“BLS AG is a very diverse transportation company,” Horst Johner, head of HR & Transformation and member of the Executive Board at BLS, says. “In our core business of rail transport, we operate commuter and leisure lines and maintain a 420-kilometer-long railway network. Additionally, we incorporate bus operations, car rental, shipping services, and freight transport under our umbrella.”

For many years, numerous SAP products have been in use as on-premise solutions at BLS. In HR, the company has made efforts to establish standards, but differences in the execution of core processes still remain.

“When I joined BLS in 2019, I was used to a completely different level of digitalization from previous employers,” Johner explains. “Some processes were still running in spreadsheets.”

As head of HR & Transformation, he is particularly concerned with the attractiveness of BLS as an employer: “New employees expect a certain degree of digitalization as well as state-of-the-art applications. And standard digitalization is, of course, also a matter of cost. Nevertheless, the standardization and digitization of our main HR processes were important goals to increase efficiency.”

Digital Transformation with SAP Standard Content Activation Service

To address these issues, BLS decided to implement SAP SuccessFactors HCM at the beginning of 2020.

Johner says: “We chose the SAP standard content activation service. Our requirement was that we could adopt at least 80% of the processes as a standard solution. SAP provided the framework and suggested best practices to quickly get up and running, with minor adjustments to tailor the configuration to our needs.”

Stefan Fuhrer, head of Management Services at BLS AG, is also pleased with the implementation process: “What really paid off was the introduction of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central as the first module. This allowed us to migrate all master data from the on-premise SAP ERP Human Capital Management solution to SAP SuccessFactors solutions, which simplified the implementation and integration of all other modules and packages. By implementing SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, we were able to create a single data source for HR data to manage HR processes throughout the organization.”

“Most customers are used to the classic approach of ordering and implementing modules one by one,” Roland Christen, customer success partner at SAP Switzerland AG, says. “The SAP standard content activation service offers a different approach, as complete processes are introduced instead of individual modules. The customer can immediately gain added value.”

At the same time as the introduction of SAP SuccessFactors solutions, BLS also defined the roles and teams that should be responsible for the tasks in these processes. “Where possible, we aligned internal structures with the processes,” Johner says.

Process-Oriented Implementation of SAP SuccessFactors HCM

BLS now uses all modules of SAP SuccessFactors HCM. “We now have the ability to technically map the entire HR-related career of employees – from their application to, if necessary, leaving the company – in a system configured with best practices,” Johner explains. “The implementation of SAP SuccessFactors solutions has laid the foundation so that, after connecting to the other subsystems, we can now gradually reduce the administrative effort.”

Integrating the SAP SuccessFactors Document Management Core solution by OpenText has also worked well. Compared to other solutions, Johner sees the great advantage of SAP SuccessFactors Document Management Core in its deep integration with the individual SAP SuccessFactors solutions. “It was also important for us to have a solution that is able to comply with the established life cycles for individual documents and, if necessary, also delete them – a key compliance factor for us at BLS AG,” he says.

This is all the more important as SAP SuccessFactors Document Management Core is currently used at BLS as an employee dossier.

Johner appreciates the high level of transparency that the solution provides: “Each employee has self-service access to their own employee file. Controlled through role-based permissions, managers and HR staff also have access to the documents of defined employees. These documents can be uploaded via workflow. In addition, contracts can be automatically created and stored in the employee dossier after signing.”

Currently, only payroll, time management, and shared services are on premise. The next planned steps include integrating the planning tool – for the deployment of train personnel, for example – with time management and payroll. In addition, existing, rarely used subprocesses, such as a request for unpaid leave, will be integrated through an interface.

The project aligns with BLS’s overall strategy, which focuses on managing resources through more efficient processes via digitalization. “I believe that with the introduction of SAP SuccessFactors solutions, we have made a significant contribution to the company’s strategy,” Johner says.

Significant emphasis was placed on stakeholder management toward internal customers from the beginning. “We continuously informed and provided insights into the status of the project company-wide,” Johner explains. “Important internal customer groups have been represented on the project committee from the start and have been able to accompany the upcoming changes.”

Training opportunities for relevant user groups also played a great role. The system was positively received. “HR initially viewed the system with some skepticism because the processes and responsibilities have changed,” Johner says. “But now the benefits – such as having congruent data across the entire system and the disappearance of media breaks – are highly appreciated.”

“I also notice that our employees are increasingly thinking in end-to-end processes,” Johner says.

The Swiss business newspaper Handelszeitung, which ranks the most attractive employers in Switzerland every year, has ranked BLS as No. 1 in the Swiss railway industry in 2024. In the overall ranking, BLS AG is ranked 11^th out of 250 companies.

“This confirms for us that our activities in HR and the modernization measures of recent years have clearly put us on the right track,” Johner says.

This first appeared on the German SAP News Center.

WALLDORF — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced that the SAP Supervisory Board has reached a mutual agreement with Executive Board Members Scott Russell and Julia White to leave the the company’s Executive Board, effective August 31.

Chief Revenue Officer Scott Russell has played a central role in helping SAP customers around the world on their journey to the cloud. His success gives SAP the opportunity to develop the full potential of the company’s best-of-suite offering, ensuring customers take advantage of SAP solutions to maximize agility and innovation. A search for Russell’s successor is underway. SAP CEO Christian Klein will assume responsibility for the sales organization in the interim.

Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer Julia White has successfully modernized marketing and communications while also building SAP’s product marketing function to support a cloud-first model. SAP will now strengthen the synergy between product marketing and product teams by bringing those teams together. The SAP Supervisory Board and Julia White agreed that this notable shift marks an appropriate juncture to dissolve the distinct Marketing & Solutions Board area. This adjustment, effective September 1, streamlines SAP’s Executive Board structure.

“In the context of SAP’s ongoing successful cloud transformation, the SAP Supervisory Board believes now is the moment to embark on the next era of growth,” said Pekka Ala-Pietilä, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SAP SE. “We thank Scott Russell and Julia White for their significant accomplishments and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

“Scott and Julia have contributed significantly to SAP’s successful business transition in the cloud and our leadership in Business AI,” said SAP CEO Christian Klein. “I’m pleased to take this opportunity to thank them for their unwavering dedication to our clients and partners, and to join the Supervisory Board in wishing them all the best for the future.”

This strategic transition occurs at a time of strength for SAP. The changes will further accelerate the company’s transformation and enhance its focus on a suite- and AI-first strategy. By prioritizing these key areas, SAP is positioning itself to further expand its position as a leading enterprise software company.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP at @SAPNews.

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Fratelli Branca Distillerie is the maker of Fernet-Branca, a uniquely flavorful bitter liquor with a legendary backstory that galvanizes its revered status as Argentina’s unofficial drink. Whether served neat or con coca (with soda), Argentinians simply can’t get enough of this iconic liquor and consume the most of all Fernet-Branca produced globally. In addition, Fernet-Branca’s loyal following in the international bartending community has boosted its popularity as the go-to drink at shift handover: the “bartender’s handshake.”

Fernet-Branca originated in Italy in 1845 as the creation of herbalist Bernardino Branca, who intended it as a medicinal digestif. Produced from a secret recipe of herbs, flowers, roots, and spices – thought to include saffron, rhubarb, myrrh, and artichoke – the drink remains popular for its many curative properties.

While the strong bitterness and unique flavor is arguably an acquired taste for most, sales of Fernet-Branca remain robust for global producer Fratelli Branca Distillerie, headquartered in Italy with production plants in both Italy and Argentina and from there they export to other countries.

Gaston Vega, director of IT at Fratelli Branca Distillerie in Argentina, summarizes the brand’s success: “In the last three years, counting until 2023, Fratelli Branca has been exceeding the sales level every year – meaning that each year of the last three, from 2021 to 2023, was a record.”

But with such success comes pressure to meet rising demand. For many years, Fratelli Branca in Argentina relied on a patchwork of outdated tools and time-consuming manual methods for its customer relationship management (CRM). To become a world-class, sales-driven organization, Fratelli Branca needed to carry out a digital transformation to modernize and automate its CRM processes for improved efficiency. But first, it urgently required an internal champion who could devote time to investigate the technology market and introduce new digital solutions. Vega, who had only recently joined the company in 2022 after many years in the consumer products industry, came to a disquieting realization: “In the mass consumption sector, the truth is we were quite behind,” he says. “There were many opportunities for automation, digitalization, and technology modernization.”

Valuing a Tradition of Continuous Innovation

For more than 175 years, Fratelli Branca has honored the company motto “Novare serbando” – a Latin phrase that means to keep innovating while respecting tradition. This commitment to continuous innovation is evident in the broad portfolio of premium beverages that the company produces, including many brand-name brandies, liquors, vermouths, vodkas, and whiskies.

Now it was time for the sales organization to champion this commitment to innovation through its digital transformation. Would the team be ready for a new way of working? Yes, Vega says: “When I raised the idea of implementing a CRM, I had the unconditional and absolute support of the sales director and the entire commercial area.”

With key stakeholders in agreement, Fratelli Branca evaluated a range of CRM solutions on the market. It chose SAP based on best performance, value, and ease of integration with the organization’s existing SAP enterprise resource planning software. “SAP Customer Experience solutions won in that bid for different reasons: first, we liked the application better, for cost, for different reasons,” Vega says, explaining that “basically, the need arose from automation. Many very manual processes were being done here. The sales order system was obsolete, almost unsupported. That was why we looked for an application like this.”

The sales team participated in the demo sessions and asked detailed questions to gain an in-depth understanding of how the new SAP solution could enhance productivity. “It is an application that they really liked from the first moment,” Vega says. “They thought it was super agile, super versatile, and that it was going to bring them many benefits. Reducing their manual and administrative tasks meant that they gained productive time. So, that’s a very big benefit.”

SAP Sales Cloud: Optimizing Each Customer Interaction for Improved Profitability

SAP Sales Cloud is an advanced CRM solution that helps sales-driven organizations maximize customer interactions and profit margins simultaneously. Using a data-driven approach, the solution expedites a comprehensive strategy to help optimize sales, customer service, and marketing operations. The integration of AI features can enable sales representatives to turn data into actionable insights to help enhance customer engagement, drive customer retention, and ultimately increase sales.

SAP Sales Cloud’s success can also be attributed to its versatility and adaptability; it can be seamlessly integrated into an organization’s existing IT infrastructure without interrupting routine workflow.

Dynamic and Strong Support Drives Project Success

To ensure project success, Fratelli Branca chose global consultancy Avvale, an SAP partner with a proven track record in helping clients accelerate value from digital transformation of core technologies. The work chemistry with Avvale was an important consideration, Vega says: “We have a great dynamic with them. They are people who understood very well what we needed and did not try to go a different path. They recommended things to us; we adopted them. So, that was the first milestone.”

Also, SAP continued to monitor the project’s progress, so Fratelli Branca was never alone or stuck for answers. “SAP obviously sold us the product, it sold the licenses, but it never stopped accompanying us in the implementation,” Vega says. 

With a strong team and stakeholder support, the implementation of SAP Sales Cloud, including the SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement platform, proceeded quickly, so that within five months, Fratelli Branca was ready to introduce the new CRM solution to the sales team. The implementation team knew that selecting highly motivated key users would be necessary to ensure acceptance and spur adoption. “When you bring a new tool that no one knows about, finding the key user who is your internal partner is essential,” Vega says. “Luckily, we had that commitment on the side of the key users.”

Real-Time Data Access with Mobile-Ready Solution

With a host of powerful capabilities for sales teams, SAP Sales Cloud offers a mobile-ready solution to help meet the needs of a remote and traveling workforce, meaning that salespeople can have immediate access to critical data and analytics from anywhere. For the sales team at Fratelli Branca, access to real-time information while in the field has been a game-changer.

With sales coverage responsibility for the entirety of Argentina – from rugged Patagonia in the south to the wine-growing region of Cuyo in the west and the sunny wetlands of the Argentine Littoral in the northeast – Fratelli Branca’s sales team is on the go to meet customers, take sales orders, check invoices, and monitor sales progress. Now equipped with tablet computers and mobile phones, the team is achieving new levels of efficiency, as they can better perform their work in the field. “[It’s] everything that a CRM gives you and in a super agile way,” Vega says. “Imagine that we went from almost prehistory to modernity.”

Fratelli Branca continues to evolve its use of the new digital solution to further automate sales processes and eliminate onerous manual and repetitive tasks. One of the features it plans to implement is a survey module that can save photographs at the point of sales – usually a bar or restaurant – and gather important sales-related information about pricing and competitor data.

Overall, Vega describes the adoption of SAP Sales Cloud as “super positive, with always good positive comments. The truth is that I never had a complaint.” He notes that previously the “sales team was manual and today they are digitalized; you clearly notice that the sales team and the directors value precisely this greater efficiency [from] having digitized certain processes.”