This is the second year in a row that ���۴�ýSignavio has been positioned as a Leader in the report. We believe that this positioning implies that ���۴�ýSignavio is a key driver for SAP’s growth and long-term strategy.

According to the Gartner Magic Quadrant research methodology, “Leaders execute well against their current vision and are well positioned for tomorrow.”

Our solutions solve today’s real and diverse customer use cases — operational excellence, compliance, automation, transformation, etc.– and recognizes that we have a compelling vision for a future in which process automation and process AI open up new opportunities for our customers and partners.

���۴�ýSignavio continues to focus on ensuring the long-term success of all of our customers and partners.

Revenue NSW

In the Australian state of New South Wales, the tax collected by Revenue NSW accounts for more than 35% of finances, helping fund essential services, from healthcare to education and policing.

With a vision to be the world’s most innovative and customer-centric revenue agency, Revenue NSW set out with a very specific objective: it wanted to analyze cases in which clients had overpaid land tax to identify why these overpayments occur and what experience clients received when obtaining refunds. This analysis would not only help reduce overpayment volumes and improve the client experience, but also enable the agency to work more efficiently for its diverse stakeholders.

“As part of our Aspire 2032 strategy, our vision is to be the world’s most innovative and customer-centric revenue collection agency,” shared Jocelyn Yem, director of Strategy and Innovation at Revenue NSW.”‘Embrace Innovation’ is one of our strategic focus areas, where we can respond to our customers’ needs by embedding a culture of continuous improvement. ���۴�ýSignavio Process Intelligence has helped us achieve our first stage in this journey.”

“���۴�ýSignavio Process Intelligence has painted a clear picture of why clients pay too much land tax and how we can process refunds smoothly, along with a detailed road map to help us put these insights into action,” confirmed Sabrina Bazouni, director of Land Tax at Revenue NSW.

Fujitsu Limited

Recognizing the wide-ranging effect of business process transformation solutions, Fujitsu Limited has embraced ���۴�ýSignavio solutions across its operations and portfolio.

At one of its manufacturing plants in Japan, Fujitsu used the ���۴�ýSignavio Process Intelligence solution to gather process execution data directly from the shop floor into the continuous improvement model the company had been using for many years. Integrating process data into the Kaizen discussions delivered never-before-seen insights, which helped the company further optimize its shop-floor processes and transform their Kaizen from traditional to digital, using process mining to generate data-driven insights.

This firsthand experience of the solutions has also allowed Fujitsu to enrich its customer offerings with new frameworks, insights, and tools that can help customers realign their organizations and make changes at speed.

Having seen the potential of ���۴�ýSignavio solutions, Fujitsu now plans to extend its use both internally and externally. One such planned initiative involves combining the concepts of the digital twin on an organization and the intelligent enterprise, using business process transformation solutions as the mechanism of change.

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Dee Houchen is global head of Market Impact for ���۴�ýSignavio.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Process Mining Platforms, Marc Kerremans, David Sugden, Nick Duffy, 29 April 2024��

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

By using any of a variety of services when implementing and adopting ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud, customers can strategically and effectively handle each change. Their efforts include 44% improved user experiences, 40% faster incident resolution, 38% better enablement and upskilling, and 38% faster time to value from their technology investments, according to a .

And now, with the latest offering for ���۴�ýPreferred Success, customers are going beyond navigating turbulence. They can also maximize opportunities, reduce risks, and understand how dynamic economic and market forces impact their long-term success.

Introducing ���۴�ýPreferred Success for RISE with SAP, premium

The ���۴�ýPreferred Success service for RISE with SAP, premium can deliver more guidance and insight to help accelerate and optimize the value of the cloud ERP journey, in addition to the foundational services of ���۴�ýPreferred Success.

With personalized services designed to meet unique business needs proactively, customers can realize benefits, including:

• Improved productivity with access to ���۴�ýknowledge and best practices
• Accelerated ROI with tailored guidance and expert support to organize ���۴�ýsolutions faster and more efficiently
• Fewer risks by following best practice recommendations that minimize system disruptions and help ensure smooth operations
• Better alignment by matching ���۴�ýsolutions with organization goals, capitalizing on the features and innovations of every release
• Higher efficiency by consistently fine-tuning and providing personalized recommendations aligned with specific business value drivers

For customers such as (Kyocera), ���۴�ýPreferred Success helps create a solid foundation for modernizing business operations. “Using ���۴�ýPreferred Success enabled us to accelerate the business acceptance of change and drive a continuous improvement landscape. It has provided an avenue to reevaluate our processes and create a more efficient business,” states Rohan Higgins, chief financial officer of Kyocera Document Solutions.

As a result of the quality and caliber of the ���۴�ýexpertise and active engagement, Kyocera has successfully moved 100% of its ERP processes to the cloud, leading to zero manual touchpoints across its forecasting processes. Other customers have realized additional benefits, such as more efficient business processes, smaller database sizes, infrastructure simplification, and reduction of cost centers.

���۴�ýPreferred Success for RISE with SAP, premium can provide additional elements for modernizing business operations, including:

• A dedicated, named enterprise adoption expert with a strong technical and functional background, who can provide expertise and help orchestrate how-to conversations supporting the build of outcome-focused plans
• Assistance and guidance based on recommended best practices to help increase the customer’s understanding of its business processes and how the solution is being used
• Ongoing innovation and transformation through continuous review of the customer’s calendar and plans – including the adoption of entitlements, such as business AI, sustainability, intelligent technologies exploration, and process management
• Clean core guidance and quality checks for each project phase to help ensure the customer can leverage existing and future innovations within RISE with SAP

With a dedicated focus on sustainability exploration, ���۴�ýPreferred Success for RISE with SAP, premium helps ensure that businesses can embrace a more sustainable future while driving growth and success in the digital age. By leveraging the comprehensive suite of tools and resources provided by ���۴�ýand orchestrated by an enterprise adoption expert, organizations can navigate their sustainability initiatives with confidence and precision.

���۴�ýPreferred Success for RISE with SAP, premium also offers a unique avenue for harnessing the transformative power of AI with cloud ERP. Through a tailored approach, customers are guided by seasoned enterprise adoption experts facilitating a comprehensive exploration of business AI. Customers are then empowered to innovate, automate, and optimize their business processes using the cutting-edge AI capabilities seamlessly integrated into the ���۴�ýecosystem.

Access to such a wealth of products, tools, and frameworks gives invaluable insights on configuring and customizing AI solutions to suit unique needs. By leveraging built-in AI capabilities from SAP, customers are not only equipped to streamline operations but also to drive innovation and achieve sustained growth in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Accelerating Competitive Outcomes from Cloud ERP

As businesses continue to compete in an ever-evolving landscape, the need for innovative solutions that drive growth and efficiency has never been more critical. And ���۴�ýPreferred Success for RISE with SAP, premium is ready to help, offering the functional and technical guidance, personalized services, and ongoing support necessary to realize the full potential of the cloud.

As demonstrated by success stories worldwide, including that of Kyocera, ���۴�ýPreferred Success for RISE with SAP, premium is helping customers not only adapt to change but also seize new opportunities for growth. This service is not just a solution; it’s a strategic partnership that can empower organizations to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

Ready to amplify the impact of your cloud ERP transformation? or contact your local ���۴�ýrepresentative to learn more about ���۴�ýPreferred Success for RISE with SAP, premium.

Mine Ecevit is cloud ERP lead for Cloudified Services Sales and Go to Market at SAP.

The glass bottles on the high-speed filling line made quiet clinking sounds as they sped around the bend of the track. The visitors to the ���۴�ýbooth at the internationally renowned industrial trade fair were waiting for the moment when an optical sensor, using AI support, spotted the bottle that was only three-quarters full and kicked it out of the line and into a defects bay. “This system has a capacity of 6,400 bottles per hour,” said a grinning Ben Hughes from SAP’s Solution & Innovation Experience team. “In comparison, the original system from our partner can fill 50,000 bottles, but that would be much too loud here at the trade fair booth.”

The showcase demonstrated how the cloud-based ���۴�ýDigital Manufacturing solution could serve as the process order management system for ���۴�ýcustomers, whether they typically work with a lot size of one or with continuous manufacturing at higher speeds. The purchase order could have come from an ���۴�ýS/4HANA system, for instance, and ended here with execution in production. “We can see the hardware integration with our own eyes,” said Hughes.

AI was also involved: a camera captured the fill level of each bottle. If it was outside the defined tolerance, the bottle was rejected and this information was sent to the ���۴�ýsystem. A manufacturer could use this data to calculate the production costs for the system and the profitability of every work center, all with AI support. The data from all systems would give experts and management insights into how well the production process was working. This, in turn, would help improve planning.

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Complete Portfolio from the Industry’s Point of View

Hannover Messe 2024 took place from April 22-26. Muhammad Alam paid a visit for the first time in his role as leader of the ���۴�ýProduct Engineering Board area. At the ���۴�ýbooth, which featured the motto “Bring out new manufacturing excellence,” he emphasized the importance of AI as an integral part of ���۴�ýsolutions: “AI has the opportunity to fundamentally create significant value for our customers, particularly in the industrial space, with an ability to create resiliency from a supply chain perspective that just wouldn’t be possible without the application of AI.”

���۴�ýdemonstrated nearly its entire portfolio in an industrial context in Hannover. “���۴�ýuses what we call ‘end-to-end scenarios’ to do this,” said Georg Kube, head of Industry Data Ecosystems. To reflect this, the booth was set up in line with this logic. The “design to operate” graphical element, which maps all steps of the manufacturing process, showed the corresponding step in the value chain at each station of the booth. “We integrate our solutions with the specific process that manufacturers have,” Kube said. “They design a product, then it’s manufactured, then it’s bought by a customer, and in the end it is being used and maintained. We offer integrated solutions for every step in this process.”

Working Together for Success

Darcy MacClaren, global CRO for Digital Supply Chain, acknowledged the challenges faced by SAP, its customers, and its partners: “We are facing environmental and geopolitical disruptions and we want to be sustainable.” She said collaboration is the key to achieving these daunting goals, a message that was echoed in many presentations and podium discussions at the booth.

For example, experts from , , and ���۴�ýdiscussed how the automotive industry network is creating a standard that enables collaboration, data interchange, and transparency to support decarbonization along the value chain. Catena-X serves as a blueprint for other industrial networks under the umbrella, such as Factory-X for factory equipment suppliers and operators.

The showcases at the trade fair booth wouldn’t be possible without partners, which also play a decisive role in SAP’s competitiveness and future viability. “The partner ecosystem is a key success factor for SAP,” said Andreas Markus Thon, head of Digital Supply Chain MEE. “They are enriching our suite with their applications and solutions and are critical for high quality and successful adoption and use of our solutions.”

A Fleet of Robots Delivers Materials

SAP’s “Modular Manufacturing” showcase let visitors witness examples of successful partner collaboration for themselves. It demonstrated a fleet of autonomous transport robots that delivered a variety of parts for a valve from storage to assembly stations. Thanks to the fleet control software with embedded AI from ���۴�ýpartner , the robots from different manufacturers worked together seamlessly, making autonomous, situational decisions as to which station should assemble or disassemble the parts. The scenario demonstrated that ���۴�ýsystems can also implement modular production, which is typically used in manufacturing scenarios involving many variants and low to medium product volumes. ���۴�ýS/4HANA, ���۴�ýExtended Warehouse Management, and ���۴�ýDigital Manufacturing were deployed here.

The “Industrial Metaverse” showcase was another big draw. It let visitors to the ���۴�ýbooth put themselves in the shoes of a systems operator, using VR (virtual reality) glasses to inspect a system virtually, even if the manufacturing was taking place on the opposite side of the globe. The “Injection Molding Machine” scenario vividly demonstrated how planning and manufacturing dovetail in integrated, agile, made-to-order production, as the machine produced colorful recycled plastic cups for guests at the end of the process.

Other topics at the trade fair included potential uses of digital twin solutions, such as virtual models and real-time simulations, as well as collaboration between people and machines. A summary description of all the presented scenarios is available .

The World’s Largest Industrial Trade Fair

The guiding theme of Hannover Messe 2024 was “Energizing a sustainable industry.” Nearly 4,000 exhibitors from 60 countries presented solutions for a high-performance, sustainable industry. As part of an industrial ecosystem, they showed how carbon neutrality can be achieved through electrification, digitalization, and automation.

Companies from Germany, China, Turkey, the U.S., Italy, and France booked the largest exhibition spaces. Around 1,600 speakers appeared on the venue’s 11 conference stages. This year’s partner country was Norway.

Under its motto “Bring out new manufacturing excellence,” ���۴�ýdemonstrated how it is using AI to advance manufacturing processes, among other solutions, at its more than 1,000-square-meter booth in Hall 15. Visitors to SAP’s booth had the opportunity to see 27 product demonstrations and nine interactive showcases. More than 25 ���۴�ýpartners showed the collaboration and variety of potential uses of their solutions, and 35 presentations by experts and customers were featured at the booth.

Photo ©nottebrock.

The treaty represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unleash the potential of business to solve the plastic crisis. Its success is crucial. Production of new plastic is forecast to double by 2040 without new and effective action. Only 10% of plastic is currently recycled, and each year 19 to 23 million tons of plastic end up in our rivers, lakes, and seas. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from plastics production, management, and disposal represent around 3.3% of global emissions. Exposure to plastics also has implications on human health, with plastic traces being found in our blood.

Fortunately, there is global consensus on the pressing need to end this ecological and environmental crisis, which is why 160 countries and hundreds of observer organizations are working together on this unique opportunity to end plastic pollution.

A Treaty Addressing the Entire Plastics Value Chain

The existing plastics ecosystem is heavily fragmented. Under current conditions, financial flows fund the creation of virgin polymers while a linear material flow continues bringing new plastics to market.

Centered on regulating production and consumption, the negotiations take every stage of the plastic value chain into account, from creation of the primary polymers to how plastic waste is managed. It covers product design for plastic reduction and recycling as well as extended producer responsibility to increase accountability among the most polluting entities while ensuring a just transition for affected communities.

This is an ambitious project. It will involve redesigning products, making circularity possible through repair, reuse, and recycling, and making recycled polymers more economically viable than virgin plastics.

New jobs, markets, and business opportunities will be created by the treaty. Research and development into plastic alternatives will be accelerated to eliminate the health-harming pollutants from plastic that are released at every stage of plastic production. Additionally, it will require the evolution of waste management systems to deal with the legacy of plastic waste.

���۴�ýEndorses the Business Coalition

The , convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF, assembles businesses and financial institutions committed to supporting the development of an ambitious, effective, and legally binding UN treaty to end plastic pollution.

“To end plastic pollution, we require both ambitious government policy and accelerated business action. The global plastics treaty offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put in place the right legally binding rules, measures, and incentives to tackle this global problem,” says Rob��Opsomer, executive lead, Plastics and Finance, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

With over 200 members, including SAP, the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty is calling for global business rules underpinned by harmonized regulations to tackle the full life cycle of plastic products. This will level the global playing field, making it easier for businesses and investors to scale both upstream and downstream solutions, mobilize the right investments, and support new innovations.��

“For decades, ���۴�ýsoftware has been instrumental in enabling our customers to manage material flows, including plastics,” says Natasha Pergl, global sustainability lead, ���۴�ýConsumer Products. “We understand first-hand the challenges our customers face in managing the complex and fragmented web of regulations in place today that make it difficult to understand current material flows and align upstream efforts with downstream solutions.”

���۴�ýCalls for Harmonization

Achieving systemic change will require collaboration and joint innovation, which depends on effective, well-functioning communication. Software and network technology are central to bridging the information gap and operationalizing an inclusive plastics ecosystem. The treaty must lay the foundations for harmonized regulations and simplified information flow as well as accelerate the implementation of global rules.

To achieve this, four essential elements need to be in place:

• Common definitions for plastics and packaging to ensure mutual understanding and interoperability: This applies to the categorization of various plastic polymers, how products are structured and denominated, and how they are packaged and sold.
• Harmonization across the plastics life cycle, covering criteria for product design, extended producer responsibility schemes, and assessment for recyclability: This will support businesses to design for circularity and recyclability, ensure that strategic decisions are guided by the capabilities of existing downstream infrastructure, and highlight where new capital investments are needed.
• Harmonized national disclosure schemes to ensure uniformity, comparability, and information transparency: This is essential for giving investors and regulators a base of information for policy steering and decision-making. It will also allow business to harness the full potential of AI-driven innovation to accelerate solutions at scale.
• Recognition of the role of digital tools for traceability: Improved data and the application of digital tracking will enable true progress.

“The treaty goals are ambitious, but with an agreement that focuses on global rules covering product design and material fate, extended producer responsibility schemes, and chemicals of concern, we can unleash the power of global business to deliver the solutions necessary. Importantly, ���۴�ýis ready with the processes and systems to help businesses quickly grasp the opportunity and scale impact to end plastic pollution,” says Stephen Jamieson, global head of Circular Economy Solutions, SAP.

Software solutions, such as and , already allow companies to monitor, measure, and act to facilitate the design of products for a more sustainable and circular economy. But a more effective information flow for better collaboration and innovation is required to achieve systemic change.

The Role of AI

An obvious benefit of agreed common terminology and harmonization of criteria and disclosure rules is that it can open the door for businesses to leverage AI. Some envisaged applications in the production process include reducing virgin polymers and boosting material and supply chain efficiency. Downstream uses such as waste sorting, material recovery, quality control, identifying waste flow trends, and predictive analytics would also be made possible.

A Bold Approach

Discussions in Ottawa were productive and focused on decreasing and restricting plastic production. During the talks, Rwanda and Peru submitted a motion to reduce the production of primary plastic polymers worldwide by 40% by 2040, from a 2025 baseline. Their vision is for this to be legally binding, much like the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.

Robust data clarity and systems for sharing information are crucial for enabling businesses in the implementation of such a treaty. Only by connecting data points throughout the supply chain and across jurisdictions can material flows and emission sources be fully understood.

Work will continue towards INC-5 in Busan, South Korea, in November, where the final text will be agreed prior to being ratified in 2025.

For more information:

Heather Davies is a brand journalist.

Gaming is something that keeps inspiring me. I’m amazed by the speed, accuracy, and level of concentration of professional players. It’s impressive how this industry has evolved and grown over just a couple of decades.

Team Liquid commands an imposing presence in the esports world, boasting over 160 professional players across more than 15 different games and a staggering fan base of over 10 million followers on various social media platforms. With more than 75 premier events won, Team Liquid is one of the most successful organizations in competitive gaming.

The game with the highest viewership and extensive fandom is League of Legends. Team Liquid successfully competes with their League of Legends team, which recently won the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) 2024 Spring tournament.

In League of Legends, the goal is to create a strong and balanced team consisting of five characters, called “champions,” in order to outplay and outsmart the opponents during the game by being one step ahead of competition.

Teams participate in a pre-game draft process to select champions before a match. This involves banning and picking champions from a pool of 166 choices to create a strong team.

Champions are the in-game figures controlled by each player. Each champion has particular skills and areas in which they excel. Putting the champions together allows the team to play in various strategic directions to win the match.

After choosing five champions (“pick”), each team is also allowed to remove five champions from the pool (“ban”). Those players cannot be picked by either side. This can be utilized to remove specific parts that would otherwise counter a strategy or hinder the other team from playing their favorite style and/or composition.

Esports teams and their analysts need to prepare for the draft process, as it requires knowledge of the opponent’s favorite picks and strategies. Imagine a five-a-side dodgeball match, but before the match begins, the five players from each team draw their champions from a pool of 166 individual champions.

With bi-weekly updates to the game (“patches”), especially affecting the champions as well as indirectly teams practicing and developing new strategies, competitive League of Legends is an ever-changing game. It creates the need to constantly adapt your draft to a new environment, to analyze both your own and the opposing team’s behavior.

Furthermore, the nature of the draft process and the varying strategies of opponents make accurate predictions difficult. Esports teams have only a week to prepare for the game and gather knowledge about the other team’s favorite champion picks, strengths, and weaknesses.

Previously, Team Liquid coaches prepared draft scenarios based on manual analysis of the opponent team’s draft behaviors and champion preferences. However, the challenge was that manual analysis is done before the draft, with the best potential pick or ban changes based on the decisions of the other team. Additionally, the sheer number of potential matches to choose from and the different strategies employed by opponent teams make manual draft prediction very difficult.

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���۴�ýHelps Change the Game

What if Team Liquid could analyze in seconds the best choice for upcoming drafts, including picks and bans, while considering more than 6,000 professional esports matches from the past year? What if the analysis would also consider the impact of game patches from the publishers by taking an additional 1.6 million amateur matches into account to assess changes in the power attributes and strengths of the champions? With SAP, this is now a reality.

By using ���۴�ýAI Core to train a generative AI model that takes data from past matches and puts them into context of the upcoming game, Team Liquid gets suggestions of the best draft picks and bans to maximize the chances to win.

The solution is built on ���۴�ýBusiness Technology Platform (���۴�ýBTP), and the data is stored in ���۴�ýHANA Cloud to cope with the 1.6 terabyte game data from past games. The result is an intelligent draft bot training, an application that runs on ���۴�ýBTP, visualizes the predictions, and provides Team Liquid with the current winning probability after each pick and ban.

Manual Analysis Is a Thing of the Past

With the AI draft bot, Team Liquid can train for draft situations against any professional team they face in a matter of seconds. This is achieved by incorporating multiple influencing factors based on an unprecedented number of matches. The coaches and players benefit from the opportunity to conduct what-if analyses and derive valuable knowledge from the data to simulate new strategies. This is also reflected in the time saved compared to the previous manual analysis: Team Liquid saves approximately 10,000 hours per year per year with the solutions from SAP.

Relying on ���۴�ýBTP and ���۴�ýHANA Cloud, ���۴�ýBusiness AI provides Team Liquid with the opportunity to further improve their game by leveraging data to make more informed decisions. Here is where fun and business meet.

This is how the power of business AI is made tangible in a perfect way — not just for gamers.

Philipp Herzig is chief artificial intelligence officer of SAP.

A confusing benefits enrollment experience is a significant source of frustration for many employees and can leave them feeling uncertain about their benefits elections. The majority of employees struggle to understand their benefits options and navigate through the enrollment process.

As a result, many employees choose to simply roll over their previous year’s elections rather than review and update their choices to ensure they are getting the most out of their benefits. This often leads to missed opportunities to take advantage of lower-cost options or benefits that are a better fit for them and their family and can even lead to increased attrition of top talent.

With the first half 2024 release, updates to the solution can enable you to empower your employees to take control of their benefits with an intuitive guided enrollment experience.

Making Benefits Enrollment More Seamless, Simple, and Intuitive

The new benefits enrollment experience in�� introduces a process-driven approach to benefits enrollment that helps simplify and streamline the activity. Available for insurance, savings plans, and pension benefit types, this new enrollment experience can enable employees to make better, more informed benefits choices without the unnecessary hurdles.

Here are some key highlights:

Guided Enrollment

A step-by-step progression flow guides employees through the process, working to simplify navigation and helping them complete benefits enrollment. Real-time benefits eligibility updates help employees continually understand the choices and options available by presenting them with all the benefits for which they are eligible to enroll.

Personalized User Experience

Customizable text and instructions enable a tailored enrollment experience aligned with organizational policies.

Flexible Framework

Benefits admins can now have more flexibility in designing the enrollment experience to meet their organization’s needs with a new framework that helps support the capture of life insurance guaranteed issue amounts, customizable terms and conditions, and enhanced localization capabilities.

Anytime, Anywhere Access

Available on both desktop and the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Mobile app, employees can complete benefits enrollment from any location using a mobile-friendly platform that helps ensure a seamless experience across devices.

Employee Educational Resources

Simplified on-screen access to additional resources and information helps employees better understand their benefits and can promote more informed decision-making throughout the enrollment process.

Side-by-side benefit plan comparisons of costs and plan details help employees assess their plan options and select the best-fit plan. Localizable instructional text on each page helps ensure that the benefits and enrollment processes are well understood. Additionally, flexible options for defining contribution amounts within the IRS limits can make it easier for employees to make decisions regarding savings plans and pension elections.

Consolidated Benefits Enrollment Process

Employees can complete all benefits-related tasks including reviewing and updating dependents, completing health declarations, enrolling in benefits, managing beneficiaries, and more through a single consolidated process, helping to improve employee engagement and satisfaction.

to learn more about the new enrollment experience in ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Employee Central Global Benefits.

To learn about all the other innovations in the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors first half 2024 release, read the and watch the .

Nicole Ramirez is senior director of Product Marketing at SAP.

Let’s be honest – do you know what your company spends daily across different areas like office management, production, or logistics? Expense management sheds light on this expenditure, allowing companies to analyze, document, and manage their expenses effectively. 

Digital solutions for spend management provide transparency and visibility across all expenses, enabling companies to identify potential risks faster and address them proactively. Additionally, they make CO₂ emissions transparent along the value chain, empowering companies to implement decarbonization measures and reduce their carbon footprint.��

AI as a Booster for Procurement and Purchasing Processes 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our daily lives, optimizing search engine results, personalizing advertising, and facilitating automatic text translation. On smartphones, we have streaming services, online shopping platforms, and even household appliances. AI is subtly integrated to make cumbersome, everyday tasks easier and more efficient. Since the rise of generative AI, companies and entire industries have been diligently working to incorporate it into their solutions for improved processes and efficiency. 

Procurement is one field where the impact of polycrisis is keenly felt, which has driven important changes. Resilience, transparency, and sustainability are the keywords here – and AI can make the crucial difference. 

AI can digitalize the procurement function, making it more efficient. Stakeholders rightly expect AI implementation to enhance decision-making, automate processes, and expedite insights. AI can also contribute to cost reduction and error rate mitigation. The question is no longer whether companies will adopt AI but when they will do so. And that time has to be now.

AI Strategies: Think Holistically 

To ensure the success of such projects, a holistic approach is needed. AI should become an integral part of the entire procurement process to benefit all areas. This begins with a consistent transformation strategy aligned with the company’s goals and values. It is important to have a strategic, solutions-oriented approach that makes it possible to find answers to real-life business challenges. By effectively integrating AI into data analysis and prediction models, companies can unlock tangible value and drive meaningful outcomes. The quality of the results depends on the quality and availability of corporate data – and this is where the greatest potential for improvement lies. Companies should clean up their data pool so that only valid and meaningful data is included. 

For spend management, procurement, and purchasing, generative AI in particular holds enormous potential. As in every area where AI is deployed, ���۴�ýhas committed to strictly adhering to the principles of relevance, reliability, and responsibility in spend management, thoroughly examining each application accordingly. Employees can be relieved of repetitive, manual, and time-consuming tasks, allowing them to focus better on their core tasks. For example, Joule, SAP’s generative AI copilot, will be embedded across SAP’s portfolio, including procurement solutions.

As an intelligent copilot, it can understand natural language, process data from ���۴�ýand third-party systems, and derive new insights from them. Thanks to unified data models, it can provide users with appropriate answers to their questions that fit the specific business context and thus helps to ensure that AI makes a meaningful contribution, enhancing business success. Moreover, it can offer meaningful advice to help them solve their daily tasks more intelligently and quickly, thereby helping to increase their efficiency in a secure and compliant manner. The practical use cases are numerous, ranging from HR or finance to supply chain management, procurement, and customer experience. Following our principle of responsibility, Joule can, for example, assist the HR department in eliminating potential bias from job descriptions and can even formulate suitable interview questions based on these job descriptions.

Category management plays a significant role in procurement, enabling companies to optimize their procurement strategies, strengthen supplier relationships, and reduce costs. Accordingly, 33% of procurement experts consider it a top technology trend to focus on in the next 12 to 18 months. A digitalized and AI-enhanced category management company integrates generative AI to increase efficiency and precision in product categorization and procurement. By applying AI-supported algorithms, relevant data is automatically analyzed, leading to informed insights for optimized inventory management and strategic purchasing decisions. 

With the steadily growing amount of data generated by daily business operations, it is becoming increasingly challenging for companies to find the resources to make the most of their own data, all while ensuring data privacy and security aspects are maintained. This data needs to be made accessible, visualized, and processed in a way that it can be leveraged. Therefore, it is important to rely on strong partners like ���۴�ýthat bring both technical and strategic expertise to develop goal-oriented solutions with a strong focus on data protection and integrity. Now is the time to advance procurement through intelligent collaboration, smart category management, and an AI mindset. 

Practical Example: Category Management at OMV 

OMV, a global chemical and energy company based in Austria, is transitioning its linear value chain into a circular one with the aim of becoming a leading provider of more sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials. Procurement plays a key role in this transformation. OMV is automating and streamlining all procurement and supply chain processes. The company is now planning to digitalize category management. 

At the core of this initiative is , based on ���۴�ýBusiness Technology Platform (���۴�ýBTP) and supported by generative AI. This solution helps procurement teams develop more effective category strategies by helping to accelerate the market analysis process and provide targeted recommendations. This can lead to faster and more efficient category management processes and increased cost savings.��

Complex planning processes that were once done manually can now be easily executed with ���۴�ýAriba Category Management. The solution integrates features and tools to help leverage data for Big Data analytics, and it can provide comprehensive end-to-end visibility throughout the procurement process. 

The adoption of ���۴�ýAriba Category Management offers OMV numerous benefits, including improved efficiency, cost savings, and the promotion of sustainability through the selection of more environmentally friendly suppliers and products. By implementing ���۴�ýAriba Category Management, OMV successfully bridges the digital gap in procurement and takes another significant step towards a circular value chain. 

Curious to Learn More?

Learn more about intelligent category management and of the virtual ���۴�ýSpend Connect Innovation Day. A live event will take place on-site on .

Elena Parker is chief revenue officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network, MEE, at SAP.

Preh is a global growth company with five sales locations, six production plants, and a strong market position in the automotive market for human-machine interface and e-mobility systems.

With constant company growth and ever-changing market requirements, the product lifecycle costing at Preh had reached its limits. “We are on the way to becoming a €2 billion company and doing product costing without the support of a fully integrated data processing system,” says Harald Bayer, department head of Project Calculation at Preh Group. “For our management, it was time to give the calculation of all our new products a new basis.”

The company knew it needed a single source of truth for all product cost information that would also enable analysis and support reporting.��

Introducing a Future-Proof Standard Solution

“We looked at several software solutions on the market and our choice was ���۴�ýProduct Lifecycle Costing. As we are trusting on the strength of SAP, this was a decision for the future,” Bayer says. “An ���۴�ýstandard solution is a better fit with our system landscape.”

According to Bayer, key objectives for the project were:

• Replace former processes with a standardized process across the company
• Improve quality and accuracy for product costing along the product lifecycle
• Increase cost transparency for reporting and analysis to easily identify cost drivers
• Increase speed and flexibility in the product costing process and the efficiency of the entire organization

helps companies gain visibility across teams, calculate and proactively manage costs, and support new product innovations and customer-specific engineered products.

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A Central Database for Product and Project Calculation

“In the first step, ���۴�ýProduct Lifecycle Costing was implemented at our headquarters in Germany. Currently, we are doing the global rollout, which includes all business units at all locations and development centers, with the goal to set a common standard with global software,” Bayer says. “We want to make it available for all users involved in the product costing process. Therefore, we will train a large part of the entire PDP organization. There will be only one database.” He added: “The solution is integrated with our ���۴�ýERP system, which is a single global instance.”

To support various stakeholders in the most efficient manner, Preh created different apps and layouts within ���۴�ýProduct Lifecycle Costing, such as a quality checker that helps avoid errors and increase the quality of the costing result as well as a material price app in which the purchasing department can enter material prices that are automatically transferred into the database. In addition, ���۴�ýServices and Support supported the company in developing different reports and an interface to provide up-to-date material prices.

Another partner, , was involved with creating additional reports and analyses and with data modeling, which helped create more transparency thanks to different views.

Increased Transparency Helps Identify Cost Drivers, Optimize Design

In terms of the value Preh gained, “The main benefit is transparency,” Bayer says. “We can do analyses and reporting by pushing a button. With that, we know everything about cost drivers and can see the entire product costing. We can easily make comparisons between different calculations and see cost bridges, which was a lot of effort in the past.”

Leveraging the new database, the company can get an easier overview of which parts are used in which project; get up-to-date purchasing price information twice a day; examine calculations and prices of specific years; and make more precise product and project calculations.

From a business perspective, this means:

• Increased competitiveness, thanks to cost transparency and insight into cost drivers to make better design decisions
• Quick access to accurate product costing information
• Major time savings as master data is automatically replicated from ���۴�ýERP, allowing employees to focus on cost improvements

“We can easily identify our cost drivers for working closely with development, purchasing, and our suppliers,” Bayer says.

By the end of the year, Preh plans to leverage ���۴�ýProduct Lifecycle Costing to calculate more than a hundred projects with up to 10 different product variants – and many more later. “The choice of ���۴�ýProduct Lifecycle Costing was the right decision,” Bayer says. “We were able to increase quality and accuracy in our processes and take an important step in our overall digitalization efforts.”

Karin Fent is senior director of Global Customer Success for Digital Supply Chain at SAP.

Perhaps surprisingly, private equity firms are a huge driver of this trend, whether via investments in solar, wind, biomass, or some other type of renewable energy. These companies recognize not only the social, humanitarian benefit but the economic benefit of renewables: low-cost power, reduced dependence on imported fuel, and more secure, reliable energy supply.

The numbers bear out this trend. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence data, private equity and venture capital transactions in the global renewable energy sector reached , the highest total in the last five years. More so, funds raised in recent years are approaching the value of fossil fuel asset fundraising, per The Impact Investor.

However, there are challenges inherent in this tectonic shift. With broader strategic change in how we produce and consume energy comes more narrow change – and difficulties – in areas like engineering, manufacturing, procurement, supply chain management, human resources, and finance. These areas make it hard for private equity investors to easily operate and scale businesses, highlighting the present need and opportunity for scalable, cost-effective solutions that truly support the renewable space’s growth and future success.

With Great Power…

A crucial element of today’s state of play in the renewables space is the rapid acceleration in load growth made manifest by today’s technology advancements. Whether it be ChatGPT, Bitcoin, or some other artificial intelligence- or machine learning-related innovation, our tools are requiring more energy production and consumption than ever.

That means there is expansive economic benefit to finding cheaper, faster, less energy-consuming ways to run these tools and solutions – not to mention widespread social benefit.

Companies across the industry are already embracing ���۴�ýsolutions to use less energy, improve business operations, and meet sustainability goals. One global market leader in energy storage solutions and services recently selected ���۴�ýto help it scale faster, improve supply chain visibility, and boost overall efficiency. Another business – an established provider and owner of clean energy solutions nationwide for commercial and industrial businesses – chose ���۴�ýto help amplify its growth efforts via the acceleration of its ability to both scale and innovate in the energy space.

By iterating and streamlining processes to meet modern needs, companies like these can not only equip themselves for success today but for success tomorrow, as they grow and change alongside the evolving and progressing energy transition.

…Comes Great Capability

In our current industry moment, renewable energy companies demand unparalleled visibility and insights into financing, projects, operations, and more. Whether it be land acquisition, asset construction, or maintenance, a centralized data model that facilitates intelligent business insights is vital. It’s how you empower everyone in the organization to make informed decisions that drive the company forward.

Take supply chain management. Renewable energy companies can’t just order new parts or materials with a short delivery time. Some of the materials necessary for renewable energy products, like graphite, have order lead times spanning years rather than months. Top technology solutions will meet engineering requirements for things like storage, transportation, and integration of natural resources into the production process so that they can ensure supply chain management goals are met. In short, efficient and effective development and implementation of renewable assets requires careful management of the supply chain.

So, yes, these companies and their private equity backers are innovating toward a cleaner future. But they may not always have the time or resources to fully innovate and advance their business processes, sometimes resorting to manual ones that slow things down and add risk. Companies like ���۴�ýcan offer a seamless platform for managing these enterprises’ various business needs, in an integrated way that can enable them to focus on their core business and not have to worry about IT risks.

No matter where a renewable company is on their journey, ���۴�ýand its partners have solutions that can automate and optimize core business processes to help meet their maximum potential. This is due to elements like:

• Centralized ERP data providing a single source of truth and improved decision-making ability
• Fully managed supply chain procurement and logistics, with deep supplier networks
• Faster ROI thanks to repeatable, trustworthy, and accurate processes empowering business users

These seamless integrations and true end-to-end insights will power renewable companies well into the future, so that they can power us as well.

A Brighter Tomorrow

Leading private equity firms are leading for a reason. They see what’s possible in the renewable energy space and recognize the tremendous economic and social benefits that are available. For them, digital transformation is the skeleton key for unlocking a bigger and better future – one where they can easily scale up or down depending on their needs.

Leading ERP solutions can meet these companies where they are, with the speed and flexibility necessary to streamline business processes and build on them in exponential ways.

For the renewables space, it’s about setting the foundation for whatever comes next – not just for individual companies, but for our world and the way we all consume energy.

Mark Hollis is an industry executive advisor for Renewable Energy & Utilities at SAP.

Complementing the ���۴�ýPinnacle Awards, SAP’s premier global partner recognition program, the ���۴�ýGlobal LoB Partner Excellence Awards allow more granular recognition for achievements within the specific lines of business.

The three lines of business reward partners in the following six categories: Sales Success Midmarket, Sales Success Large Enterprise, Delivery Quality, Partner Solution Success, Customer Success Management, and Intelligent Enterprise Value Realization. For each category, partners are selected based on data and key performance indicators, ensuring all eligible partners are considered for this prestigious recognition.

Here are the ���۴�ýGlobal LoB Partner Excellence Awards 2024 winners and finalists:

���۴�ýSuccessFactors

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Sales Success Midmarket

• Winner: Empleox GmbH
• Finalist: HR Campus AG
• Finalist: EPI-USE

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Sales Success Large Enterprise

• Winner: Accenture
• Finalist: Deloitte
• Finalist: NTT DATA Business Solutions

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Customer Success Management

• Winner: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: Deloitte
• Finalist: PwC

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Delivery Quality

• Winner: EPI-USE
• Finalist: Deloitte
• Finalist: Accenture

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Partner Solution Success

• Winner: OpenText
• Finalist: WorkForce Software
• Finalist: Qualtrics

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Intelligent Enterprise Value Realization

• Winner: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: Seidor
• Finalist: Al-Watania Information Systems

���۴�ýCustomer Experience

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýCustomer Experience Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Sales Success Midmarket

• Winner: All for One Customer Experience GmbH
• Finalist: Cpro Industry Projects & Solutions GmbH
• Finalist: Derga Consulting S.p.a.

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýCustomer Experience Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Sales Success Large Enterprise

• Winner: Deloitte
• Finalist: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: Accenture

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýCustomer Experience Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Customer Success Management

• Winner: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: All for One
• Finalist: Deloitte

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýCustomer Experience Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Delivery Quality

• Winner: Accenture
• Finalist: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: Reply

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýCustomer Experience Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Partner Solution Success

• Winner: Pricefx
• Finalist: Smart Energy Systems
• Finalist: Mediafly

���۴�ýGlobal ���۴�ýCustomer Experience Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Intelligent Enterprise Value Realization

• Winner: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: All for One Group
• Finalist: Deloitte

Intelligent Spend and Business Network

���۴�ýGlobal Intelligent Spend and Business Network Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Sales Success Midmarket

• Winner: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: Seidor
• Finalist: apsolut

���۴�ýGlobal Intelligent Spend and Business Network Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Sales Success Large Enterprise

• Winner: Accenture
• Finalist: Deloitte
• Finalist: apsolut

���۴�ýGlobal Intelligent Spend and Business Network Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Customer Success Management

• Winner: Seidor
• Finalist: NTT DATA Business Solutions
• Finalist: Deloitte

���۴�ýGlobal Intelligent Spend and Business Network Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Delivery Quality

• Winner: Accenture
• Finalist: Deloitte
• Finalist: PwC

���۴�ýGlobal Intelligent Spend and Business Network Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Partner Solution Success

• Winner: Docusign
• Finalist: Icertis
• Finalist: Project44

���۴�ýGlobal Intelligent Spend and Business Network Partner Excellence Award 2024 for Intelligent Enterprise Value Realization

• Winner: Deloitte
• Finalist: Delaware
• Finalist: PwC

���۴�ýfor Me provides a central access point to solution support. The portal offers a user-friendly interface with improved functionalities that can enable better and faster interaction with ���۴�ýsupport experts and can provide immediate guidance to solutions for daily business tasks. It aims to make detached information a thing of the past on the customer and partner journey to an intelligent enterprise.  

Since November 6, 2023, an English-language experience has been available for customers and partners to begin their exploration before the migration. And as of today, ���۴�ýAriba and ���۴�ýBusiness Network knowledge-related content on ���۴�ýfor Me is available in over 20 languages. 

���۴�ýfor Me provides an integrated and comprehensive platform to help meet the diverse needs of its users. The Services & Support dashboard features an ���۴�ýAriba card that helps direct users to multiple resources on the legacy ���۴�ýAriba Connect , including ���۴�ýAriba and ���۴�ýBusiness Network release readiness information, product documentation, announcements, and specific content related to adoption and deployment.����

When getting started with ���۴�ýfor Me, know that:

• ���۴�ýAriba Connect S-user authorizations are automatically carried over to ���۴�ýfor Me – no additional access authorization is needed to use ���۴�ýfor Me. 
• The portal gives access to personalized content in the most used languages – English, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. 
• ���۴�ýfor Me offers intuitive cards that categorize and bucket information for your convenience. Support-relevant cards are mainly located in the Services & Support and Systems & Provisioning dashboards.  
• The availability, maintenance, and subscriptions for ���۴�ýAriba solutions and ���۴�ýBusiness Network can be found in the availability section of Systems & Provisioning.
• You can get a holistic view of licenses, orders, and consumption status.
• ���۴�ýfor Me is also available on mobile devices. The mobile app will be enhanced with additional features and the ability to create and manage a new case.
• The get support application is your primary touchpoint with support.

Get Support, Easier and Faster 

The get support application helps guide customers through technical product issues in real time or reaching ���۴�ýexperts through an AI-enabled framework. It can provide an integrated and personalized support experience to help simplify and streamline the case creation process. AI can automatically recommend solutions during the interaction, predict the right product categorization, and recommend the most suitable support channel, like Expert Chat, ���۴�ýCommunity, or Ask an Expert Peer, when available for the selected product.  

Access ���۴�ýSupport on the Go 

With the ���۴�ýfor Me mobile app, support interaction can be possible anywhere and anytime to complete tasks and access information directly on a smartphone. The mobile app can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Google Play Store. 

In conclusion, ���۴�ýfor Me puts customer and partner interests into focus. While partners can manage their pipeline and customer success, the portal also serves as the central entry point for all support-related topics and questions for customers. It allows access to relevant information, self-services, and consumption status connected to any purchased product portfolio.  

The ���۴�ýfor Me migration for ���۴�ýAriba solutions and ���۴�ýBusiness Network is a significant milestone as we tap into the next generation of AI opportunities to create an effective experience for our customers while delivering a seamless consistency in the look, feel, and delivery of critical support services.

���۴�ýfor Me is made for you. Follow ���۴�ýfor Me on LinkedIn and bookmark ���۴�ýfor Me on ���۴�ýCommunity to stay updated.

Rohan Patel is global head of Support for ���۴�ýProcurement.

Paul Saunders, head of Product Strategy and chief evangelist of Cloud ERP for SAP S/4HANA put it this way during a : “Trust is not the engine oil, it’s the essence of business.”

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In the interview, Saunders explains this and other aspects of the changing relationship between humans. The former Gartner analyst believes that this changed relationship has pushed trust to the top of the corporate agenda and made SAP’s commitment to relevant, reliable, and responsible business AI all the more crucial.

“The relationship between ���۴�ýand our customers for the longest time was transactional,” he says. But the shift to the cloud has changed that. From the customer’s perspective, in a cloud environment the SaaS vendor is effectively running the business and that requires a whole new level of trust.

As Saunders notes, “When a data center goes down the customer can’t just say, ‘Hey Bob, get down to the computer room and reboot the box.’ Now, with AI, it’s not just the data we’re providing, but information and recommendations. And some of those recommendations might challenge what the person thinks intuitively.”

For example, when Saunders was CIO of a golf cart maker in Georgia that shipped the carts all over the United States, he put in an early AI-based route planning package designed to optimize the deliveries of the carts to customers across the country.  

But despite the potential efficiency gains promised by the technology, the CEO who had run the company for 40 years and was accustomed to relying on his own judgment overruled the software and insisted that the drivers follow his preferred delivery route.

This resistance to change reflects a broader reluctance to embrace data-driven decision-making, with individuals often interpreting data in a way that reinforces their existing beliefs rather than challenging them.

When faced with the suggestion from a machine to do something different, most people will only follow the advice if they have solid confidence in the accuracy of the underlying data and can retain oversight of the process. 

That, according to Saunders, plays to SAP’s advantage. He acknowledges that ���۴�ýis sometimes considered to be “a little bit old fashioned,” but also thought of as “incredibly reliable and trustworthy.” 

In such a fast-changing and unpredictable environment — one in which many experts, including Saunders, predict that at least one big brand name company will be in the news “for doing something terrible with AI” — SAP’s commitment to delivering dependable solutions infused with relevant, reliable, and responsible business AI is key. 

For Saunders, the importance of fostering trust and confidence in both the technology itself and the organizations deploying it, particularly in industries where risk aversion and conservatism are prevalent, cannot be overstated.  

But he also believes that organizations need to strike a balance between automation and human intervention, recognizing that while AI can streamline processes and improve efficiency, human judgment and oversight remain essential for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated insights.  

In the end, what really matters to customers is not the technology itself, but the business value that it creates. “If you go to any CEO or CFO, they will tell you they only care about three things: revenue, cost, and risk. That’s it.”

Ultimately, he says, “Everything we do has to show the business value.” 

The global producer of dairy and farming machinery with 18 factories worldwide chose to build its new technology foundation in the cloud to achieve a more standardized system that would harmonize various nomenclature, processes and data required to develop new solutions for its customers. This is part of DeLaval’s strategy to become an even better partner for its customers and to transform itself into a data-driven organization.  

“A completely new ERP system from scratch is more than just a technical upgrade, it’s a change process and a transformation of our entire business,” said Niklas Falkeling, DeLaval IT program manager. “We needed to reboot and take advantage of the standard solutions that ���۴�ýcurrently offers as cloud services. This is necessary for us to be able to continue to develop the business and become more flexible and agile.”

With a goal of making food production as sustainable and efficient as possible, the implementation of ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud is a global, multi-year and multi-business unit program that will aim to attract more talent, improve processes and leverage innovative technology. The next milestone in helping DeLaval accelerate its growth strategy is to strengthen its team with ���۴�ýcompetency in Tumba, Sweden; Gallin, Germany; and Wroclaw, Poland.

“This is a textbook example of how to run a global transformation program,” said Helle Dochedahl, ���۴�ýNordic and Baltic managing director. “DeLaval has a well-founded strategy to standardize our latest business solutions and unify internal processes by engaging all stakeholders.”

Visit the . Follow ���۴�ýat .

Media Contacts:
Ulrika Wass, +46 73 827 1074, ulrika.wass@sap.com, CET
Lesa Plingen, +49 622 776 9000,��lesa.plingen@sap.com, CET
���۴�ýPress Room; press@sap.com

Top image courtesy of DeLaval

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 SAP’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
© 2024 ���۴�ýSE. All rights reserved.
���۴�ýand other ���۴�ýproducts and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of ���۴�ýSE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

Like at home, identifying every dollar you spend and getting the most out of it is more critical than ever for your business. And as we continue to roll out ���۴�ýBusiness AI technology, the teams behind ���۴�ýsolutions are working on ways to help you reduce the time spent on mundane tasks so you can focus on executing your strategy, unlocking spend potential, and unleashing efficiency.

The first quarter of 2024 was among the most productive in my 18 years at SAP. We debuted new AI capabilities in various ���۴�ýspend management solutions. Check out some of these highlights:

• ���۴�ýAriba Category Management: We’ve incorporated that can assist category managers by generating recommendations in the solution’s category segmentation, market dynamics, and cost structure tools.
• Scoutbee Discovery: ���۴�ýpartnered with Scoutbee, a leading AI-powered supplier intelligence and discovery platform, to launch . This ���۴�ýendorsed app can rapidly identify qualified suppliers that meet specific criteria and can help advance strategic business imperatives. of me participating in a recent LinkedIn Live with the Scoutbee team.
• Concur Request: Now, this service uses generative AI to help provide for trip planning.
• ExpenseIt: Users can upload receipt images to the ExpenseIt solution, which taps AI to help with several key fields prepopulated. Plus, ExpenseIt can now itemize hotel folios using generative AI.
• Generative AI search: A new capability within Concur Support allows ���۴�ýConcur customers to type questions in natural language and get quick answers using generative AI, .

SAP’s market-leading spend and business network solutions are getting even smarter, working to unlock greater value for our customers. We have many resources devoted to spend management and that’s why we continue to deliver innovation in spend management.

And we are only getting started. By the end of 2024,  is planning the following enhancements:

• Generative AI RFI/RFP responses in ���۴�ýBusiness Network Discovery: With generative AI-enabled responses for postings in ���۴�ýBusiness Network Discovery, suppliers will be able to respond to RFIs promptly and more accurately, helping to save time and reduce costs associated with manual labor and resource allocation.����
• Catalog enrichment using ChatGPT recommendations: This feature can enable suppliers to generate and improve product descriptions and overall catalog quality based on prompts and keyword recommendations from ChatGPT.��
• Intelligent error simplification using generative AI:��This feature uses machine learning and a large language model to interpret and categorize invoice rejection reasons, allowing suppliers to reduce the number of failing invoices, improve rapid invoice submission and payment, and optimize cash flow.

For more on how AI is transforming business networks, read this recent article from my colleague Joern Keller.

But What Are Our Customers Saying?

Each quarter, G2 highlights the top rated solutions in the industry, chosen by the source that matters most: customers. Spring 2024 is no different, and once again our suite of spend and business network solutions scored extremely well.

• is a G2 Spring Leader in Vendor Management.
• is a G2 Spring Leader in Procure to Pay, Purchasing, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Relationship Management, and Contract Lifecycle Management.
• is a G2 Spring Leader in Expense, Travel & Expense, and Invoicing.

What’s more, G2 recently announced its , with ���۴�ýFieldglass and ���۴�ýConcur receiving high honors:

• ���۴�ýFieldglass came in at No. 26 in G2’s Best Software Awards across all products and No. 12 in G2’s Best Software Awards for best midmarket products.
• ���۴�ýConcur came in at No. 4 in G2’s Best Software Awards for the account and software product category.

My colleagues are also getting their flowers. Etosha Thurman, chief marketing and solutions officer of Intelligent Spend and Business Network, and Steve Seide, global head of Adoption for Intelligent Spend and Business Network, were named Top Procurement Pros in the . A big congratulations also goes out to Darcy MacClaren, CRO for ���۴�ýDigital Supply Chain, who received a Pros to Know Lifetime Achievement award.

Driving Success for Our Customers

Hearing me spotlight our direct and indirect procurement, external workforce, and travel and expense management solutions is one thing. Seeing them in action is something way more powerful. Here are a few recent customer success stories to take in:

• American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), a leading global specialty retailer offering high-quality on-trend clothing, accessories, and personal care products through its portfolio of brands, needed to evaluate indirect purchasing processes and vendor relationships to maximize efficiency. See how helped simplify processes and deliver compliant purchasing protocols across the company.
• Power provider to over 900,000 electric customers, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (OG&E) faced challenges with the complexity of third-party and cross-department management of contingent workers. After transitioning ���۴�ýFieldglass solutions to internal management, OG&E gained the visibility to make more informed financial decisions, like supplier negotiations.
• Vestas Wind Systems, the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines, launched a large-scale quality initiative powered by ���۴�ýBusiness Network to help mitigate product defects in a highly complex supply chain. Now, using ���۴�ýBusiness Network, suppliers complete predefined quality tests and document them before confirming or sending an order. This enables Vestas employees to be warned in advance of any quality issues further up the supply chain, so they can take corrective action.
• Most KUKA employees are based in Germany, where tax regulation is complex and submitting hotel and entertainment expenses is anything but simple. The KUKA team worked together to develop a simple process using ���۴�ýConcur solutions, connected to ���۴�ýERP, that allows employees to create hotel and entertainment expenses with fewer errors and fewer rejected expense reports.

Join Us at ���۴�ýSapphire!

���۴�ýSapphire & ASUG Annual Conference is June 3-5 in Orlando, Florida, this year and I can’t wait to meet with customers, partners, and my fellow colleagues. This is the best event in the industry in my opinion and you don’t want to miss out. Join us by registering on the , where you can also save your spot at the ���۴�ýSapphire Virtual and ���۴�ýSapphire Barcelona events. See you there!

Jeff Collier is chief revenue officer for ���۴�ýIntelligent Spend and Business Network.

Authorities are starting to involve themselves in business transactions, disrupting well-established business processes and taking control of the invoicing flow between suppliers and buyers. As a result, they have the data needed to prevent tax evasion and start auditing taxpayers automatically or even auto-populating tax returns moving toward tax bills. Additionally, sustainability efforts and climate change regulations further impact tax regulations.

Amid these shifts, ���۴�ýcan provide peace of mind to navigate complexities efficiently. By understanding the evolving tax landscape, businesses can leverage ���۴�ýsolutions to help streamline compliance processes and drive automation to capitalize on emerging opportunities.

���۴�ýsolutions for global tax management are tailored to help address modern tax challenges. ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud can provide transparency and compliance on a global scale, enabling businesses to embed tax requirements in processes.

Through localized solutions that offer standardized but flexible business processes, a complete suite of solutions facilitates efficient tax management, from e-invoicing to statutory reporting and overall tax compliance. With ���۴�ýtechnology and expertise, businesses can achieve greater accuracy and agility in tax compliance, paving the way for sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

To help tax professionals prepare for and become valuable members of tax transformation projects, ���۴�ýis introducing a new course: .

The course is designed to equip professionals with the knowledge needed to navigate today’s tax landscape and learn new capabilities that can be leveraged as part of ���۴�ýS/4HANA-enabled transformations to simplify tax compliance.

The course offers practical strategies to learn about the different tax types, global developments and their business relevance, and the importance of technology with a focus on ���۴�ýS/4HANA and ���۴�ýsolutions for global tax management. It begins on April 30 and��. By enrolling in this course, tax professionals can gain valuable insights into industry best practices and leverage the latest ���۴�ýinnovations to help optimize their tax processes.

In a time of rapid change, ���۴�ýsupports businesses on their journey to tax compliance and growth. Through collaboration with ���۴�ýand a commitment to continuous learning, businesses can navigate the complexities of taxation with confidence and achieve their long-term objectives.

Erika Buson is part of Product Marketing for Global Tax Management and Entity Close at SAP.

1. It is intended to merge Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (local court of München, HRB 124384) as transferring company in the course of a simplified group merger into ���۴�ýSE as acquiring company. Therefore, the assets of Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung in its entirety together with all rights and obligations are transferred to ���۴�ýSE with effectiveness as of 1 January 2024, 0:00 a.m. (“effective merger date”). From the effective merger date to the date of the expiry of Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung pursuant to Sec. 20 para. 1 No.2 UmwG
   all acts and businesses undertaken by Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung shall be deemed to have been undertaken for the account of ���۴�ýSE.

   ���۴�ýSE is the sole shareholder of Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung. A merger resolution of the acquiring company ���۴�ýSE is not necessary pursuant to Sec. 62 para. 1 sent. 1 UmwG. A resolution of the general meeting of Shareholders of ���۴�ýSE on the approval of the merger agreement is also not required because ���۴�ýSE as the acquiring company holds the share capital of Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung in full. Since ���۴�ýSE holds all shares in Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, the preparation of a merger report, a merger audit and an audit report is not required pursuant to Secs. 8 para. 3 sent. 3 no. 1 a), 9 para. 2, 12 para. 3, 60 UmwG.

2. The stakeholders of ���۴�ýSE with a combined holding of one-twentieth of the share capital of the company are herewith advised of their right to request the convention of a general meeting to decide on the approval of the merger (Sec. 62 para. 2 sent. 1, para. 3 sent. 3 UmwG).
3. A resolution of the shareholder’s meeting of Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung on the approval of the merger agreement is not required pursuant to section 62 para. 4 sent. 1 UmwG because ���۴�ýSE is the sole shareholder of Hybris Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung.
4. As of the date of this announcement, the following documents can be assessed by the links below:
   1. .
   2. The annual financial statements and, where required, the annual reports of the companies who are parties to the merger for the fiscal years 2021, 2022, 2023:

      
      
      
      
      
      

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���۴�ýSE, April 26, 2024

The Board of Directors

RISE with SAP is a managed cloud offering that can enable customers to unlock continued innovation and transformation by modernizing their business-critical systems and processes in a highly collaborative and measurable way.��This offering includes the newly announced that helps bring renewed focus on the cloud transformation journey by enabling smooth, secure migration of on-premise ���۴�ýERP Central Component (���۴�ýECC) and ���۴�ýS/4HANA customers to the cloud. The key pillars of the program are the RISE with ���۴�ýMethodology, transformation incentives, and the innovation road map. The program features offerings tailored to each customer’s unique starting point. Its components are differentiated for ���۴�ýECC and ���۴�ýS/4HANA customers and can run with a clean core approach, taking advantage of the latest innovations in RISE with SAP.����

The cornerstone of the program is the RISE with ���۴�ýMethodology. The methodology captures the best practices of successful implementations from thousands of RISE with ���۴�ýcustomers over three years and is designed to provide a consistent approach – from planning to go-live to ongoing operations and evolution –��that can meet customers’ business transformation goals. Whether through ���۴�ýor partner-led engagements, customers can get a clear path with specific implementation stages and success KPIs to be able to take advantage of speed, agility, and all the benefits of the cloud.

Today we’re adding enhancements to the RISE with ���۴�ýMethodology, including a new onboarding experience and quality checks throughout the project implementation phases. All new RISE with ���۴�ýcustomers will go through this onboarding experience at no additional cost. The new experience provides guided enablement by SAP-assigned onboarding advisors and related tools and services to help customers implement their cloud ERP solutions with clarity and confidence. The onboarding advisors can guide customers through the overall process aligned with the RISE with ���۴�ýMethodology and prepare them to get started with their implementation. The new experience also helps simplify best practice implementation of the , helping to make it a more central, actionable, and measurable standard of all implementations. This helps ensure all RISE with ���۴�ýcustomers can benefit from business agility, faster innovation cycles, and improved value realization. 

The new improvements to the RISE with ���۴�ýMethodology include:

• Expert onboarding guidance through embedded launch activities: A dedicated ���۴�ýadvisor can deliver 1:1 enablement sessions to help educate customers on the RISE with ���۴�ýMethodology, clean core strategy, and related tools for implementation. Also, there are role-based, recorded enablement sessions covering business process best practices, solution architectures, and other strategic topics leading up to the go-live milestone. Check out this on embedded launch activities to get a full view on what enablement resources are delivered through this new onboarding experience with RISE with SAP.��
• Clean core-focused success plan, runbook, and��quality checks: We’ve developed a clean core success plan with clear milestones and KPIs. The clean core success plan is now added to the ���۴�ýActivate road map viewer, where customers – with the support of ���۴�ýadvisors and partners – can review the recommended actions in uniquely created road maps, aligning their needs with best practices to help continually unlock business value faster. We’re also adding new quality gate checks to validate that the actual implementation is in line with recommended clean core best practices before customers proceed to the next project phase. The outcome of the quality gate is the ���۴�ýclean core report with feedback and recommendations on how to implement the clean core strategy.��These recommendations are recorded and tracked via the updated runbook in the ���۴�ýCloud ALM solution. To learn more, read a on this topic.��

We’ll continue to deliver more tools, templates, training, and oversight to help make it easier for customers to execute an optimal migration or transition to the cloud and achieve their business objectives. Coming later this year is the RISE with ���۴�ýsystem transition workbench. This tool will help the technical implementation of migrating to cloud ERP by providing digital access to SAP-approved best practices and guidance for migrations, automation of tasks, health, and system checks. Stay tuned as we get ready to share more on this in the coming weeks. ����

To learn more, join us for our upcoming webinar on May 23, where we will go deeper into this new onboarding experience in the RISE with ���۴�ýMethodology. Register .

Panda Priyadarsana is SVP and GM of Customer Services & Delivery and head of Cloud ERP at SAP.

Photo courtesy of ���۴�ýemployee Juelma Guerreiro.

With the integration of cutting-edge technologies, organizations can leverage data-driven insights to make informed decisions, accelerate time-to-market for new treatments, and ultimately improve patient care. Life sciences and healthcare companies are at the forefront of innovation and competitive advantage by embracing changing industry trends and harnessing technology’s power.

The ���۴�ýIndustry Heroes program was launched in 2023 to celebrate companies that leverage technology to transform their business in innovative ways. Healthcare and life sciences heroes have harnessed the power of technology to transform the traditional patient paradigm into an adaptive, customer-centric frontier.

Astellas

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a leading pharmaceutical company dedicated to advancing healthcare through innovative therapies and cutting-edge research. Focusing on addressing unmet medical needs, Astellas develops and markets a wide range of healthcare solutions across various therapeutic areas, striving to improve the health and well-being of patients globally. With RISE with ���۴�ýand ���۴�ýSuccessFactors solutions, Astellas is building an internal environment that will leverage globally integrated data to unlock the organization’s full potential.

DXC Technology

DXC Technology is a global IT services and solutions company known for its expertise in digital transformation, enterprise applications, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. With a focus on enabling clients to thrive in the digital era, DXC offers a wide range of technology and advisory services tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses across industries. A mobile app built on the ���۴�ýBusiness Technology Platform (���۴�ýBTP) and ���۴�ýBusiness AI is enabling individuals with Parkinson’s disease to keep clinicians informed about their symptoms, accompanied by a clinician dashboard – and generative AI query extensions are also in development. The innovative solution aims to improve the quality of life for these patients and their caregivers and marks a huge step forward in using AI to support clinical decisions.

Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

Gilead’s digital transformation journey includes a bold migration to ���۴�ýS/4HANA with segmentation and ���۴�ýAriba and continues to expand its reach with ���۴�ýBTP and cutting-edge solutions such as ���۴�ýIntelligent Clinical Supply Management, ���۴�ýCell and Gene Therapy Orchestration, and ���۴�ýBatch Release Hub for Life Sciences.

Most notably, Gilead and ���۴�ýare co-innovating on ���۴�ýBatch Release Hub for Life Sciences. This groundbreaking add-on will support continued compliance with regulatory standards across regions and jurisdictions with emphasis on highest quality and safety standards for Gilead’s products, further safeguarding patient wellbeing across the globe. Integrating ���۴�ýAriba solutions, including ���۴�ýBusiness Network, Gilead aims to create a globally interconnected platform, enhancing collaboration between suppliers and buyers while optimizing its global procurement operations.

Additionally, ���۴�ýand Gilead are collaborating on co-innovating jurisdiction control checks using ���۴�ýBatch Release Hub for Life Sciences. The add-on will perform control checks on manufactured batches of pharmaceutical products, helping life science organizations to maintain compliance with regulatory standards across multiple regions and jurisdictions. This safeguard checklist will further support the quality and safety of products.

���۴�ýcelebrates these organizations’ outstanding efforts, collaboration, and dedication to driving successful business outcomes with technology. The innovations streamline research processes, enhance efficiency, and improve patient care, ultimately revolutionizing how healthcare and life sciences companies operate.

���۴�ýInnovation Days for Life Sciences & Healthcare are taking place in Palo Alto, California, from April 24- 25, 2024, and Newton Square, Pennsylvania, from April 29-30, 2024, celebrating industry heroes and bringing attendees together to discuss leveraging technology to drive business outcomes. Get more information on the events .

As we navigate this brave new world of business AI, ���۴�ýpartners are playing an essential role as equal parts technology disrupters, trusted advisors, and innovation multipliers. They work and live at the edge, breaking technology rules with every new solution and innovation they bring to the table. These companies are passionate about their AI-driven solutions, which will provide what ���۴�ýmanufacturing customers want most for their businesses nowadays: more efficiency, accuracy, and agility in their production operations and supply chains. Their energy and passion are positioning them to redefine the rules of engagement regarding how partner ecosystems work.

It doesn’t matter what kind of partner you are — you could be on the build, implement/service, or sell sides of the ���۴�ýpartner ecosystem, the opportunities to innovate, and co-innovate with ���۴�ýand other partners, solutions that bring value to customers in discrete manufacturing industries are as limitless as our imaginations. It’s an exciting time to be an ���۴�ýindustry partner.

Innovative Solutions from ���۴�ýand Partners Give Our Manufacturing Customers a Competitive Edge

Giving our manufacturing customers the business AI solutions they need to thrive in highly competitive and often volatile markets is an absolute must. Whether those solutions are developed by an ���۴�ýpartner, ���۴�ýitself, or collaboratively is secondary.

This new drive to co-innovate on our customers’ behalf is creating opportunities for partners to develop and deliver industry innovations in three areas of discrete manufacturing:

1. Solutions that enable efficient, accurate, and agile manufacturing and supply chains by integrating processes, removing data silos, and seamlessly connecting manufacturing and supply chain applications with the whole of the business.
2. Solutions that improve decision-making by using AI to analyze data from internal and external sources in context and produce insights that increase manufacturing operations’ resilience and help customers strike the right balance among cost, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.
3. Solutions that promote collaboration within a business ecosystem.��Many of the company executives I’ve spoken with recently wanted to talk about Manufacturing-X, the growing cross-industry initiative in which companies across various manufacturing value chains come together within a global business ecosystem to define a standard that enables them to share production and supply chain data across platforms and technology to further increase resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness.

We are bringing this customer-focused, partner-driven approach to life this week at Hannover Messe, bringing center stage the latest, most compelling innovations to emerge from ���۴�ýand our partner ecosystem, across both discrete and process manufacturing — many embedded with business AI.

Some of the showcases that have been developed collaboratively in action include:

• Modular manufacturing that orchestrates production cells with a hard independent fleet manager
• High-speed bottling that captures traceability data and in-line quality assurance
• A centralized operations control center��that manages an offsite process production line
• AI-enhanced visual inspection and guided instructions during component assembly
• A quick guided journey through an Industrial Metaverse, showing how assets inside a power plant can be intelligently and remotely managed

���۴�ýpartners are playing an integral part in our presence at Hannover Messe, just as they are in our overarching industry vision. Partners including Accenture, Camelot ITLab, Cideon Software & Services, FORCAM, Kinexon, Systema, and TeamViewer are all exhibiting their solutions alongside their ���۴�ýcounterparts, demonstrating the true power of partnership and innovation at every turn.

By leveraging resources like the new ���۴�ýAI Launchpad and generative AI hub, our partners will introduce industry innovations that will add immediate value for customers in the discrete and process manufacturing space. Hence, they have the intelligent digital tools they need to be future-ready.

Kinexon’s OS extension to the ���۴�ýDigital Manufacturing solution is one example. Kinexon OS orchestrates the shop floor and automates previously manual processes, improving production speed, quality, and asset utilization. It is providing customers with an essential pathway to modular production and autonomous manufacturing.

For those of you at the event, stop by the ���۴�ýspace and experience innovation and partnership in perfect harmony firsthand. An electric injection molding machine developed by Fanuc with support from partner Syntax will be cranking out made-to-order drinking vessels.

Come enjoy a cup of inspiration on us. It’s a small but meaningful taste of what’s possible for partners in our collaborative, customer-focused, and business AI-driven cloud ecosystem.

Sven Denecken is senior vice president and chief marketing and solutions officer for Industries & CX at SAP.

• Cloud revenue up 24% and up 25% at constant currencies, supported by 32% Cloud ERP Suite revenue growth at constant currencies
• Current cloud backlog of €14.2 billion, up 27% and up 28% at constant currencies
• IFRS cloud gross profit up 27%, non-IFRS cloud gross profit up 27% and up 28% at constant currencies
• IFRS operating loss of –€0.8 billion due to a €2.2 billion restructuring provision
• Non-IFRS operating profit up 16% and up 19% at constant currencies even including higher share-based compensation resulting from strong share price increase
• Outlook 2024 reaffirmed

“We’re off to a great start in 2024 and we’re confident we’ll achieve our goals for the year. Looking ahead, we have powerful growth drivers in place – Business AI, cross-selling across our cloud portfolio, and winning new customers particularly in the midmarket. The strength of our current cloud backlog reaching a record growth rate is a testament to that momentum. Our transformation program is also well on track and will help us to capture this growth and increase efficiency.”

Christian Klein, CEO

��

“In the first quarter we successfully kicked off the implementation of our transformation program thereby allowing us to focus our investments on the Business AI opportunity while decoupling expense from revenue growth. We are also very pleased by the unabated growth momentum of the Cloud ERP Suite, reflecting the market’s secular shift towards integrated cloud solutions.”

Dominik Asam, CFO

Press Contacts:
Joellen Perry, +1 (650) 445-6780, joellen.perry@sap.com, PT
Daniel Reinhardt, +49 (6227) 7-40201, daniel.reinhardt@sap.com, CET

And for you and your business, you can tell all those success stories – and more – with the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors HCM suite and our first half 2024 release.

As your organization and employees begin to embrace AI, HR has the opportunity to drive new levels of employee productivity, engagement, and growth. ���۴�ýSuccessFactors HCM can give you everything you need – the global foundation, skills framework, people-first experiences, and purpose-built AI capabilities – to help take HR to the next level. With the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors first half 2024 release, we are delivering more than 250 innovative features and enhancements.

���۴�ýBusiness AI

In 1H 2024, we are thrilled to introduce more than 25 new AI capabilities to enable better employee experiences and new levels of productivity.

Among these capabilities include the ability for applicants to provide skills during the application process. This can enable recruiters to see a skills compatibility for each applicant based on matching the applicant’s skills and the job requisition, helping improve applicant screening and time to hire. Furthermore, personalization in ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Opportunity Marketplace is enhanced with new AI-driven recommendation categories, “Ignite Your Role” and “Reach Your Aspirations.” These guided experiences can enable employees to proactively take steps to reach their development goals.

Generative AI continues to be embedded across the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors HCM suite, including new capabilities to help employees create ready-made performance and development goals and AI-assisted writing to help improve the quality, clarity, and conciseness of writing across a variety of areas within ���۴�ýSuccessFactors solutions.

Further, with this release, insights based on an employee’s compensation and job history are available to help support managers in having effective and well-informed compensation discussions. 

We have also added more than 15 new capabilities in this release to help both managers and employees get work done in a conversational way, such as creating or changing a position, creating spot awards, clocking in and out, and viewing pay statements as well as time capabilities like requesting time off, checking leave balances, and syncing holidays to Outlook calendars while managers can review and approve time off. Further, employees can now clock in and out using Joule, Microsoft Teams, or the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Mobile app.

���۴�ýSuccessFactors Employee Central

We are excited to unveil two new people profile experiences – the profile preview and the spotlight view. The profile preview can provide a snapshot of key areas of the employee profile, including job, manager, location, and contact details, to quickly view and connect with others. Additionally, the spotlight view can showcase employee skills and competencies, mentoring and target roles, and other relevant personal and organizational information.

We are also introducing a new org chart experience with a refreshed look and feel. Available on desktop and mobile, users can explore their organizational structure with improved expand and collapse capabilities, which helps provide full accessibility to an employee’s profile preview, with an option to open the new spotlight view.

Customers can now automatically process new hires from ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Recruiting and ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Onboarding into ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Employee Central. This capability helps further reduce the time to hire, which is especially important with mass, seasonal, and high-volume hiring.

���۴�ýSuccessFactors Employee Central Global Benefits

With this release, we are pleased to introduce a new benefits enrollment experience for insurance, savings, and pension benefit types. Available on both desktop and mobile, the guided experience for benefits elections can give employees increased convenience with improved navigation and increased confidence with side-by-side plan comparisons and embedded instructional text. Additionally, employees can update dependent information and manage beneficiaries directly from the benefits enrollment process, which helps further streamline the enrollment experience.  

���۴�ýSuccessFactors Time Tracking

We are thrilled to share the launch of a new time sheet experience that integrates the latest version of My Timesheet in ���۴�ýS/4HANA with ���۴�ýSuccessFactors. Employees can now record time for payroll, as well as against activities and cost objects, from a single time sheet across applications. This helps organizations leverage real-time connectivity between HR and finance operations to keep track of employee activity and labor costs and to pay employees accurately and on time.

Additionally, a new monthly calendar view for time sheets can give employees and managers a complete picture of recorded time over a month. Users can drill down into specific days and submit or approve time for pay periods beyond a week, such as biweekly or monthly.

For managers, a new time approval center helps simplify approvals with a centralized dashboard highlighting anomalies for swift resolution. Managers can monitor team working hours effectively, helping to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing.

���۴�ýSuccessFactors Onboarding

With enhancements to the onboarding journey experience, new hires can now use the new Your Onboarding Checklist page to reference and complete all tasks – onboarding data collection, compliance tasks, additional onboarding tasks, and exploring the onboarding guide – from one place with a single view. Available for new hires, rehires, internal hires, and employees with global assignments, this improved experience can save time for onboarding participants while helping to ensure productivity from the start.

And that’s only a fraction of all the innovations we’re bringing to customers in 1H 2024. There’s much more in the release, including new and exciting updates in:

• Generative AI and Joule capabilities
• ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Opportunity Marketplace
• ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Compensation
• ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Succession & Development
• ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Incentive Management
• ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Work Zone

Read the and watch the to find out more.

Bianka Woelke is group vice president of Application Product Management at SAP.

“Businesses today are confronted with challenges ranging from supply chain disruptions and labor shortages to geopolitical uncertainties,” said Muhammad Alam, member of the Executive Board of ���۴�ýSE, ���۴�ýProduct Engineering. “���۴�ýrecognizes the imperative for agility and intelligence, driving innovation with AI-powered solutions to streamline supply chain and manufacturing processes. Companies can enhance operational efficiency and improve supply chain resiliency while delighting customers with superior service, paving the way for sustained growth and market competitiveness.”

Accurate and relevant real-time information helps mitigate the impact that supply-chain disruptions have on suppliers, manufacturers and distributors worldwide. SMA Solar Technology AG and other customers have already witnessed the benefits of SAP’s solutions, including an approximately 15% increase in supply chain workforce productivity, a 10% decrease in overall supply chain planning costs and a 10% reduction in inventory carrying costs and stock turnover rate.

“SMA Solar modernizes its manufacturing execution systems to support sustainable, risk-resilient manufacturing operations with the power of AI-enabled visual inspection in the ���۴�ýDigital Manufacturing solution,” said Heiko Kehm, SMA Solar head of IT Order to Cash.

Sixty-three percent of supply chain executives and 52% of operations executives have an AI strategy linked to business objectives, according to “,” a global 2024 IDC InfoBrief sponsored by SAP*. Fifty-one percent of the 2,000 survey respondents are embedding AI into supply chain planning business processes and key applications for real-time decision-making. Another 58% are using AI to increase operational efficiency and employee productivity.

to SAP’s supply chain solutions to support customers’ AI-centric strategy include:

• Optimizing decisions across the supply chain with AI-driven insights: Companies can now leverage higher volumes of machine data and integrate AI-driven visual inspection by computer into their production processes, enabling a remarkable increase in quality through automation.
• Streamlining product development: Product developers can now use SAP’s AI copilot Joule to gather and enhance new product ideas quickly and effectively using natural language queries. Joule also helps tag product designs with business data, so they visually contextualize business-critical information.
• Detecting equipment anomalies: Using AI, asset operators can proactively address potential breakdowns based on sensor data collected from smart devices and edge gateways. This new capacity utilizes the cutting-edge Cumulocity IoT platform from Software AG, which is planned to be embedded in the ���۴�ýAsset Performance Management application in Q3.
• Improving field response: Customers can optimize driving routes and allocate job assignments efficiently with integrated real-time traffic data and machine-learning-trained models, which enable the right field service technicians to reach their destinations on time.

Find more details about the innovations ���۴�ýwill show at Hannover Messe .

Visit the . Follow ���۴�ýat .

*IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by SAP, The Importance of AI in Supply Chain and Operations, document #US52042224, April 2024.

About SAP

As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, ���۴�ý(NYSE: 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 .

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To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit . On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels.

For customers interested in learning more about ���۴�ýproducts:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1���۴�ý(1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:
Dana Roesiger, +49 6227 7 63900, dana.roesiger@sap.com, CET
Julie Schneider, +1 (650) 687-2788, julie.schneider@sap.com, PT
���۴�ýPress Room; press@sap.com

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 SAP’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
© 2024 ���۴�ýSE. All rights reserved.
���۴�ýand other ���۴�ýproducts and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of ���۴�ýSE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

Please consider our . If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact press@sap.com and write Unsubscribe in the subject line. 

By shifting towards a skills-based approach to talent acquisition and development, companies can build a workforce that is not only capable of meeting current demands, but also equipped to navigate future challenges effectively. Here are three strategies for building a dynamic organization with a skills-based approach to talent.

1. Identify and Prioritize Critical Skills

The first step in implementing a skills-based approach is to identify the key skills that are crucial for the organization’s success. This involves analyzing the current and future needs of the business and understanding the skills that are in high demand in the market. By prioritizing these critical skills, organizations can focus their hiring efforts on candidates who possess or have the potential to develop these competencies.

With the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors talent intelligence hub, organizations can have the power and simplicity of a single skills model from recruiting, onboarding, learning, and development, all the way through to performance and succession.��It helps to better understand, build, and leverage the skills of workforces. It can connect individual skills, attributes, strengths, and preferences to both people and experiences throughout�����۴�ýSuccessFactors solutions.

By creating a comprehensive overview of the skills available within the organization, managers can identify gaps and areas for improvement. This information can inform talent development initiatives, such as training programs or job rotations, to help employees acquire the necessary skills to excel in their roles. For example, within the talent intelligence hub there is a team growth portfolio view, which allows managers to quickly assess skill gaps and search for prioritized skills within their teams.

2. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning

Building a dynamic organization requires a culture that supports continuous learning and skill development. Organizations can encourage employees to enhance their skills through internal training programs, mentorship opportunities, and access to external resources. By creating a learning environment where employees are motivated to upskill and reskill, organizations can ensure that their workforce remains adaptable and competitive in a rapidly changing market.

AI-enabled learning platforms can deliver personalized and adaptive training programs based on individual skill gaps and career aspirations. with embedded AI can give organizations a wide range of capabilities that help enhance a learner’s experience with relevant recommendations that are unique to each learner and based on their needs and interests. In addition, has AI-driven recommendations to help match employees with assignments, career opportunities, mentors, and more. This solution considers not only qualifications but also skills, experiences, and preferences, so that organizations can ensure better talent alignment and engagement.

3. Embrace Flexibility and Adaptability

In a skills-based approach to talent management, organizations need to be flexible and adaptable in their recruitment and development practices. This means being open to hiring candidates with transferable skills and potential for growth, rather than focusing solely on specific job titles or qualifications. This can be made possible with technology that supports skills-based hiring.

With , skills can be aligned to job requisitions and skills-based candidate evaluations. This can allow hiring managers to view rankings of candidates and determine the best candidate based on their skill proficiency. In addition, recruiters can leverage generative AI capabilities to help enhance job descriptions, including the proper skills and competences, which helps recruiters hire the best talent for a role. By embracing a more flexible approach to talent acquisition, organizations can build a diverse workforce with a wide range of skills and perspectives, driving innovation and creativity.

A skills-based approach to talent management can help organizations build a dynamic and resilient workforce that is equipped to thrive in today’s fast-paced business environment. By prioritizing critical skills, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and embracing flexibility in recruitment and development practices, organizations can create a competitive advantage through their most valuable asset – their people.

To learn more about how to build a dynamic organization with a skills-based approach to talent, register for this�� on Thursday, April 25, at 1:00p.m. EST.

Christina Russo is a global director of Product Marketing at ���۴�ýSuccessFactors.

In the latest episode of the AHA! Moments for Diversity & Inclusion video series, ���۴�ýChief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Supriya Jha talks to Houghton about how her first job started a lifelong advocacy for people with disabilities and how accommodations can make all the difference.

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Seventy percent of the world’s population – 1 billion people – has an invisible disability, including anxiety, depression, hearing issues, or autism, to name but a few. Houghton, who has a learning disability, is one of them.

Houghton was lucky; accommodations at school meant that she had the extra time needed to process information in exams. But when she took her law school entrance exams, her luck ran out. With no extra time or accommodation, she fell behind. This changed the trajectory of her life. Instead of legal studies, an internship followed. Instead of a career in law, her first job was in Indianapolis, Indiana, placing people born with disabilities into employment.

The AHA! Moment

During her time in Indianapolis, Houghton recalls one client in particular, Erica, and how the job for her “wasn’t just about a paycheck, but that it was about respect and it was about being included in her community and having friends.” And, says Houghton, it “was at that moment that I knew why I existed, and I never turned back.” She has been a disability inclusion activist ever since.

As president of Disability:IN, Houghton has been a driving force in promoting disability inclusion in companies and with the Disability Equality Index (DEI), a tool for measuring and offering best practices for disability inclusion. The DEI analyzes disability inclusion practices and processes in leadership and culture, employment practices, community engagement, and supplier diversity. It also offers advice on how to better disability inclusion.

In 2023, more than 480 companies participated in the DEI, including 69 Fortune 100 companies with more than 14 million U.S.-based employees and nearly 9 million non-U.S.-based employees. ���۴�ýwas awarded the top score in the 2023 DEI rankings.

Workplace Accommodations and Leadership Culture

Only 5% of employees with a disability choose to disclose, and SAP’s Jha was keen to get Houghton’s insights on how to create a culture where disabled employees feel that they can articulate their needs and reach their full potential.

Houghton says the solution is twofold. First, leaders must use their platforms to be a disability inclusion ally or have the cultural space to own their identity – disabled or not. And second, workplace accommodations must be the norm.

Processes for requesting accommodations must be transparent and easy to follow. Managers must clearly understand how to arrange accommodations and, more importantly, budget must be available. If these processes aren’t easy, there is a risk that talent will be lost and that disabled employees will not have a sense of belonging.

Avoiding Microaggressions and Discrimination

To avoid microaggressions and discrimination against disabled employees, Houghton advocates using the best resource possible – your own employees, in particular disability employee groups. At SAP, there are Employee Network Groups such as ���۴�ýHEAR and Friends and Enabled@SAP.

Disability is a true cross-collaborative task. After all, Houghton concludes, becoming disabled is the “one team that anybody can join at any time in their life.”

Contracts govern every dollar in and out of the enterprise and provide a legal framework for ongoing business relationships. This makes contract data one of the most valuable assets to inform decision-making and accelerate strategic outcomes for enterprises.

According to estimates, poor contract management can cost companies nearly 9% of their bottom line, creating significant revenue leakage alongside the risk and compliance concerns that come with a lack of visibility into commercial agreements.

���۴�ýunderstands the value of balancing risk and profitability in the contracting process. To complement our solutions and provide additional advanced contract management capabilities to our customers, we partner with Icertis in a joint development effort that includes technological integration between ���۴�ýand Icertis solutions. This innovation complements a full suite of integrations designed to help ���۴�ýcustomers turn contracts into strategic assets. It can enable global enterprises to realize the true intent of their commercial agreements while managing and automating core processes with their ���۴�ýsolutions.

Introducing the Latest Version of Icertis Contract Intelligence for ���۴�ýS/4HANA

One outcome of our joint development efforts with Icertis is the latest version of (Buy Side), an ���۴�ýendorsed app available on ���۴�ýStore. at ���۴�ýSapphire in 2023, the solution integrates ���۴�ýS/4HANA and the Icertis contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform. It can empower procurement teams to realize more profitable and compliant sourcing processes by optimizing supplier relationships and accelerating source-to-pay cycle times.

The new iteration of Icertis Contract Intelligence for ���۴�ýS/4HANA takes the integration one step further, deepening the connection with ���۴�ýS/4HANA for enterprise contract management. This can enable greater efficiency and visibility along with the ability to create a legal transaction in ���۴�ýS/4HANA that can automatically initiate a contract in the Icertis solution. Through richer contract data pools and seamless connectivity across the agreement lifecycle, procurement decision-makers can track obligations after the contract is signed, discover clauses, and negotiate more beneficial commercial terms to mitigate revenue leakage and ultimately create cost savings for their enterprises.������

Expanding Our Partnership to Benefit ���۴�ýCustomers

Icertis and ���۴�ý in 2022 and have continued to provide automation and analytics at scale by connecting AI and data that represents every business transaction within ERP, finance, procurement, sales, and HR solutions from SAP. Additional ���۴�ýendorsed apps available on ���۴�ýStore include , , and . Each solution is designed to provide enterprise leaders with a deeper understanding of what’s driving their business, as well as powerful new levers to steer future success.

To learn more about the transformative capabilities of ���۴�ýS/4HANA with Icertis Contract Intelligence, .

Priya Wenzel is vice president and global head of Partner Ecosystem Success for Digital Supply Chain and Intelligent Spend & Business Network Solutions at SAP.

For decades, our partners have leveraged their industry expertise and technological know-how to bring immense value to companies of all sizes. They possess a rare fusion of deep industry insights and technological expertise, which they leverage to guide businesses through the delicate process of modernization while ensuring that the essence of their identity remains intact.

We recently how they’re helping customers take better advantage of their organization’s data. Our partners have observed a significant shift in the way data is perceived and utilized. It’s no longer just a byproduct of business operations but a core asset that, when effectively distributed and made accessible, can revolutionize customer experiences and enable a more strategic, company-wide approach to decision-making.

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However, the mere availability of data is not a panacea. The crux of the matter is transforming data into actionable insights. This is where our partners excel, mapping out advanced use cases and facilitating the transition to cutting-edge platforms like ���۴�ýDatasphere and ���۴�ýAnalytics Cloud. These solutions can empower organizations to evolve into entities where data is not just present but central to every action and decision.

The practical implications of data are vast and deeply rooted in the operational successes of our clients. AI, for instance, is a frontier rich with potential, but its success is inextricably linked to the quality and accessibility of data. Recognizing this, ���۴�ýpartners are investing in building AI capabilities that can not only propel new business functions but also deliver substantial value.

Another key area of focus for our partners is the concept of a business data fabric, which is critical in developing a flexible enterprise architecture. Such an architecture allows for co-innovation and customization of solutions, ensuring that data is not just an afterthought but a driving force in business operations.

The journey toward a data- and AI-centric business model is an ongoing one, marked by evolving needs, emerging challenges, and a relentless pursuit of innovation. The ultimate aim is to convert potential into lasting business success.

The essence of our relationship with our partners is rooted in a shared vision. We are united in our pursuit of discovery, innovation, and improvement as we navigate the future together. Be sure to with our seven strategic partners and discover how the can help your company become a data-driven organization.

Karl Fahrbach is chief partner officer at SAP.

With the introduction of RISE with ���۴�ýadd-on packages for critical lines of business, customers using RISE with ���۴�ýcan reap significant value from their cloud ERP investment. Each targeted package augments the complete offering of cloud solutions, infrastructure, and services, creating a strategic arsenal for addressing uniquely nuanced challenges and opportunities. 

The first two sets of packages that are now available focus on the needs of finance and supply chain organizations. To advance critical functions from digital banking and treasury and risk management to product lifecycle management and logistics, these packages are designed to be versatile allies in the quest for greater efficiency, sustainability, and growth. 

Strengthening Financial Empowerment for Business Growth 

Financial management stands as a critical pillar for business growth. Within RISE with SAP, its impact can be heightened with add-on packages finely tuned for the office of the CFO. 

Digital Banking: Simplify connections with customers, banks, and payment service providers while meeting the highest security standards.

The digital banking package streamlines financial transactions and helps ensure a comprehensive and secure banking interface, supporting payment processes integrated with ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud Private Edition.��.

Treasury and Risk Management: Invest, borrow, and hedge exposures more confidently with a comprehensive solution for centralized treasury and risk management.

Through the RISE with ���۴�ýadvanced treasury and risk management package, smooth integration with trading platforms allows finance organizations to streamline, automate, and unify trading activities and make more strategic decisions with real-time and predictive cash insights. .

Financial Three Lines of Defense: Let standardization and automation take center stage to address key activities in enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, and audit processes.

The three lines of defense package empowers finance professionals to anticipate and respond to potential economic risks, identify and resolve issues faster, and gain near-real-time visibility into their company’s compliance status and control effectiveness. .

Billing and Revenue Innovation Management: Accelerate the monetization of innovative business models and billing processes for bundled-usage services, products, projects, and recurring services billed on a single invoice.

Using the billing and revenue innovation management package helps establish the foundation for supporting subscription order management, convergent charging and invoices, and contract accounting. It also facilitates incentives and revenue shares for business partners with high-volume customer billings. .

Building Resilient Bonds Across the Supply Chain 

Companies that connect their processes, contextualize their decisions, and collaborate with each supplier, partner, and stakeholder are well-positioned to run risk-resilient and sustainable supply chains. RISE with ���۴�ýbrings this competitive edge by setting the proper foundation with the following add-on packages.

Advanced Product Lifecycle Management: Empower your development organization with the best capabilities for collaboration, visualization, requirements definition and specification, and change management.

The RISE with ���۴�ýadvanced product lifecycle management (PLM) package equips product-centric companies with solutions that keep information flowing across each PLM activity and engage suppliers through digital networks. In return, design decisions are made more accurately, and delays give way to accelerated time to market. .

Advanced Supply Chain Planning: Build an agile, intelligent, and risk-resilient supply chain.

With the RISE with ���۴�ýadvanced supply chain planning package, supply chain organizations can automate and tightly coordinate their planning processes, leverage AI-driven intelligence and planning capabilities, and identify disruptions and shortages early to respond faster and more effectively. .

Advanced Logistics: Increase resilience against constant change and deliver as promised at the right time – every time.

Through the RISE with ���۴�ýadvanced logistics package, supply chain organizations gain best-practice logistics capabilities in warehousing, transportation, robotics, and yard management to reduce costs, avoid stock-outs, and improve order accuracy and on-time delivery. .

Advanced Manufacturing: Drive productivity safely and sustainably with intelligent manufacturing planning and execution.

The RISE with ���۴�ýadvanced manufacturing package assists supply chain organizations in meeting demand with automated, flexible manufacturing processes that support risk-resilient operations and improve sustainability performance. .

Advanced Asset and Service Management: Enter a new world of optimized, AI-powered maintenance and service capabilities.

The RISE with ���۴�ýadvanced asset and service management package opens the door to innovative technologies that maximize asset performance, reduce maintenance costs, and deliver service excellence. This approach allows asset owners and service providers to handle everything from asset strategy and planning to maintenance scheduling and field service management on mobile devices. .

Navigating the Future with Digital Synergy 

The RISE with ���۴�ýoffering is not only emerging as an enabler for migrating on-premises ERP systems to ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud Private Edition; it’s also a transformative force shaping the future of businesses.

And with the addition of add-on packages meticulously crafted for finance and supply chain challenges, the offering stands to become a strategic partner, propelling ���۴�ýcustomers into a new era of efficiency, resilience, and sustained growth.

Eric van Rossum is chief marketing and solutions officer for Cloud ERP at SAP.

���۴�ýis pleased to introduce add-on packages for the GROW with ���۴�ýoffering, which are uniquely tailored to the needs of finance and HR functions. These packages integrate the latest cloud solutions, infrastructure, and services into a strategic toolkit, addressing the challenges and opportunities growing companies face. 

The add-on packages provide a dependable, company-wide view that strengthens financial and HR management practices as strategic pillars for growth. In return, businesses can operate more efficiently, sustainably, and effectively — even when expanding their operations. 

Here is a summary of our new add-on packages.

Digital Banking Package for GROW with SAP

Connect your banks, financial institutions, and payment service providers directly to ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud Public Edition through a single, centralized platform: The digital banking package provides a multi-bank, digital channel between ERP systems and banks with optional embedded SWIFT connectivity. Integrated payment and statement processes are also available, bringing more comprehensive visibility across the payment value chain. 

With the digital banking package, businesses gain critical capabilities; for example:

• Smooth connectivity to financial and payment services to accelerate the onboarding of providers and strengthen compliance with PCI DSS standards  
• A cloud service for processing incoming credit cards, incoming and outgoing payments, and API-based instance balances 
• Reduction in cash reconciliation efforts while optimizing IT costs and increasing flexibility when choosing providers

.

GROW with ���۴�ýAdvanced Treasury and Risk Management Package �į�į&�Բ�����;

Invest confidently and mitigate financial risks while doing more with fewer resources: The GROW with ���۴�ýadvanced treasury and risk management package gives treasurers the comprehensive solution they need to capture exposure data, classify and qualify risks, and trigger trade actions. Predefined connectivity and integration capabilities are available as well, connecting businesses to trading platforms and providers and supporting cash, investment, and risk processes in ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.   

The package includes proven solutions, such as: �į�į&�Բ�����;

• Financial risk management 
• Debt and investment management  
• Advanced treasury analytics and executive dashboards 
• Hedge management and hedge accounting in compliance with IFRS and U.S. GAAP requirements  
• Smart trading using ���۴�ýBusiness Technology Platform and smooth integration with an external trading platform

.

GROW with ���۴�ýAdvanced Compliance Automation Package

Address evolving regulatory and industry compliance requirements with greater ease and confidence: The GROW with ���۴�ýadvanced compliance automation package empowers finance teams to transform and standardize their processes globally while adhering to local standards efficiently. Furthermore, the package helps meet e-invoicing mandates while keeping order-to-cash processes efficient and internal controls adequate. 

The advanced compliance automation package features proven compliance offerings, including:

• ���۴�ýDocument and Reporting Compliance solution to fulfill local compliance mandates and automate compliance processes
• ���۴�ýRisk and Assurance Management application to centrally manage internal controls over financial reporting, improving performance and protecting core data and processes

.

GROW with SAP, Core HR Add-On 

Drive continuous alignment between HR and finance to achieve better business outcomes: The GROW with ���۴�ýcore HR add-on provides a modern cloud-based core HR system that serves as the source of people data in ���۴�ýS/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. It contains the ���۴�ýSuccessFactors Employee Central solution, allowing organizations to use a common data model for HR and finance.   

The core HR add-on helps businesses realize key benefits, such as:   

• Improve people and financial data quality with pre-delivered integration
• Drive more effective workforce planning with holistic real-time insights
• Embrace the latest innovations, such as AI, with a single cloud platform
• Engage users with consistent experiences across HR and finance applications
• Get up and running quickly with pre-configured processes and best practices

.

Business Growth with the Best of Finance and HR

Add-on packages for GROW with ���۴�ýprovide fast-growing organizations with the tools they need to not only enhance their finance and HR operations, but also lay a solid foundation for future success. They can navigate an increasingly complex and competitive landscape with the insight and power to confidently embrace change, fuel innovation, and achieve ongoing growth in an ever-evolving economy.  

Eric van Rossum is chief marketing and solutions officer for Cloud ERP at SAP.

Enterprise GPT and digital launchpad, powered by Joule, won silver in the Best Use of Technology in Sales category, while ���۴�ýDigital Value Discovery won bronze for Value-Based Selling Techniques.

Digital customer engagement at ���۴�ýis executed via digital hubs located at 15 locations across six continents. The hubs are home to more than 1,000 digitally skilled, multi-disciplinary teams that innovate with and apply AI capabilities to serve personalized and immersive engagements, whenever and wherever needed.

“���۴�ýdigital hubs were able to support more than 22,000 customer engagements last year – primarily virtually – thanks to a plethora of AI tools we adopt internally to drive wider customer coverage and faster execution of digital customer engagements,” explains Sam Masri, global head of Digital for Customer Success at SAP.

“We are scaling and expanding our digital customer engagement capabilities to every customer-facing role and function in SAP, ensuring everyone uses multiple AI tools to outsource administrative, repetitive, and manual activities to AI,” he elaborates. “This way, we have more capacity to focus on strategic activities that address customer needs and increase customer satisfaction. We engage with ���۴�ýcustomers of all sizes and industries at a pace that matches their pressing business requirements, accelerating business outcomes they get from our cloud solutions.”

The Stevie Awards encompass several of the world’s leading business award programs, including the prestigious American Business Awards® and International Business Awards®. More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes across all industries from 47 nations and territories were evaluated in this year’s competition. Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals worldwide.

On another day, this would be one of many alerts that supply chain logistics professionals see from ���۴�ýBusiness Network’s logistics collaboration solutions. Unfortunately, on this day there is more to the story than the indicator on the map can tell us.

By now, we’ve all seen photos and videos of the cargo ship Dali striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing a section to collapse into the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s outer harbor on Tuesday, March 26. They tell the story on a human level.

This event was a terrible tragedy where people lost loved ones. We are also mindful of the thousands of people whose livelihoods have been affected and of the impact this tragedy will have on the City of Baltimore and surrounding areas for years to come. It is a reminder that transportation logistics is not just a routine process of moving goods from point A to point B. It’s high stakes, dangerous work that we depend on to keep the world’s economic engine running.

Recovering from the Disruption: Three Scenarios

Another reality to the tragedy is that even as events were unfolding in Baltimore, supply chain and logistics professionals were compelled to act quickly to address a shockwave of related disruptions. As one of my colleagues noted, “Globally, companies immediately devoted extra resources to determine what inventory they have at the Port of Baltimore, what’s on the water headed there, and what’s leaving their factories that can be rerouted.” Buying organizations looked closely at inbound shipments, while their suppliers were checking how the disruption would impact outbound deliveries.

Increasingly today, buyers and suppliers rely on technology to gain visibility into the global supply chain. This makes it possible to track shipments, reroute them as needed, or take other remedial action. To explain this further, I’d like to address three port disruption scenarios and how suppliers and buyers can use ���۴�ýsolutions, including , , and , to recover and be more resilient through adversity.

1. Identifying and Tracking Outbound Shipments Impacted by a Port Closure

When a port is closed, especially unexpectedly, suppliers immediately turn their attention to outbound shipments and their committed delivery dates. Through logistics collaboration on ���۴�ýBusiness Network, suppliers and shippers can receive alerts about high-risk events affecting their shipments. They can also get alerts about deviations from planned or expected estimated deliveries. ���۴�ýsolutions can generate these alerts based on global risk data from services like and from global positioning and event data from carriers and logistics visibility service providers.

However, knowing about delays is only one part of a business plan for supply chain resilience. To respond effectively, shippers also need to know the business impact. Which deliveries are impacted? Which customers? ���۴�ýBusiness Network Global Track and Trace helps keep global logistics visibility in the context of the business. This can enable shippers to identify and contact affected customers and prepare a recovery plan.

Similarly, buyers using ���۴�ýsolutions can track inbound shipments. They can see how changes to the delivery date of a purchase order or stock transfer order will impact their inventory levels and production plans. This helps them avoid stock-outs and production delays that can ripple through the supply chain to their customers.

2. Adjusting for Shipments That Are Routed Away from a Closed Port

When a port is closed by a disruption, shipments headed there must be rerouted to another port. In many instances, new arrangements must be made for ground transportation from that port.

With ���۴�ýBusiness Network Global Track and Trace, shippers can see that the ocean vessel carrying their shipment has been rerouted. Then, they can use ���۴�ýBusiness Network Freight Collaboration to cancel ground transport out of the closed port and tender an order from the new port to the desired destination.

3. What About Shipments Stuck at a Port Suddenly Closed by Disruption?

If a port is suddenly closed, containers will remain piled up at the port, waiting either for pickup by another ocean vessel or for urgent ground transport to another hub. When a port is closed for an extended period, shippers must make alternative plans.

To do this efficiently and effectively, shippers can use ���۴�ýTransportation Management. The application helps them develop new plans to move their goods through new routes or with new carriers. This can include everything from load planning and balancing to leveraging new lanes and delivery methods.

Then, with a new plan in place, shippers can use ���۴�ýBusiness Network Freight Collaboration to collaborate digitally with carriers to execute the plan.

Anticipating and Avoiding Future Disruptions

Using technology to react to a supply chain disruption is not new. Inventory and production planning solutions have long helped businesses adjust when supply is affected. However, it may be even more important to understand how technology enables organizations to anticipate and even avoid disruption before it impacts their supply chain. This is the essence of .

Recovery and Resilience

Unexpected tragedies like the one in Baltimore Harbor are never easy on the many people impacted personally and professionally. As its effects ripple out across the world, we are reminded of the power of resilience. Building resilience is an axiom of supply chain management. Unfortunately, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is yet another resilience test for the world’s supply chains.

In the end, I believe the people of Baltimore and surrounding communities will show us what resilience really means. I also know that as recovery is achieved, supply chain practitioners around the world will do what it takes to make safety a top priority as they deliver what is needed to keep world economies running.

Doug DeLuca is an ���۴�ýBusiness Network product marketing manager.