NEWS 58 - The World Management

03 December

STIHL Optimizes Sales and Production Planning Across Subsidiaries with SAP

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Grown from a one-man business into a global leader, STIHL Group develops, manufactures, and distributes power tools for professional forestry and agriculture, garden and landscape maintenance, the construction sector, and private garden owners. The product range is complemented by digital solutions and services. Products are distributed through authorized dealers and STIHL’s own online shops – which will be expanded internationally over the next few years – including 44 sales and marketing subsidiaries, about 120 importers, and more than 55,000 servicing dealers in over 160 countries.

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’s subsidiaries and production companies relied on their own SAP ERP Central Component (SAP 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.

“We 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,” said Lena Domhan, global process owner for Integrated Planning at STIHL. “Previously, 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.”

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. “This VUCA world required us to react even faster to volatility and changing demand,” explained Axel Erhard, senior vice president, global ONE STIHL program lead. “To optimize planning, we needed a better overview of the different production and sales companies.”

The company established the ONE STIHL program with the goal to consolidate all subsystems across all sales and production companies into one integrated SAP S/4HANA system. Moreover, STIHL aims to bring several solutions into one hybrid ecosystem, such as the SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain solution (SAP IBP) with the applications for sales and operations and response and supply, the SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing solution for planning and scheduling, and SAP Transportation Management. “One goal of the ONE STIHL project is to reduce fixed capital and get more transparency on different management levels. SAP IBP with SAP 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

“We were one of the first customers to introduce SAP IBP in combination with SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling and SAP Transportation Management,” explained Fabio Fender, interim global process owner for Integrated Planning at STIHL. “With 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.”

Georg Fuchs, director of Integrated Planning and global solution architect, ONE STIHL project, added: “Order-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 SAP IBP is used to allocate, prioritize, and schedule the delivery of these goods. We are decoupling this from our production plan in SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling.”

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 SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling are visible in SAP IBP in real time, helping to ensure maximum transparency. In addition, the integration of SAP Transportation Management allows for the creation of freight orders to ship STIHL’s finished products. “STIHL’s vertically integrated supply chain gives us the potential for end-to-end control,” Erhard said.

Higher Transparency Enables Accurate Planning

SAP IBP is live at two production sites in Austria and Switzerland and is used by several planners and others utilizing its reporting capabilities. “The integration with SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing for planning and scheduling and SAP Transportation Management was the most effective solution to meet our business needs,” 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 SAP 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

“We have four to five rollouts ahead of us on our journey. Over the next few years, we will integrate about 40 global subsidiaries into one network planning solution,” Domhan said.

In relation to the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI), Erhard said, “STIHL will invest in AI in the future. That is a clear focus of our owners.”

“We are starting to explore potential opportunities to determine what would benefit us. However, regarding SAP IBP, we are already fit for the future,” Fender concluded.

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

30 November

BUSINESS NEWS

More Women in Tech: Industry Fuels Trend to a New Innovation Culture

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Tech companies are evolving rapidly and creating a new culture of innovation. Will this open up new opportunities for women? On a mission to find out, a group of researchers set up the #100TechFrauen (100 Women in Tech) project and recently published their findings.

The “Making the Future Visible: 100 Innovative Women in Tech” project saw female scientists from the Institute for Research in Social Sciences (ISF) in Munich, Germany, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg study the tech industry to discover whether it is creating opportunities for women. The project’s researchers interviewed 100 trailblazing women who are driving a new culture of innovation and transformation at tech companies, but don’t necessarily have a background in STEM.

100 Women in Tech

The results of the study are in, and one thing is clear: women have a bright future in tech. This was also the message from the female trailblazers who were interviewed as part of the project.

“Our key finding is optimistic: the digital transformation is opening up new opportunities for women,” Kira Marrs from ISF Munich says. It is important here, she notes, to think about how digitalization and gender equality fit together. We need to consider how we can break with existing structures and look at what we can do to create even more possibilities, she says.

According to Christine Regitz, cofounder of the Business Women’s Network from SAP, head of SAP Women in Tech, and president of the German Informatics Society, the number of women in tech has stagnated over the last 15 years. Yet the sector needs women who will shape its progress, especially given the skills shortage, she says. “We need digital sovereignty to make conscious decisions. It’s about more than programming,” she continues. “We also need the skills and expertise to make digital technologies work for us.”

Anja Bultemeier from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg agrees that it is no longer about the technology itself, but about how people interact, which is why new factors, such as customer and user experience, are becoming increasingly important. “Seeing technology through this new lens has created opportunities for women who do not have a technical background,” she says. One quote from a study participant explains this change very neatly: “I don’t sell technology; I sell solutions.” Increasingly, non-tech women are heading up technical teams and shaping the strategies and visions that will produce the best possible customer experience.

Christine Regitz (left) and Verena Laumayer would like to see more women in networks such as Business Women's Network or SAP Women in Tech. — Christine Regitz (left) and Verena Laumayer would like to see more women in networks such as Business Women’s Network or SAP Women in Tech.

From left: Kira Marrs, Eva Zauke, Verena Laumayer, and Anja Schneider discuss new opportunities for women in the tech industry.

From Literary Studies to Google: Examples of Innovative Career Paths

The researchers also found that taking a less traditional approach to hiring makes it easier for women to get a foot in the door – after all, when roles are flexibly defined, they are open to people who have an atypical background. Take these women for example.

Eva Bacon’s patchwork and rather unconventional career path took her from studying literature to working for Google in New York – a perfect example of a non-tech woman at the center of the tech world. Bacon now oversees transformation projects as a senior program manager at Google. “Anything is possible in this job,” she says enthusiastically. Part of her work involves motivating and guiding her employees. At a workshop, she recalls, the participants were tasked with building houses out of spaghetti, and the instructor said to her, “You need to be the glue that holds everything together. We have enough people building houses. We now need someone who can make a city out of them.” Being a born organizer, she found that an easy task. Abstract thinking, she says, is something that comes to her naturally. What really helped her gain a foothold in the tech world, though, was the fact that she had taken the time to learn about HTML. Whenever she needed to know anything else, she would ask the computer geeks, adding that it is nevertheless important to have “a certain affinity for technology and to have the confidence to tackle new topics and ask questions.”

Back when Sarah Mang-Schäfer was at high school, she set an ambitious goal in her art class of one day coming up with the advertising image of the century. These days, as head of a public cloud engineering team, she flexes her creative muscle in a more technical capacity. Although she went on to study computer science, she found that art and technology were not so different after all. “To solve problems, you need to be creative,” she says. She worked initially in neuroscience, which taught her the importance of networking. She then poured her energy into cancer research, teaming up with doctors to test software. It was in this role that she realized what successful IT implementation was all about, namely understanding what customers want without them needing to ask for it. Today, we call that customer or user experience, fields which are growing in the IT industry and where women in particular have the breadth of skills and expertise required.

Driving Change to Shape the Future

At BSH, one of Europe’s largest makers of home appliances, the officer in charge of manufacturing strategy is Fiona Taylor. A scientist by training, Taylor is on a mission to attract more women into manufacturing, because she firmly believes that gender diversity benefits companies. With so few women in industry, she knows all too well how it feels to be the lone woman in the room, which is one reason why she wants to see the situation change.

Passionate about her work, she loves the variety her job brings: “I work with so many different people across the company, from purchasing and manufacturing to logistics.” Her task is to ensure everyone on the operational side pulls together. “Being one of the people who determines where we invest and where we build new manufacturing plants, I can help ensure that we remain competitive as a German company. And it means I can influence our corporate culture.” When she returned to work after having her second child, Taylor was pleased to discover that the company’s thinking had shifted. She was asked to head up manufacturing for the very reason that she thinks out of the box and asks the questions that need asking – and would be an ideal role model for combining a leadership position with working part-time. Taylor urges women to “have the courage to start the conversation and drive change,” and calls on other female leaders to reach out to two other women to help them progress as well.

Stephanie Karger, head of Standard and Safety at BSH, is further proof that you do not have to work full-time nor have technical expertise to be an effective leader. “We’ve adopted a new leadership style, one that is based on trust and equality,” Karger says. “Whenever I need specialist technical knowledge, I simply ask my team.” Women are more likely to see leadership roles in this way, which is something their team members appreciate too, because it gives them the autonomy that many of them desire.

Anja Schneider has been global head of Premium Engagement & Advisory, Customer Services & Delivery at SAP, since April 2024. Prior to this, she was chief operating officer of Technology & Innovation for many years. “I enjoy creating impact – and being the person who is ultimately responsible when customers have a problem,” Schneider says. “Bringing together a whole network of experts to find a solution is rewarding.” At SAP, she says, she has never encountered anyone who doubted women’s ability to lead. Schneider’s career has taken an unconventional path, too: she joined SAP from Germany’s civil service. Leaving the public sector for the private one was a leap into the unknown for her. But, as Schneider puts it, challenges like this push us out of our comfort zone so that we can learn and grow. In her case, it took an open mindset and an interest in technology. Besides, she adds, having a different perspective is also an advantage when it comes to being an advocate for the customer. According to Schneider, a team of developers does not need another developer to lead it.

Anja Schneider in conversation with Kira Marrs at the conference for the 100 Women in Tech project.

Eva Bacon explains how she made her career as a literary scholar at Google.

AI Creates New Opportunities and Reduces Bias

Eva Zauke, executive vice president of SAP Enterprise Adoption and engineering location lead for SAP Labs Walldorf and St. Leon-Rot at SAP SE, is involved in examining how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work and creating new careers for women. “AI is opening up opportunities to women who are ready to enhance their skills.” For instance, AI is leading to new roles in IT beyond traditional programming ones. According to Zauke, data scientist, prompt engineer, ethics expert, interface designer, model engineer, and user experience designer are just some of the careers emerging in the field of AI. They also appeal to a wider spectrum of applicants, including graphic designers, people with a humanities background, and psychologists. However, while AI can unlock opportunities for women, it can also perpetuate gender disparities because, as Zauke says, data is biased: “AI inherits bias from the humans who program it, who, more often than not, are white men.” Having more women working on AI would, Zauke believes, not only reduce data bias but also help fill the talent gap in Europe’s tech sector.

Verena Laumayer is a member of the SAP Women in Tech strategy team, which is part of the Office of the CEO. She often finds herself at business events where not one speaker is a woman. Whenever she mentions this to the organizers, invariably the answer is that they simply could not find one, which is why she calls on women to have more confidence in their expertise and to increase their visibility. Public speaking skills can be learned, she says. Laumayer has no doubt that women need to be at the forefront of the tech economy and help shape its future.

Making the Future Visible: 100 Innovative Women in Tech

Germany’s ISF Munich research institute and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg have teamed up on a two-year project (from October 2022 through October 2024) that puts the spotlight on 100 pioneering women in the technology industry and on the important role they play in innovation today. Called #100TechFrauen, the project is part of a German government initiative to raise the profile of women in innovation and is supported by a network of partners from the services sector, industry, and the startup scene, including AUDI AG, IT service provider Atruvia AG, Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (BSH), SAP SE, and Siemens AG. For more information (in German), visit #100TechFrauen.

Photo copyright: Markus Seidl, SAP
This feature first appeared on the German SAP News Center.

29 November

BUSINESS NEWS

SAP Art Exhibition: The Tapestry of Perception

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In modern society, our perception is constantly bombarded with a never-ending stream of visual and auditory stimuli, overwhelming our senses and making it difficult to stay grounded in the present moment. Despite the challenges posed by our fast-paced society, it is essential to remain mindful and in the present to navigate the complexities of our perception and experiences.

SAP’s new art exhibition explores this concept and features the work of three artists, each offering their unique perspective on “The Tapestry of Perception.” It highlights the interconnectedness of perception, transformation, transition, memory, and the awareness of our surroundings. The art gallery is open to the public until February 2, 2025; the works can be viewed virtually or in person at the SAP International Training Center in Walldorf, Germany.

One of the key challenges we face in this information-saturated world is filtering out extraneous noise and differentiating between reality and our subconscious experiences. It can be difficult to discern what is truly happening in the present moment, as we draw from fragmented memories to make sense of our surroundings. Everyone sees and experiences life through a different lens, making the theme of perception open to interpretation.

The Interplay of Materials, Perception, and Memory Fragments

Litfass by Petra Goehringer Machleid in The Tapestry of Perception exhibit — *Litfass – Petra Goehringer Machleid. Click to enlarge.*

As we navigate through life, we undergo various transformations and transitions, which further shape our perception of the world around us. Our memories, often fragmented and incomplete, play a significant role in how we interpret and understand our surroundings. German artist Petra Goehringer Machleid focuses on the interplay of wax and concrete and how the two different materials merge together over time. In her work “Litfass,” the peeling of all the different layers off the pillar represent all the stories held together, making it a unique representation of how experiences transform an individual.

Ultimately, our perception is shaped by our ability to draw from memories and differentiate between reality and subconscious experiences. Our awareness of time and surroundings also plays a significant role in shaping how we experience the world around us. Austrian artist Petra Fohringer captures the experience of memory and present experiences in her work “Winter’s Coming,” featuring Tyrion Lannister from the prominent TV series “Game of Thrones.” Throughout the series, the characters undergo significant changes, facing various challenges and setbacks that shape who they are. The relationships formed and the memories shared by the characters play a crucial role in their individual growth and transformation, serving as a reminder of the importance of the memories we create and the impact they have on our lives. “My artistic works open up the question of true and traditional memories, the influence and manipulation of memory, both individual and collective,” Fohringer notes.

Winter's Coming by Petra Fohringer in The Tapestry of Perception exhibit — *Winter’s Coming, 2019 – Petra Fohringer. Click to enlarge.*

Stefan Mittlboeck-Jungwirth-Fohringer, a multidisciplinary artist from Austria, delves into the world of transformation by recreating a beehive with copper encased in concrete. The honeybees, in his work of art “bodies,” represent unity and cooperation during times of transformation. The piece also represents the cyclical nature of life, as bees work tirelessly to gather resources and sustain their hive, mirroring the constant flow and transformation of life. This series of life and the fragile balance of it is a crucial component of his artwork. At the exhibition in Walldorf, an additional short film of the artist creating his work is on display.

bodies by Stefan Mittelboeck-Jungwirth-Fohringer at The Tapestry of Perception exhibit — *bodies, 2019 – Stefan Mittelboeck-Jungwirth-Fohringer. Click to enlarge.*

The components of the SAP art exhibition “The Tapestry of Perception,” which are memories, perception, and reflection of the world around us, contribute to our self-image, shape our experiences, and influence our general well-being. By understanding and appreciating the significance of these elements, we can cultivate a deeper awareness and appreciation for the richness of our human experience.

Top image: Mindatlas, 2022 – Stefan Mittelboeck-Jungwirth-Fohringer

29 November

BUSINESS NEWS

SAP Community Holiday Gift Guide 2024: How Your Gift Choices Can Spark Lasting Change

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The holidays are a season of traditions, like gathering with loved ones and exchanging gifts that bring joy. But what if your gifts could also create a ripple effect of positive impact? This question drives the SAP Corporate Social Responsibility (SAP CSR) team every year as we and our partners prepare the SAP community holiday gift guide – a collection of organizations that prioritize people and the planet, redefining what it means to give meaningfully.

Consider this: What if the scarf you gifted your friend helped provide fair wages to artisans in underserved regions? Or if the chocolates you gifted to a colleague supported sustainable farming practices and reduced carbon emissions? With the 2024 SAP community holiday gift guide, these scenarios aren’t just possibilities – they’re realities.

The SAP community holiday gift guide has become a meaningful way to connect holiday traditions with SAP’s mission to help the world run better and improve people’s lives. This year’s guide features over 200 purpose-driven businesses from around the world. These businesses offer unique, high-quality goods and services while reinvesting in their communities and ecosystems, creating a virtuous cycle of positive change.

The world is grappling with urgent challenges, from climate change to growing inequality. As consumers, we hold immense power to influence how businesses operate through our purchasing choices. Every item in this year’s guide represents an opportunity to support a business that aligns with these values – companies that ensure ethical supply chains, foster inclusivity, and reduce their environmental footprint.

Take Ekatra for example. It produces handcrafted paper goods, and its mission is to engage women from marginalized communities to co-create, providing a new path to financial independence. By choosing its products, you’re not just buying a gift, you’re becoming a part of a bigger story of resilience and innovation.

Exploring the SAP community holiday gift guide is simple, but its impact can be profound. Every purchase you make sends a clear message: that you value businesses that act sustainably and prioritize the greater impact.

We encourage you to:

Share the guide with your networks and inspire others to rethink their holiday shopping.
Use the hashtag #SAP4Good to amplify the stories of businesses making a difference.
Reflect on how small, intentional choices can lead to a better future for everyone.

This holiday season, let’s redefine what it means to give. Together, we can transform holiday traditions into acts of purpose and hope. Let’s spark joy, not just for those receiving our gifts but also for the communities and ecosystems that benefit from them.

Explore the 2024 SAP community holiday gift guide and join us in making this season brighter for all.

28 November

BUSINESS NEWS

SAP and AWS Simplify IT Systems at the BBC

by jennychua@twm.com.sg 0 Comments

SAP and AWS are collaborating to enhance the BBC’s IT infrastructure by moving key systems to the cloud. The BBC, a globally recognized public broadcaster, has undertaken a strategic shift towards modernizing its IT systems to optimize performance, increase scalability, and reduce operational costs. At the heart of this initiative is the adoption of SAP […]

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28 November

BUSINESS NEWS

SAP Utilities Core Powers DEMANDO’s Transformation

by jennychua@twm.com.sg 0 Comments

SAP Utilities Core is at the heart of DEMANDO’s initiative to build a modern, cloud-driven platform that enhances agility and efficiency in the energy market. DEMANDO, an IT service provider founded in 2011 and based in Kaiserslautern, has embarked on an ambitious project to integrate SAP S/4HANA Utilities and the SAP Market Communication Cloud into […]

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28 November

BUSINESS NEWS

Atturra Prepares for SAP ECC Deadline with Chrome Deal

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The approaching SAP ECC deadline is prompting strategic moves within the SAP ecosystem, including Atturra Limited’s acquisition of Chrome Consulting Pty Ltd to enhance its enterprise content management (ECM) capabilities. Atturra, through its subsidiary Anatas Pty Ltd, has signed a Share Sale Agreement to acquire Melbourne-based Chrome Consulting, a major player in SAP/OpenText integration. Chrome […]

The post Atturra Prepares for SAP ECC Deadline with Chrome Deal appeared first on InsideSAP.

28 November

BUSINESS NEWS

SAP Sustainability Data Exchange Advances Climate Action

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SAP Sustainability Data Exchange aims to transform how companies handle carbon-related data, offering a solution to standardize and streamline the collection, sharing, and analysis of emissions information across supply chains. Efforts to achieve net-zero emissions require businesses to address not only their direct carbon output but also the emissions generated throughout their supply chains. This […]

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28 November

BUSINESS NEWS

From SAP Spend Connect Live: Bet Big on Yourself in 2025

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At last month’s SAP Spend Connect Live event, I had the privilege of speaking about five crucial bets spend management professionals should place on themselves to ensure success and agility for their organizations, especially against a backdrop of economic and political uncertainty. As my colleague Jeff Collier, chief revenue officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP, recently highlighted in his article, these insights resonated strongly with attendees and are more relevant than ever as we approach 2025.

With more change on the horizon, it is vital to keep these bets in mind to prepare for potential challenges head-on. Over the past year, we’ve witnessed how spend management professionals who stay confident and bet big achieve remarkable results. In fact, according to the 2024 Economist Impact report, C-suite confidence in the procurement function has increased by 14% in just one year, with 84% of executives now agreeing that procurement is essential for organizational strategy.

As we gear up for 2025 and beyond, let’s explore these five bets that will solidify spend management’s role as an indispensable part of an organization.

Bet #1: Strategic Collaboration

The first bet that spend management professionals should place is on strategic collaboration. As procurement becomes increasingly integrated with other critical business functions, it is up to procurement professionals to lead these collaborative efforts. Your colleagues are looking to you to take the initiative and ensure that procurement is involved in strategic initiatives that keep your organization agile in the face of uncertainty.

Whether you are partnering with HR to manage the external workforce or implementing a category management strategy in partnership with supply chain, SAP is here to support you. Our solutions are designed with collaboration at the forefront, working to minimize miscommunication and simplify business processes so you can focus on what truly matters.

Bet #2: Effortless Compliance

The mere mention of compliance can evoke stress and worry in anyone who has ever worked in spend management. Ensuring every detail is accounted for can be nerve-racking, especially when considering local regulations and sustainability goals. At SAP, we believe that compliance should not just be simple; it should be truly effortless.

For example, SAP integration with Concur Travel and Concur Expense can enable employees to select in-policy vendors from the start. SAP Ariba Invoice Management with SAP Business Network helps you understand and comply with evolving tax regulations. From complex tax requirements to travel policies, SAP can help you eliminate these points of concern before they cause issues.

Bet #3: Seamless Integration

While intraorganizational strategic collaboration is key for an efficient operating model, your software must also be seamlessly integrated to make the most of our connected solutions. Fragmented processes and tools won’t get you where you need to go, which is why SAP is committed to a suite-first strategy that aims to reduce the number of systems used to manage spend.

Whether you are an all-SAP customer or use third-party technology, we can offer a seamless experience regardless of where you are in your SAP journey. From SAP Spend Control Tower, your single source of truth for all spend data, to SAP Ariba solutions for source-to-pay that can streamline all your procurement processes, our out-of-the-box solutions help deliver powerful business outcomes across the entire spend management process.

Bet #4: Increased Productivity

The next bet to place is on increased productivity. In recent years, we have seen firsthand how productivity gaps can be detrimental to an organization. Add in unexpected geopolitical and economic events, and you have a recipe for disaster. As the procurement landscape evolves, it is imperative to upskill your workforce to meet evolving demands.

SAP’s newest innovations, like SAP Business AI, can help automate mundane tasks, freeing up bandwidth for making strategic decisions that really count. And increased productivity is not just reserved for key decision-makers – it benefits every employee at every level.

Bet #5: Informed Decision-Making

Finally, spend management professionals should bet big on informed decision-making. More than ever, it is essential to make choices quickly and confidently, knowing that your decisions are supported by data. That’s where SAP comes in – solutions like SAP Business Network Discovery and the intelligent audit service can deliver the best recommendations for you, helping to take the guesswork out of decisions amid timeline pressure.

With data-informed reports and suggestions, you can be confident that your choices are backed by best-in-class insights. SAP helps reduce complexity and can deliver only the insights needed to make the best choices for your business.

New Ways to Streamline Critical Business Processes

To learn more about the innovations shared at SAP Spend Connect Live in 2024, I encourage you to read this article by my colleague Manoj Swaminathan, president and chief product officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP.

I say it every year, but there is something truly special about spending time with our incredible customers, hearing transformation stories and tales of success across so many organizations. The SAP community’s resilience, drive, and commitment to excellence inspire me greatly.

When it comes to the right tools, best integrations, and data-driven insights, SAP is your go-to partner. Our solutions, informed by your feedback, are here to help you win big. As you close out this year and head into a new one, remember that SAP is here for you. When you rely on SAP, you secure the future success of not just your business function, but your entire organization.

Etosha Thurman is chief marketing officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network at SAP.

28 November

BUSINESS NEWS

New AI and Copilot Capabilities Open Up New Ways Businesses Interact with SAP Signavio Solutions for Business Transformation

by cyrus@ascelade.com 0 Comments

As core components of the Business Transformation Management portfolio, SAP Signavio solutions are progressively being enriched with new artificial intelligence (AI) and copilot capabilities.

SAP Business AI in SAP Signavio is designed for the process world, helping process experts, business users and the C-suite contribute to process analysis and improvement simply by using everyday language to interact with SAP Signavio solutions. Through this intuitive and user-friendly approach, SAP customers at any level of an organization can receive instant insights and recommendations that can accelerate and inform decisions.

With the November release of SAP Signavio Process Transformation Suite, Joule is now fully integrated into SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub, and available to SAP Signavio customers in Germany and the U.S. through a dedicated SAP Early Adopter Care program.

Joule, SAP’s AI copilot, lets users become more efficient and productive through simply describing their ideas, asking analytical questions, or telling the system what to do. As integration of Joule across the SAP portfolio continues to grow, so does its ability to correlate and reason over data spread across a business.

For SAP Signavio solutions in particular, Joule supports early informational, navigational, and transactional use cases.

From the start of the SAP Early Adopter Care program, users will be able to make use of capabilities such as simply asking Joule:

How to perform a task and be guided through help documentation; for example, “Tell me how to set up a dashboard.”
Where to find a certain assets or information within the SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub or SAP Signavio Process Intelligence; for example, “Tell me where I can find this process diagram.”
Request the copilot to execute specific tasks such as creating or deleting a journey model; for example, “Do this…”

The SAP Early Adopter Care program will provide users with the unique chance to adopt new innovations early on, engage with SAP experts, and influence the future development of process AI for SAP Signavio solutions.

In addition, SAP Signavio solutions will now offer text to insights capability with the new AI-assisted process analyzer. With users able to ask questions in natural language and receive immediate insights, the typical challenge for process mining and analysis — accessibility of insights to non-experts — will be readily avoided.

The AI-assisted process analyzer text to insights capability is designed to democratize process mining as it empowers users with any skill set, regardless of their technical knowledge, to conduct deep process analysis by adopting a conversational approach.

The Joule integration and new capabilities follow from the successful August 2024 release of the AI-assisted process recommender and performance indicators recommender, representing a comprehensive, AI-supported approach to help organizations better manage their business processes and get the most out of SAP Signavio solutions.

The process analyzer text to insights capability is available via a beta program offered to SAP Signavio Process Intelligence customers. Customers willing to join the beta program can contact their SAP Signavio account executive or customer success partner. Registration for the SAP Early Adopter Care program for Joule is open until February 28, 2025. Customers can apply to join the program here.