Hagen Heubach, CMO for SAP Supply Chain Management, shares his perspective on the rise of the autonomous supply chain.
As complexity grows and AI advances, a new model is emerging:
✅ AI assistants supporting decisions
✅ Intelligent agents executing processes
✅ Real-time risk sensing and simulation
This isn’t the future. It’s happening now.
Explore SAP Supply Chain Management: https://www.sap.com/products/scm.html
#SAP #SupplyChain #BusinessAI
In the age of AI, business advantage comes from being connected, ready, and able to act when it matters most.
Every customer journey begins with a moment that demands change. Real value is created when that moment becomes momentum. In this SAP Sapphire Madrid 2026 customer keynote highlight, SAP leaders and customers explore how SAP Business AI, Joule, SAP Business Data Cloud, RISE with SAP, clean core transformation, and WalkMe help organizations turn complexity into clarity and innovation into measurable outcomes.
Hear from SAP leaders Thomas Pfiester and Manos Raptopoulos as they discuss SAP’s vision for the Autonomous Enterprise: a future where people set the direction, AI supports execution, and business processes run with speed, trust, and resilience. Customer leaders from Ericsson, EssilorLuxottica, Fonterra, and ZF Group share how they’re using connected data, governed AI agents, clean core principles, and change management to modernize operations, improve adoption, and create new capacity for growth.
You’ll also see how SAP is helping customers shorten time to value with Joule Studio, industry AI, migration and modernization assistants, forward-deployed engineering, and AI adoption tools that help people build trust in new ways of working.
Speakers and SAP leaders featured include:
• Thomas Pfiester, Head of Customer Engagement & Adoption & Member of the Extended Board of SAP SE, SAP
• Manos Raptopoulos, Global President Customer Success Europe, APAC, Middle East & Africa and Member of the Extended Board, SAP SE
• Esra Kocaturk Norell, Vice President, Customer Experience, Enterprise IT at Ericsson.
• Thomas Buck, Chief Information Officer, ZF Group
• Toby Granwal, Chief Information Officer, Fonterra
• Davide Schinetti, Chief Operating Officer, EssilorLuxottica
Chapters:
00:00 – Turning disruption into opportunity
00:27 – Technology as a business differentiator
01:06 – How AI agents change business processes
01:27 – Governance, traceability, and human oversight
02:03 – Supporting transformation with SAP services
02:41 – Joule Studio and faster agent creation
03:09 – City of Madrid and SAP-powered AI
03:29 – Ericsson on AI-powered telecom innovation
03:44 – A problem-centric approach to AI
04:13 – Why AI needs business context
04:33 – EssilorLuxottica and connected retail experiences
04:41 – Joule-powered store operations demo
05:08 – Building the use case with SAP
05:34 – RISE with SAP and clean core transformation
06:14 – Fonterra on modernization and AI readiness
07:01 – Agentic workflows and change management
07:34 – WalkMe and AI adoption
08:01 – ZF Group on scaling innovation with SAP
08:31 – Custom AI agents and business value
08:50 – Five defining AI transformation moments
Watch the full Customer Success Keynote. 👉 https://youtu.be/CocpyxAizwE
Watch all SAP Sapphire replays on demand. 👉 https://www.sap.com/events/sapphire.html
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About SAP:
As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit: https://www.sap.com/index.html
#SAPSapphire #SAPBusinessAI #AutonomousEnterprise
To understand your customers you can’t rely on general stats. Chris Luecke, host of Manufacturing Happy Hour shares how B2B suppliers can use data from platforms like SAP Business Network to stay visible and grow network engagement.
Learn more about SAP Business Network and sign up for a supplier account today: https://sap.to/6051B8n0al
#SAPBusinessNetwork #B2BManufacturing #SupplierSuccess
Strategic suppliers don’t spread themselves thin; they find where their ideal customers are and double down. Chris Luecke, host of Manufacturing Happy Hour, breaks down how digital networks are reshaping competitiveness for B2B manufacturers.
Learn more about SAP Business Network and sign up for a supplier account today: https://www.sap.com/products/business-network/suppliers/overview.html
#SAPBusinessNetwork #B2BManufacturing #SupplierSuccess
Chris Luecke, host of Manufacturing Happy Hour, explains how a complete supplier profile on SAP Business Network can be your strongest sales tool. From your catalog and certifications to service locations, the right information gets you in front of the right buyers.
Learn more about SAP Business Network and sign up for a supplier account today: https://sap.to/6056B8n054
#SAPBusinessNetwork #Procurement #SupplierSuccess
What does it take for B2B suppliers to grow in today’s manufacturing landscape? It starts with being visible, credible, and easy to work with.
In this episode of B2B Exchange from SAP Business Network, host Amanda Laldin speaks with Chris Luecke, industry expert and host of Manufacturing Happy Hour, about how suppliers can compete in a market where buyers are doing more research online, relying on digital channels, and expecting seamless buying experiences before they ever talk to a sales representative.
Chris shares why storytelling matters, how digital networks and marketplaces can help suppliers meet buyers where they already are, and why a strong digital presence can influence purchasing decisions long before an RFI is sent. The conversation also explores how suppliers can use data, visibility, and network engagement to refine their digital selling strategy and make smarter decisions over time.
You’ll also hear practical advice on digital transformation, including how “micro-transformations” can help suppliers adopt AI and automation in focused, manageable ways. From improving digital profiles to using AI agents for specific tasks, this episode offers clear takeaways for suppliers looking to grow, innovate, and build trust in a changing B2B manufacturing landscape.
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to B2B Exchange
01:25 – Why supplier storytelling matters
04:33 – Digital networks and supplier visibility
07:32 – How buyers research and make decisions
09:51 – Using data and engagement to grow
11:58 – Practical digital transformation
14:14 – Trends shaping B2B supplier growth
16:04 – Closing thoughts
Learn more about SAP Business Network and sign up for a supplier account today. 👉https://sap.to/6057B8n0pJ
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Instagram: https://sap.to/6052B8n0pO
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About SAP:
As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit: https://sap.to/6055B8n0pR
#SAPBusinessNetwork #B2BCommerce #Manufacturing
Grupo UMA, a leading motorcycle assembler and distributor, is accelerating manufacturing growth across Colombia and Central America with SAP Cloud ERP Private.
Operating in multiple countries and serving thousands of riders every month, the company needed standardized, automated, and data‑driven processes to support expansion – while maintaining quality and customer experience.
By implementing SAP Cloud ERP Private, Grupo UMA streamlined core business processes across finance, production, and logistics, replaced manual work with real‑time insights and end‑to‑end process integration. Global operating models, automated workflows, and transparent cost visibility now enable faster decision‑making and scalable growth across the region.
The impact: Production increased from approximately 11,000 to 17,000 motorcycles per month – with a clear path to 20,000. Across markets including Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Colombia, Grupo Uma is improving supply chain efficiency, optimizing production capacity, and delivering consistent quality with solutions such as SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM).
Beyond operations, teams are shifting from manual, operational work to a more strategic, innovation‑driven, and analytics‑focused approach—helping the organization evolve into a truly data‑driven enterprise.
Discover how SAP helps manufacturers in Latin America scale faster, operate smarter, and deliver better customer experiences with cloud ERP and read the full customer story on SAP News Center:
00:00 – Intro
00:23 – What is GRUPO UMA?
00:40 – GRUPO UMA and SAP
01:05 – SAP as a Fundamental Pillar
01:35 – People Transforming by SAP
02:14 – Future
Disconnected engineering, PLM, and ERP systems can slow product development and limit AI readiness.
In this SAP Partner Short, Stefan from CIDEON explains why integrating engineering data, product structures, PLM, and SAP ERP is becoming a strategic priority for discrete manufacturers, not just an IT challenge.
Hear how a connected digital thread can help improve transparency across the product lifecycle, from initial customer requirements to service. Stefan also shares how CIDEON connects engineering systems with SAP Cloud ERP, SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud, CAD integrations, and third-party PLM solutions to help data flow without interruption.
For manufacturers, this connection can support faster time to market, greater scalability, stronger KPI performance, and a more trustworthy data foundation for AI.
Learn more. 👉 https://url.sap/26q672
#SAP #DigitalThread #ManufacturingAI
Cirque du Soleil transforms finance operations with SAP Business AI, automating invoices and enhancing supplier experiences.
Creativity meets intelligence in Cirque du Soleil’s journey with SAP. Known for reimagining live entertainment, Cirque du Soleil also innovates behind the scenes—streamlining operations and scaling global finance processes with SAP Business AI.
With more than 4,000 employees and 50 shows running worldwide, Cirque du Soleil needed a faster, smarter way to manage complex supplier relationships and financial transactions. The company adopted the AI Invoice Assistant, powered by SAP Business AI, to simplify invoice processing, reduce manual workloads, and deliver faster response times with multilingual support.
Now, finance teams can focus on strategic work while automation handles repetitive tasks—improving accuracy, consistency, and supplier satisfaction. With SAP Business AI, Cirque du Soleil has achieved new levels of operational agility, enabling them to continue inspiring audiences through innovation both on and off the stage.
“AI is helping us simplify, scale, and automate,” says Marianne LaRochelle, Vice President of Marketing, Cirque du Soleil. “With SAP, we’re embracing the next chapter of intelligent business.”
This partnership demonstrates how SAP Business AI integrates seamlessly into enterprise processes, combining intelligence with trusted business data. From finance and procurement to HR and supply chain, SAP helps organizations work smarter, faster, and more creatively.
00:00 – Introduction
00:26 – The Challenge: Complex Global Finance Operations
01:05 – Introducing the AI Invoice Assistant
02:02 – Automation and Multilingual Efficiency
02:48 – Supplier Experience Transformation
03:30 – The Future of Business AI at Cirque du Soleil
Discover how Cirque du Soleil brings creativity and intelligence together with SAP: https://sap.to/6056B8GRX6
Get a quick tour of the SAP Sapphire 2026 data and analytics highlights, with practical context on what they mean for enterprise AI.
In this special Sapphire 2026 update, Klaus-Peter Sauer breaks down the major announcements across SAP Business AI Platform, SAP Business Data Cloud, SAP HANA Cloud, Reltio, Joule agents, and BDC Connect. The focus: why enterprise AI needs more than better models. It needs trusted business data, process context, and governance built into the foundation.
You will see what is new in:
✅ SAP Business AI Platform: A unified platform to build, integrate, manage, run, and govern enterprise AI agents, apps, and workflows.
✅ SAP Business Data Cloud as the context layer for AI: The business data fabric that helps agents, applications, and decisions draw from trusted, governed business context.
✅ SAP Knowledge Graph: A structured map of business entities, processes, and relationships across the SAP landscape, helping AI agents navigate business context instead of guessing.
✅ SAP HANA Cloud in SAP Business Data Cloud: SAP HANA Cloud becomes the AI database for SAP Business Data Cloud, supporting transactional, analytical, and multi-model workloads in one engine.
✅ Reltio in SAP Business Data Cloud: Multi-domain master data management, AI-based entity resolution, and golden records across SAP and non-SAP sources.
✅ SAP Master Data Governance in SAP Business Data Cloud: Governance becomes part of the data flow, helping verify and align data products before agents use them.
✅ Joule Agents in the business data fabric: Create data products, planning models, analytics models, and dashboards through natural language.
✅ SAP Analytics Cloud story generation: Joule can use data models and business context to generate dashboards and visualizations automatically.
✅ BDC Connect for Amazon Athena: Planned bidirectional, zero-copy integration between SAP Business Data Cloud and Amazon Athena, expanding the open data ecosystem.
Chapters:
00:04 – Welcome to the Sapphire 2026 Special Edition
00:25 – Why Enterprise AI Needs Business Context
01:03 – Data and Analytics Announcements at Sapphire
01:11 – SAP Business AI Platform
02:10 – SAP Knowledge Graph
02:30 – Where SAP Business Data Cloud Fits
03:08 – Four Major SAP Business Data Cloud Announcements
03:15 – SAP HANA Cloud as the AI Database for BDC
03:58 – Reltio and Master Data Management
05:05 – Joule Agents in the Business Data Fabric
06:17 – BDC Connect for Amazon Athena
07:12 – What Sapphire 2026 Signals for Enterprise AI
07:46 – Summary and Outro
Learn more about SAP Business Data Cloud: https://sap.to/6051B8GLQX
Learn more about SAP Datasphere: https://sap.to/6053B8GLQZ
Join our SAP Datasphere community to stay up to date: https://sap.to/6054B8GLQw
Check out our product roadmap for SAP Datasphere: https://sap.to/6056B8GLQj
Follow us on social:
LinkedIn: https://sap.to/6058B8GLQe
Instagram: https://sap.to/6059B8GLQ5
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About SAP:
As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit: https://sap.to/6055B8GLQl
#SAPBusinessDataCloud #SAPBusinessAI #BusinessData