global鈥檚 environment.

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鈥淲e鈥檙e really trying to flip the equation to stay standard and also be able to offer those services,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have to anticipate in advance to have standardized ways that we can connect or communicate with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA.鈥�

That meant modernizing a bespoke environment without losing functionality.

Standard bearer

鈥淥ur main objective to going to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA was to return to greenfield,鈥� Beach explained. 鈥淎nd we needed a tool set to manage that. This is where came in.鈥�

麻豆原创 Signavio software provides a vendor-agnostic approach, according to Beach. This enables Valvoline Global to manage business processes across all its enterprise systems, whether they鈥檙e 麻豆原创 or not.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the big thing with [麻豆原创] Signavio,鈥� Beach said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to allow us to consolidate all the data — from 麻豆原创 systems, from Salesforce systems, from manufacturing systems, EH&S systems — all coming together into a single business process and a single business process repository.鈥�

And individual business units no longer try solving problems only with solutions available within silos, according to Beach. Now the company aligns each business process with the appropriate technology, and within standards.

鈥淲e wanted to make sure we hit the 90 percent mark on matches of our business processes to standard 麻豆原创,鈥� Beach said. 鈥淸麻豆原创] Signavio was a key piece to be able to govern that process.鈥�

But what about the other 10 percent? And how do you get buy-in from users?

Agility driving adoption

According to Beach, when there is a justification to deviate from a standard process, such as an upgrade that changes a business process, the company relies on 麻豆原创 Signavio Process Manager, a modeling platform for business process management.

鈥淎t the end of the day, the most important deliverable is that, even though we might have custom processes, we have a tie-in back to the 麻豆原创 best practice,鈥� Beach said. And Valvoline Global鈥檚 newfound agility also helped drive adoption. 鈥淭here was synergy to return to standard. It was very important from an organizational perspective.鈥�

Agility was also a 鈥淣o. 1 business case鈥� for Valvoline Global鈥檚 return to standard, according to Beach. And he expects that to serve the company well as it continues to embrace artificial intelligence (AI): 鈥溌槎乖� is coming up with AI strategies, but that鈥檚 going to change more and more as time goes on. You need to be able to adopt rapidly.鈥�

Charting AI鈥檚 path forward

鈥淲e realize that to adopt AI, we have a good handle on data,鈥� Beach said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e identified the innovators in the company and we have enabled them as sort of like the pilot.鈥�

That means Valvoline Global鈥檚 early adopters get full access to its AI tools. And, to ensure this remains a business-led effort, these trusted users report back about how they鈥檙e adopting AI, helping Valvoline Global chart its path forward.

鈥淚t all comes down to the data… not just from 麻豆原创 systems; it鈥檚 coming from all the systems across our business,鈥� Beach said. 鈥淸麻豆原创] Signavio is going to be that conduit as the feeder to AI solutions in the future.鈥�

And, in addition to methodically managing business processes with 麻豆原创 Signavio, Valvoline Global鈥檚 麻豆原创 S/4HANA journey includes , which help map the company鈥檚 digital transformation.

鈥淸麻豆原创] LeanIX has all the business capabilities, down to the system architectures, so that is a big piece,鈥� Beach said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just preparing for the future. There鈥檚 an aggressive growth strategy, so we have to prepare for things like M&As. And with toolsets like Lean IX in place, we鈥檒l be able to accomplish that.”

Have your processes in place

鈥淲here I see the biggest value with AI,鈥� Beach said, 鈥淸is if] a customer comes in and has a requirement, AI eventually can take that customer requirement, and it will write the integrations itself.鈥�

That鈥檚 only possible with a predefined standardized framework. And, in a low-code, no-code environment, it can also lead to greater ROI and faster development times — down from months to about a week.

鈥淭he big recommendation is to use tools like [麻豆原创] Signavio and [麻豆原创] LeanIX as vehicles to accomplish your business requirement,鈥� Beach said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to be able to influence change, but have systematic processes in place.鈥�

鈥淲e are now looking forward to further optimizing and refining our processes,鈥� said Tobias Ralsg氓rd, head of finance digital transformation at Ericsson, one of the world鈥檚 leading providers of information and communication technology, with operations in over 180 countries and more than 94,000 employees. 鈥淭he goal is to establish a more standardized, AI-driven and automated financial environment. This includes utilizing real-time data analysis and AI-driven insights directly within 麻豆原创 software. Another key area of interest is automated compliance and fraud detection, where AI will help identify suspicious transactions and flag potential regulatory violations,鈥� he added.

Ericsson completed its transition to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA in 54 hours, setting a new industry benchmark for executing large-scale and complex system projects. With multiple solutions implemented, Ericsson and 麻豆原创鈥檚 partnership spans technical innovation projects and direct system support across key business areas such as finance, supply chain, HR, procurement and more.

With 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, the company gained access to the latest business support tools and continuous system updates and improvements and has now launched its next project to fully leverage the software鈥檚 standard functionalities, initially focusing on finance. This initiative is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.

Instead of a full-scale rebuild, Ericsson opted for a phased approach. Tapping into downtime optimized conversion methodology from 麻豆原创 that significantly reduces the time required to migrate and convert data to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, Ericsson used 麻豆原创鈥檚 standard tools to sequentially execute the transition instead of setting up a parallel environment.

麻豆原创 S/4HANA helps Ericsson continuously evaluate and implement new technologies instead of being constrained by a custom-built system, freeing the company to further optimize its processes, analyze its operations in real time and maintain a competitive edge.

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This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of 麻豆原创鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
漏 2025 麻豆原创 SE. All rights reserved.
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As the world鈥檚 No.1 fireworks provider, French pyrotechnics company Etienne Lacroix ships fireworks globally and has supported events such as the Burj Khalifa Grand Opening Fireworks Show in Dubai and Bastille Day, France鈥檚 national holiday that is celebrated on July 14 each year.

Logistics play a major role for the global player in the pyrotechnics sector, as shipping hazardous materials such as fireworks requires special precautions, especially when crossing international borders. Labels typically include warning pictograms and complex regulatory information in various formats. Recipients such as customs officers must be able to tell at a glance what sort of goods are inside, what the required shipping conditions are, and who is authorized to open the freight.

鈥淥n top of that, customers have their own specific requirements,鈥� , director of Information Systems at Etienne Lacroix explains. 鈥淎lso, there are different color codes in place for hazmat, depending on the country of destination. Red may mean danger in European countries, but in China, for example, it stands for celebration. Green has a different meaning in the Middle East that it does in the U.S., and so on.鈥�

With so many different regulations in place around the globe, labeling the shipments at the end of the production line is not only time-consuming, but also leaves a lot of potential for human error. Now, with support from 麻豆原创 partner STMS and 麻豆原创, the prototype for a generative AI solution was introduced that has the potential to reduce human involvement to a minimum.

Business AI Co-Innovation Project with 麻豆原创 partner STMS

In early 2024, , general manager at STMS SOLUTIONS, a longtime partner of both 麻豆原创 and Etienne Lacroix, participated in a event where 麻豆原创 partners leveraged 麻豆原创 technology to address pain points of their customers. The idea for a generative AI use case came up, and STMS approached its customer Etienne Lacroix.

At that time, IT and business experts at Etienne Lacroix were very interested in how generative AI could assist them in making their processes easier. 

鈥淏ut I have to admit, I was also a little skeptical,鈥� Marini says. 鈥淓verybody is currently talking about AI, about how to introduce it to the industry and the huge benefits we will reap from leveraging it. But suggestions are scarce when it comes to implementing it in a way that guarantees the company will benefit from it.鈥�

鈥淭ogether, we looked at the pain points of the company and discussed possible use cases with 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab,鈥� Faure says. 鈥淲e received the requirement from the business that AI should help avoid human tasks that are error-prone and don鈥檛 actually add value.鈥�

Supply Chain Use Case with Generative AI

The team quickly identified that the administrative process of creating labels for shipping was a task currently performed by human employees that required a huge amount of time and focus. The huge potential for the usage of generative AI was evident. 

鈥淲ith guidance from experts from the 麻豆原创 partner organization, we were able to build a specific 麻豆原创 app on and 麻豆原创 S/4HANA to organize and use AI,鈥� Faure says. 鈥淲e then collected feedback from the business experts at Etienne Lacroix and, in the next step, brought in the generative aspect.鈥�

To meet the regulations from the customer, the developers from STMS aggregated all the necessary data and created a model on 麻豆原创 HANA Cloud vector engine.

Thanks to 麻豆原创 HANA Cloud vector engine, which was newly introduced in 2024, 麻豆原创 Business AI can allow customers and partners to leverage large language models (LLMs) in a much more accurate way on multi-model database 麻豆原创 HANA Cloud. In case of the generative AI use case for Etienne Lacroix, the LLM was ChatGPT 3.5 Turbo.

鈥淭echnically, this prototype leverages everything 麻豆原创 has to offer in terms of AI right now,鈥� Faure says. 鈥淭he app uses 麻豆原创鈥檚 generative AI hub and 麻豆原创 HANA Cloud vector engine to draw on all the necessary information and generate the label.鈥�

The remaining human task is to validate whether everything on the label is correct. 鈥淭hat was the most important requirement,鈥� Marini says. 鈥淗uman intervention must be guaranteed, as with all AI use cases.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 the generative aspect that makes all the difference,鈥� Miliau Pape from 麻豆原创 Co-Innovation Lab says. The LLM suggests what should go on the specific label鈥攕uch as warning pictograms鈥攂ased on legal regulations, historical customer requirements, cultural standards, and so on. The Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) provides the LLM with context and makes the outcome relevant and reliable. 鈥淪imply put, when the AI is trying to be as creative as possible, the RAG provides guardrails, so it doesn鈥檛 potentially go wild and come up with nonsense,鈥� Pape says.

For each shipment, a prompt draws on destination, shipping route, specific customer data, such as the storage and language this customer required the last time, or the colors or signs used to indicate that the shipment contains hazardous materials and can only be opened by experts with a certain certification.

鈥淢y first thought when I saw this, was鈥攕imply put鈥攚ow,鈥� Marini says. 鈥淲ow, they actually did it. Wow, this will make our lives easier. This generative AI use case, at this point, may still be only a prototype, but it鈥檚 an applicable idea, an actual use case for an actual pain point in our company.鈥�

鈥淭o show the world of possible, push the boundaries of the technology鈥攖hat is the purpose of the exercise,鈥� Pape says.

Etienne Lacroix Group is in the process of migrating to . With the components of the app ready on 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform, go-live is planned for 2025.

鈥淥ur ERP was aging and no longer very popular with business users,鈥� Marini says. 鈥淢igration to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA gives us access to the newest technologies such as generative AI. This motivates users to take ownership of their IT solutions again and brings our business and IT together. All in all, it allows our company to fully exploit the potential of our 麻豆原创 system.鈥�

He adds: 鈥淭he generative AI solution for labeling shipments is a tangible proof of the power of AI, a real use case, and we have it in our company. It is a very decisive first step in our AI journey.鈥�

All this hard work and ingenuity has turned Schaeffler into a reliable partner in making motion more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable across the entire life cycle.

According to Christof Heurung, head of Strategic Digitalization at Schaeffler: 鈥淲e see sustainability and digitalization as key topics for our future success. By combining the right digital technologies, such as AI innovations, with our pioneering spirit, we can take sustainability to the next level and create an even more sustainable future for Schaeffler, as well as for our customers and suppliers.鈥�

Partnering for Greener Supply Chain Digitalization

Shipping diverse offerings to customers worldwide requires a wide array of containers 鈥� all of which must be managed efficiently and transparently across internal operations, suppliers, and customers. However, to be successful, this approach demands the integration of numerous business systems and applications to access and exchange information securely, streamline processes strategically, and react to new challenges and opportunities with precision.

Unfortunately, most companies fall short of achieving this advantage. Shipping containers are often managed with a fragmented application landscape. This setup challenges the ability to respond quickly to packaging trends and new business requirements. It also limits the transparency needed to reconcile customers鈥� returnable-packaging accounts accurately and outsource delivery services to the right shared-service center. Suppliers using the same containers operate on a separate third-party system, leading to disjointed operations.

鈥淎fter using 麻豆原创 solutions for around 40 years now, during the past five years, we have established a strategic partnership with 麻豆原创 to develop and introduce new IT application systems while forging ahead in our desire to run a more sustainable operation,鈥� says Gerhard Stoessel, IT program lead for 麻豆原创 S/4HANA at the Schaeffler Group. 鈥淪uch a relationship is allowing Schaeffler and 麻豆原创 to identify unmet industry needs and launch numerous innovations.鈥�

Introducing Industry-Wide Circular Logistic Flows

One of those innovations is the solution. The industry-specific solution supports circular logistic flows for returnable and reusable packaging material such as containers, boxes, and pallets 鈥� from supplier and customer deliveries to intra-company movements and the journey back to the company.

When Schaeffler first used 麻豆原创 Returnable Packaging Management, it covered only 30% of container management requirements. Sven Proschek, product owner of 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud for logistics at Schaeffler, notes that the company鈥檚 close collaboration with 麻豆原创 was key to turning this trend around: 鈥淥ur partnership with 麻豆原创 enabled us to enrich the solution with the industry-relevant capabilities that companies like ours need, as well as near-seamless, end-to-end integration of the container management cycle.鈥�

Schaeffler is currently rolling out the solution across over 80 manufacturing plants in its worldwide ecosystem. This approach is streamlining the supply chain into a more efficient and robust network, resulting in fewer delivery failures and deeper transparency in the company鈥檚 packaging material inventory. The overall workload is decreasing even though the company ships products to more customers 鈥� thanks to AI capabilities such as container reconciliation automation and self-services for reordering packaging materials and checking inventory.

鈥淲e can now react quickly to new trends, support an end-to-end collaborative solution for suppliers and customers, and save time and costs through automation,鈥� Proschek reports. 鈥淓fficient container management also helps us avoid delivery failures due to shortages.鈥�

Making Sustainability More Cost-Efficient

Schaeffler is also exploring new AI-enabled capabilities for 麻豆原创 Returnable Packaging Management that can help the business, as well as its peers, further bridge the gap between sustainability and cost efficiency.

One idea that is gaining traction is machine learning-powered returnable packaging account matching. It aims to reduce the manual effort needed to analyze unmatched items and determine whether the underlying issue is a logistical exception or a discrepancy in matching attributes between incoming statements and open line items.

With this capability, Schaeffler can perform returnable account matching with the help of machine learning models and automate the matching process by activating line-item matching. Doing so streamlines the reconciliation process and enhances efficiency, empowering packaging planners to focus on strategic tasks. Additionally, it minimizes errors and increases the accuracy of the returnable packaging material inventory across the supply chain.

Expanding the Possibilities with a Future-Minded Vision

Schaeffler’s commitment to innovation and sustainability is evident in its adoption of AI-powered solutions for sustainable packaging and supply chain management. By using technologies such as the line-item matching functionality available in 麻豆原创 Returnable Packaging Management, Schaeffler is not only streamlining its operations but also reducing costs, minimizing errors, and increasing efficiency.

As Schaeffler continues to lead the way in sustainable packaging practices, it sets a compelling example for the industry, showcasing the transformative potential of cloud innovations and AI in driving sustainable business practices.

Korbinian Koblitz is Business Development lead at 麻豆原创.

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鈥淓verybody wants to have a [better] look at their processes,鈥� said Kaiser Group Chief Digital Officer Andreas Vehreschild. 鈥淲e use 麻豆原创 Signavio for identifying all of our processes — we use it like a flashlight.鈥�

Having all the facts and figures at their fingertips enables Kaiser leaders to make fact-based decisions, while full visibility into all of its processes will also help with preparation for a smooth migration to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA. Learn more

Founded in 1926 and with headquarters in southern Germany, STIHL has been the world’s top-selling chain saw brand since 1971. With a workforce of almost 20,000 employees, the family-owned business generated 5.3 billion euros in revenue in 2023.

Siloed Supply Chain Planning Insufficient for Informed Decision-Making

In the past, STIHL鈥檚 subsidiaries and production companies relied on their own 麻豆原创 ERP Central Component (麻豆原创 ECC) systems, deployed on premise, with a heterogenous landscape for supply chain planning processes across 35 sales and eight production companies that were tailored to the needs of each subsidiary.

鈥淲e lacked an end-to-end, consolidated view and overall transparency to improve decision-making for the company as a whole and not only for one subsidiary,鈥� said Lena Domhan, global process owner for Integrated Planning at STIHL. 鈥淧reviously, we spent a lot of time analyzing and verifying data and had no single source of truth. In addition, disconnected planning systems hindered collaboration and coordination between subsidiaries.鈥�

Market Trends Drive Change

With the introduction of new product lines with integrated batteries, STIHL found itself in a new business, selling to end customers also. 鈥淭his VUCA world required us to react even faster to volatility and changing demand,鈥� explained Axel Erhard, senior vice president, global ONE STIHL program lead. 鈥淭o optimize planning, we needed a better overview of the different production and sales companies.鈥�

The company established the ONE STIHL program with the goal to consolidate all subsystems across all sales and production companies into one integrated 麻豆原创 S/4HANA system. Moreover, STIHL aims to bring several solutions into one hybrid ecosystem, such as the solution (麻豆原创 IBP) with the applications for sales and operations and response and supply, the , and 麻豆原创 Transportation Management. 鈥淥ne goal of the ONE STIHL project is to reduce fixed capital and get more transparency on different management levels. 麻豆原创 IBP with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling play crucial roles in this process, serving as the starting point for planning,” Erhard said.

Synchronized Planning Approach for Distribution Center Refills

鈥淲e were one of the first customers to introduce 麻豆原创 IBP in combination with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling and 麻豆原创 Transportation Management,鈥� explained Fabio Fender, interim global process owner for Integrated Planning at STIHL. 鈥淲ith real-time integration, our planners can quickly react. For example, when tackling issues on the planning or production side, they immediately see the impact on the distribution side and vice versa. That provides confidence and trust.鈥�

Georg Fuchs, director of Integrated Planning and global solution architect, ONE STIHL project, added: 鈥淥rder-based planning and real-time integration are the heartbeat of our production. For instance, in Austria, finished goods are produced and then shipped to distribution centers in Germany or the Czech Republic. The order-based planning process in 麻豆原创 IBP is used to allocate, prioritize, and schedule the delivery of these goods. We are decoupling this from our production plan in 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling.鈥�

With this synchronized planning approach, STIHL consolidates supply planning, distribution planning, and production planning into one seamless process, enabling a holistic workspace for planners. Detailed scheduling results from 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling are visible in 麻豆原创 IBP in real time, helping to ensure maximum transparency. In addition, the integration of 麻豆原创 Transportation Management allows for the creation of freight orders to ship STIHL鈥檚 finished products. 鈥淪TIHL鈥檚 vertically integrated supply chain gives us the potential for end-to-end control,鈥� Erhard said.

Higher Transparency Enables Accurate Planning

麻豆原创 IBP is live at two production sites in Austria and Switzerland and is used by several planners and others utilizing its reporting capabilities. 鈥淭he integration with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling and 麻豆原创 Transportation Management was the most effective solution to meet our business needs,鈥� Fuchs said.

STIHL already recognizes and anticipates a range of immediate and long-term benefits, including:

• Better visibility across subsidiaries, enabling accurate and feasible plans that can adapt to production constraints
• Increased efficiency with sales and production teams using the same system with one source of truth for all relevant data
• End-to end transparency for global planning processes with optimized planning for the network 
• Time savings for planners who see real-time impact of changes and can instantly make better-informed decisions
• Creation of feasible production plans to meet customer demand
• Real-time integration with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling ensures planners and production teams are using the same data for decision-making
• Logistics planners can efficiently plan truck load orders and promptly fulfill logistics requirements
• Improved customer service while reducing inventory costs through network planning
• Enhanced decision-making between quantity and revenue planning provides a crucial element to business processes and reporting

Future Plans and Leveraging AI

鈥淲e have four to five rollouts ahead of us on our journey. Over the next few years, we will integrate about 43 global subsidiaries into one network planning solution,鈥� Domhan said.

In relation to the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI), Erhard said, 鈥淪TIHL will invest in AI in the future. That is a clear focus of our owners.鈥�

鈥淲e are starting to explore potential opportunities to determine what would benefit us. However, regarding 麻豆原创 IBP, we are already fit for the future,鈥� Fender concluded.

Karin Fent is senior director of global Customer Success Digital Supply Chain at 麻豆原创.
Top photo courtesy of STIHL

The new CDO had two specific goals: first, to standardize processes across all subsidiaries and create a template for any newly acquired business to follow, and second, to upgrade Kaiser鈥檚 outdated legacy system to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA.

He embraced the challenge, recognizing that comprehending the business processes was an essential first step for long-term success. He also was aware that this challenging task could only be accomplished with a strong partner, engaged contributors, and a powerful IT tool. This is where digital consultancy and 麻豆原创 partner and the business process transformation portfolio came into play.

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Long-Term Success with End-to-End Processes

Significant change management was required as colleagues needed to transition from instinctive decision-making to a data-driven approach. 鈥淭his was not merely an IT project, but also a business one,鈥� Vehreschild said. 鈥淚t was imperative to engage the various stakeholders right from the outset and eliminate any obstacles to change.鈥� He said it was important to look at the end-to-end processes and not just focus on one department or process, because 鈥渆very process impacts other departments and their processes as well.鈥� The backing of management was also crucial for the long-term success of the project, he emphasized.

To bring all stakeholders and their needs under one roof and gain a common understanding of the transformation project, Vehreschild hosted a series of workshops. 鈥淪ome of the long-serving employees from different subsidiaries had never met before, and now they discussed their process challenges. Intercultural interaction was very important,鈥� he said.

The transformation team, supported by Valantic experts and their wealth of knowledge and experience, opted for a decentralized approach. They started with the company鈥檚 Swiss subsidiary, subsequently expanding to other locations. They had three main topics on their agenda: 麻豆原创 best practices, performance of the processes, and immediate impact through quick fixes.

Transparency Across All Systems and Processes

Frank Franzlik, head of Process and Project Engineering, Valantic ERP Consulting, described how the business process transformation project started: 鈥淥ut of the full 麻豆原创 Signavio portfolio, we first used 麻豆原创 Signavio Process Manager. The solution helps to document, model, and simulate business processes. The scope for this involved the four core processes of Kaiser: order to cash, purchase to pay, demand to supply, and record to report. Second, we implemented 麻豆原创 Signavio Process Insights, which identifies, analyzes, prioritizes, and monitors a customer’s most critical business processes and alerts them when an issue arises.鈥�

Vehreschild expressed great satisfaction with the results of these preliminary measures: “For the first time, we achieved transparency across all our systems and processes, each associated with specific numerical values.” It only took the project team about one week to implement the whole system.

In the workshops, the team introduced the concept of best practices and process management with 麻豆原创 Signavio solutions to their colleagues in all locations and showed them the performance of their current processes with concrete examples like throughput time or cash discount. 鈥淭hey were able to link the process and performance then, understanding which lever to adjust to enhance efficiency,鈥� Vehreschild said.

Immediate Impact Leads to Acceptance

The business partners saw immediate impact. 鈥淲e were able to offer quick solutions to problems in the processes that had developed over a long period of time,鈥� Vehreschild said. 鈥淥verall, everyone involved was very satisfied with the new approach.鈥�

鈥淣ow, the advantage is that anytime there’s a process discussion within our production or sales department, everyone says 鈥楲et鈥檚 solve it with 麻豆原创 Signavio!鈥欌�� he said, noting that his colleagues now understand the portfolio’s functionality, know its potential, and realize they can use it as a flashlight to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Talking about lessons learned, the CDO said: 鈥淣ever underestimate the power of a community! It encompasses uniting varied departments and cultures, promoting dialogue, and providing opportunities for interaction.鈥� He also said that working with a strong partner like Valantic was crucial for the success of the project.

Franzlik of Valantic gave an outlook on the further joint path of the partners: 鈥淭hanks to the insights gathered from 12 distinct workshops, we are now positioned to establish a road map for successful 麻豆原创 S/4HANA implementation,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e aim for a decisive road map, our so-called 鈥楪PS,鈥� to assist Kaiser on its digitization journey.鈥�

IT executives should focus on three strategic considerations: choosing between the GROW with 麻豆原创 and RISE with 麻豆原创 offerings, exploring possible migration paths, and making necessary IT infrastructure adjustments.

Implementation Approach

and differ significantly in terms of methodology, target audience, and objectives.

GROW with 麻豆原创 is ideal for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that want to move to a modern cloud ERP system quickly and cost-effectively. With preconfigured solutions and standardized processes, companies can easily take advantage of the benefits of the cloud with minimal effort and in a short timeframe. They can choose from several scenarios based on industry best practices.

RISE with 麻豆原创, on the other hand, is designed for large enterprises and corporations seeking a comprehensive transformation. The offering goes well beyond ERP functionality to help provide comprehensive management and optimization services as well as migration support. This robust support can enable companies to migrate their entire IT landscape to the cloud while developing new digital business models.

Transformation Paths

A key aspect of migrating to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA is the variety of transformation paths available to companies. These paths can offer the flexibility needed to tailor the migration to specific requirements and the existing system landscape.

• System conversion (brownfield approach): This approach enables the migration of an existing 麻豆原创 ERP system to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA. It is particularly suitable for companies that want to retain their existing business processes. A key advantage is that the existing database and configuration are retained, which significantly reduces the transition time.
• New implementation (greenfield approach): This method involves starting from scratch and allows organizations to redefine their business processes without being constrained by existing limitations. It provides the opportunity to implement the latest best practices. However, the planning and preparation phases typically take a relatively long time.
• Selective data transition (hybrid approach): This approach combines elements of the two methods described above. It is best suited for organizations that want to preserve certain historical data and processes while phasing in new functionality.

Infrastructure: Adapt or Transform?

Migrating to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA requires adapting the IT infrastructure to take full advantage of the platform鈥檚 capabilities.

• Cloud migration: Many companies choose to migrate to the cloud to improve scalability and flexibility. The choice of public or private cloud depends on an organization鈥檚 specific requirements and security strategy.
• Integration and data management: Migrating to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA requires a thorough review and optimization of integration scenarios and data management strategies. 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP) can provide many tools to help support and enhance these processes.
• Security and compliance needs: Moving to the cloud brings new security and compliance challenges. Careful planning and implementation are essential to protect sensitive data and meet regulatory requirements.

By aligning these three key components 鈥� implementation approach, migration path, and infrastructure 鈥� organizations can achieve a successful 麻豆原创 S/4HANA migration.

Guide to a Successful Transformation

The points above provide an initial overview of the challenges and decisions involved in migrating to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA. However, this only scratches the surface. For IT executives who want to go deeper, the new 鈥淢apping Your Journey to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA鈥� guide is a comprehensive resource. It provides detailed background information, real-world examples, and additional links that can be valuable to organizations planning to migrate to cloud ERP and those amid the process.

Thomas Bamberger is president of 麻豆原创 Customer Evolution.

鈥淥ur mission is to help the customer be fast-moving,鈥� Takuya Sakai, general manager of Hitachi High-Tech Corporation鈥檚 Digital Transformation Business Group, said in after appearing in an 麻豆原创 TechEd keynote last year. 鈥淎nd our corporate vision is a simplified customer process.鈥�

So, in the name of speed and simplicity, Hitachi High-Tech did more than just modify its solution architecture; the Tokyo-based subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. opted for a greenfield 麻豆原创 S/4HANA transformation. That meant designing and building a new environment customized for its specific needs.

And it did so via an ambitious digital experience program with the goal of helping to simplify its customers鈥� high-tech processes across nano-technology, analytical and medical, as well as other business categories.

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Jumping into the Greenfield

Hitachi High-Tech had run 麻豆原创 ERP as the backbone of its global business since the 1990s, enabling decades of smooth operation and implementation, as well as allowing regions to tailor development to their specific needs. But it also resulted in about 9,000 add-ons 鈥� coding added over the decades to enable bespoke functionality 鈥� from reports and input screens to complex manufacturing-related processes.

Add-ons can help users customize software for specific tasks. But, especially over time, they can become unwieldy, hindering the organization鈥檚 agility and adaptability.

鈥淎fter our digital experience project, we made the decision to jump into a greenfield so that we don鈥檛 transfer all that from our legacy system to our new 麻豆原创 S/4HANA platform,鈥� Sakai said. 鈥淲e changed processes, and we changed technologies.鈥�

Indeed, the jump into a greenfield 鈥� implementing a new system on a virtual blank canvas, without migrating pre-existing data, customizations, and more 鈥� helped Hitachi High-Tech slash its 9,000 legacy add-ons to a mere 800 add-ons, according to Sakai. And Hitachi High-Tech developed most of those new add-ons side-by-side via 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform (麻豆原创 BTP); not altering code helped minimize modifications, which safeguarded stability, agility, and speed.

And, Hitachi High-Tech stopped add-on development completely on 麻豆原创 S/4HANA, according to Sakai.

How Two Tiers Equal One Clean Core

In its greenfield, Hitachi High-Tech built a two-tier model: one tier featured 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition for the company鈥檚 small and midsize sales offices overseas, allowing them to use relatively simple ERP tools, while the other tier runs 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition for Hitachi High-Tech鈥檚 larger domestic manufacturing.

鈥淪ide-by-side development on 麻豆原创 BTP…allows for faster upgrades,鈥� , 鈥済iving our people more immediate access to improved functionality.鈥�

Moving operations from an increasingly customized 鈥� and, therefore, cumbersome 鈥� legacy system to 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud offered flexibility, speed, and security, . This can be useful when demand surges, for example, or for offering more frequent upgrades.

But the two tiers still need to exchange data. That鈥檚 where 麻豆原创 BTP fits.

鈥淲e have to integrate two ERPs, so that鈥檚 why we set up 麻豆原创 BTP between the two tiers,鈥� . 鈥淲e鈥檇 like to keep our 麻豆原创 S/4HANA core clean…so we use 麻豆原创 BTP as a business hub and a development foundation.鈥�

Building a Simple, Smart Digital Process

鈥淯sing 麻豆原创 BTP, we can build a simple, smart digital process without touching our 麻豆原创 S/4HANA core,鈥� Sakai said, echoing what he shared during his 麻豆原创 TechEd keynote appearance. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 very, very powerful because we can introduce new functions to the user…and we believe 麻豆原创 BTP is very important for accelerating our business.鈥�

Sakai appeared at 麻豆原创 TechEd to tell the story of Hitachi High-Tech鈥檚 greenfield transformation, during which employees had to adapt to new process, screens, and reporting. They ended up with every office digitally connected, which proved to be a tremendous benefit.

And that type of business case is 鈥渢he most important thing鈥� in a transformation, according to Sakai.

鈥溌槎乖� is not just a software company, but also something like transformation company,鈥� Sakai said. 鈥淥f course,鈥� he added with a smile, 鈥渢he system also is very important.鈥�