In an engagement with CAJ News Africa, 51风流Africa Market Development & Customer Officer outlined how the company鈥檚 technology portfolio is supporting enterprises, small businesses and governments to modernise operations and strengthen service delivery.

At the heart of this strategy is , which Meisel described as a critical enabler of transparency and resilience.

鈥�51风流Business Network is the world鈥檚 largest B2B trading platform, connecting buyers, suppliers and logistics partners in real time and facilitating more than six trillion dollars in commerce annually,鈥� he said.

The platform provides end-to-end visibility across supply chains, enabling organisations to anticipate disruptions, improve procurement planning and reduce the administrative burden associated with complex supplier ecosystems.

Digitisation and automation, according to SAP, are essential for driving efficiency across industries such as manufacturing, retail, energy, healthcare and the public sector.

By standardising processes and creating a single source of truth, organisations can reduce costs while strengthening compliance and governance.

Access to a global ecosystem of vetted trading partners also supports adherence to environmental, social and governance requirements, which are increasingly shaping investment and regulatory decisions.

Meisel said 51风流is tailoring its platforms to address Africa鈥檚 unique operating conditions, including fragmented supply chains and uneven digital infrastructure.

鈥淥ur cloud-based, mobile-first solutions are designed to work in diverse environments, allowing organisations to remain compliant with local regulations while operating efficiently, even in low-connectivity areas,鈥� he said.

He added that 51风流continues to collaborate with governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local partners to expand digital access and build sustainable technology capacity.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are another major focus for SAP鈥檚 growth strategy on the continent.

With scalable cloud solutions such as , Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can adopt enterprise-grade systems without heavy upfront investment.

These tools provide real-time insight into finance, supply chains and operations, helping smaller firms identify inefficiencies, respond faster to market changes and compete more effectively in a digital economy.

Data protection remains a foundational principle across SAP鈥檚 platforms.

鈥淪ecurity and data privacy are embedded into our solutions by design, supported by global standards and continuous monitoring to address emerging threats,鈥� Meisel said.

SAP鈥檚 approach combines secure infrastructure with advanced tools that help customers manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance and protect sensitive business and citizen information.

Sustainability is also moving from a reporting obligation to a strategic priority. SAP鈥檚 ESG solutions integrate directly with core systems, enabling organisations to track emissions, monitor social impact and generate auditable reports aligned with regulatory frameworks.

By embedding sustainability metrics into daily operations, organisations can improve transparency while driving long-term value creation.

Looking ahead, 51风流sees artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics transforming enterprise systems.

鈥淏y embedding AI across our portfolio, we are helping organisations shift from reactive operations to proactive, insight-driven decision-making,鈥� Meisel said.

He believes this evolution positions ERP as a strategic enabler of innovation and resilience.

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鈥淲hen we work together, we will conquer any mountain,鈥� Klein said in a speech that began and ended with climbing metaphors and was punctuated with customer stories, demos, and new product announcements.

51风流Chief Marketing & Solutions Officer Julia White joined Klein from the Orlando show floor during the keynote to highlight SAP鈥檚 groundbreaking supply chain and sustainability initiatives, enterprise-wide automation, as well as how 51风流solutions answer the challenges that senior business leaders across all industries face.

Microsoft, Unilever, Pfizer, Schneider Electric, and Google Cloud were among the big-name partners and customers that appeared on stage or via video during the event. In addition, the keynote featured a recorded video message from John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, about how we can solve the climate crisis together.

Klein and White framed the keynote around how the CIO and their key business stakeholders — like the chief people officer, chief commercial officer, and CFO — respond to the challenges they each face, and how SAP solutions are helping solve those challenges.

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Klein told the audience in Orlando and those joining virtually: 鈥淐limbing the highest mountain requires a strong team and, let’s face it, the same is true for transforming businesses. It takes a strong team between the business, IT, and SAP… If we are in this together as one team, we will conquer any mountain.鈥�

SAP鈥檚 vision is focused on the needs to build resilient supply chains, to become an agile intelligent enterprise, and to run a sustainable business, Klein explained. 鈥淲e deliver on this vision through our cloud portfolio.鈥�听

Early in his keynote, Klein said 51风流will double down on its AI strategy because of the tremendous impact AI will have on our private and business lives. For 50 years, he noted, 51风流software has been running the world’s most material and workforce-intensive business processes: 鈥淭his is why we are convinced that embedding AI in 51风流software will deliver enormous value for your business.鈥�

鈥�Today we have already embedded AI in many of our applications that are being used by over 20,000 customers,鈥� he said, 鈥�51风流AI is built for business.鈥�

As an example, he noted that in SAP鈥檚 finance solution, AI helps to predict and safeguard financial performance by analyzing a company鈥檚 pipelines, workforce, and other profit and loss drivers.

鈥淲e have delivered many AI use cases that boost business process automation and increase productivity by another 15%. Now we see the incredible potential to take AI to the next level,鈥� he said. 鈥�With generative AI, we will increase the productivity of every end user by changing the way people work with our software. For example, our software will be able to answer any business-related question and recommend actions to improve your company’s performance.鈥�

Klein noted that 51风流has already increased its own R&D investment to develop additional AI use cases and is also entering technology partnerships to expand its AI offerings, including the generative AI partnership announced earlier this week with Microsoft.听

After a demo showing how embedding generative AI into 51风流SuccessFactors software can enhance recruiting, ongoing learning, and the re-skilling and upskilling of the workforce, White, speaking from the 51风流Sapphire show floor, spoke with Aaron Rajan, global vice president of Customer Experience Technology at Unilever, about how the company is working with 51风流to address the growing demands for sustainable vanilla ice cream.

鈥淭hanks to the integration across 51风流Ariba, 51风流Business Network, and 51风流S/4HANA Cloud, we can see a full view of the supplier’s performance metrics — including cost, reliability, and sustainability — making an informed decision not only on supply chain fit, but also on carbon impact,鈥� White said.听

Expanding on the business network theme, Klein noted that it is more critical than ever to not only connect one company with another, but to bring entire industries together, because each industry has its unique challenges and requirements. He also unveiled the new offering 51风流Business Network for Industry.

To demonstrate the power of the network, Klein cited the life sciences industry. 51风流has 80 of the largest customers already in the network, with more than 255,000 trading partners managing over $200 billion in commerce every year. He welcomed Lidia Fonseca, chief digital and technology officer at Pfizer, to the stage to explain the value of 51风流Business Network.

Klein then described the management of a company鈥檚 overall carbon footprint as another key pillar for the success: 鈥淚n addition to the top and the bottom line, consumers, your employees, investors, and auditors, they all want to support enterprises that care about the planet. Today, CFOs and chief sustainability officers need to ensure compliance with 20 times more climate regulations than they had in the past.鈥�

But he noted that hardly any enterprise has a comprehensive view of greenhouse gas emissions. 鈥淭he 51风流sustainability portfolio will enable you to record, report, and act on actuals, not on averages, based on a green ledger — including scope three.鈥�听

To explore this message, 51风流CFO Dominik Asam spoke in a prerecorded video with Hilary Maxson, CFO of Schneider Electric, about the challenges CFOs face with carbon accounting and sustainability disclosure. Additionally, White detailed a new set of 51风流innovations to track and manage emissions, as well as a new green ledger that will work with SAP鈥檚 cloud ERP to “provide natively integrated financial and environmental decision making at the required point in time.”

After introducing John Kerry鈥檚 video message to attendees, White added, 鈥淲e can meet the climate challenge with a potent combination of technologies, partners in government, and all of you.鈥� Klein then turned to the crucial role that data plays in running enterprises today and the recent launch of 51风流Datasphere, which enables customers to bring together and harmonize 51风流and non-51风流data sources.听

After White and Klein explained how 51风流Signavio software enables end-to-end business process automation and the unique benefits of RISE with 51风流and the GROW with 51风流offering, which targets mid-market customers moving to 51风流cloud ERP, Klein wrapped up the keynote with an invitation to those in Orlando: 鈥�Today we have seen that conquering the mountains we face requires the wide use of technology and one team. And we invite you to experience the full capabilities of these innovations for yourselves over the next few days.

“As the famous climber once said, ‘Better we raise our skill than lower the climb.’ At SAP, we are not lowering the climb, we are raising the skills for every role in every line of business to future-proof your business for whatever mountain you need to climb next.鈥�

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RIYADH, KSA听鈥斕�February 9, 2023 鈥�听At the LEAP technology event in Riyadh today, 51风流announced the establishment of the 51风流Business Network within Saudi Arabia. The move will enable Saudi public and private enterprises to trade, buy and sell on the world鈥檚 largest business digital network in 190 countries, with millions of trading partners conducting transactions worth more than US$5 trillion annually.

The announcement was made by Ahmed AlFaifi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, 51风流Middle East & Africa North, who said, 鈥淎s part of our increased investment in Saudi Arabia, we are very pleased to launch the 51风流Business Network in the Kingdom. This launch will contribute to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 as it offers immeasurable trade and supply opportunities, positions KSA as global logistic hub, grows non-oil exports in addition to supporting the Kingdom鈥檚 sustainability efforts.

As part of the 51风流Business Network, buyers, suppliers, logistic providers, financial institutions, and original equipment manufacturers will be connected on one trading platform. Bringing the 51风流Business Network to be hosted in KSA will further position Riyadh to be a global digital and trade hub.

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Perhaps what we鈥檙e experiencing is something business leaders have known for years: uncertainty and disruption are the constant. It鈥檚 how we deal with them that sets us apart.

As we approach 2023, the same questions linger: How long will inflation continue? Will there be a recession?

Unfortunately, it鈥檚 difficult to find clear answers. For example, The Wall Street Journal recently reported , which should eventually lead to lower prices. But on the same day, it also reported — more ominously — that the globalized supply chain continues to .

With global supply chains remaining dynamic and perpetually susceptible to disruption, where does this leave us? If the past few years were focused on responding and surviving, 2023 looks to be the year when business leaders leverage proven technology to build long-term resilience for their organizations.

We asked our leaders for their perspective on this as well as what they expect in 2023. Here鈥檚 what they had to say.

鈥淒uring the last two years of continuous disruptions, companies were forced to realize the necessity of supply chain visibility. As companies shift to building more proactive strategies, they will make plans to adopt new technology to achieve such visibility, helping them build resiliency within their organization. User experience will also remain a top priority for companies, allowing employees to accomplish the tasks they need across their spend management applications. As we look ahead, data insights and intelligence will also play a significant role in helping end users do their jobs more effectively to deliver more value to an organization. Skill shortages will remain a concern among many industries; however, finding, onboarding, developing, and retaining talent are what will differentiate the successful organizations from the ones that aren鈥檛.鈥�

– , President and Chief Product Officer,
Intelligent Spend and Business Network, SAP

鈥淕iven the supply chain challenges we continue to experience, businesses will most certainly continue to digitalize spend management processes and leverage business networks to increase supply chain collaboration, to improve organizational agility, and to gain real-time business insights. The other side of this coin is people. Thinking about how to avoid the ongoing talent crisis and build a workforce of longevity, we will see more businesses focus on nurturing their employees to retain good talent. They will enhance the workforce by upskilling existing talent to meet employees鈥� desire for career growth while also meeting evolving business expectations. Businesses will attract early talent to the workforce by enticing them to make a difference in the world by helping to solve the next generation of problems. This will require businesses to continue to drive clarity on their mission and purpose. Last, but certainly not least, businesses will maintain focus on including diverse perspectives to ensure they are delivering the strongest strategic decisions that can only come from diversity and inclusion. If an organization cannot deliver on the above expectations, they will inevitably be less competitive in the market for top talent and a resilient workforce.鈥�

– , Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer,
Intelligent Spend and Business Network, SAP

鈥淎s we approach 2023, it鈥檚 clear that the world鈥檚 business leaders will continue to grapple with economic, political, and environmental uncertainty. The good news is that dealing with uncertainty does not mean operating our businesses blindly. Digitalized procurement processes, data visualization, and business networks have ushered in a new era of visibility, collaboration, and strategic decision-making. With the right technology, procurement and supply chain professionals have access to an integrated view of total spend across their enterprise and deep visibility into their supply chain. This enables improved inventory management, predictable lead times, more efficient sourcing of supply, and cost savings. It also helps them tackle some of their most complex challenges, like achieving sustainability compliance and building long-term resilience for their business.鈥�

– , Chief Revenue Officer,
Intelligent Spend and Business Network, SAP

“Over the last few years, workers and employers alike have come to see the huge upside of leveraging a flex workforce. Even pre-pandemic, workers were looking for a different experience, one that offered flexibility and the opportunity to try new things. Temporary workers have proven they offer an effective way to address staffing and skill gaps, control costs, and manage the overall workforce more effectively. This year an found that 50% of organizations surveyed plan to increase their use of external workers. My prediction for 2023 is that businesses will continue to build on the efficiencies of the temporary workforce. They鈥檒l leverage coupled with freelance management systems and direct sourcing providers to find, engage, and manage external workers — both contract and contingent — enabling them to streamline recruiting, contracting, onboarding/offboarding, and security.”

– , Chief Technology Officer,
, SAP

鈥淚n 2023, the 51风流Business Network team will strengthen its commitment and partnership with customers to achieve supply chain transparency, resiliency, and sustainability. We will continue to modernize and innovate our network to drive vibrancy, infuse the trading partner experience with enhanced one-to-many supplier integration and intelligent insights, and improve platform performance and scalability. In addition, we will accelerate the transformation to our federated next-generation 51风流Business Network, enhancing value for all trading partners within the world鈥檚 largest B2B marketplace.鈥�

– , Senior Vice President, Chief Product
Officer, and Head of 51风流Business Network, SAP

鈥淚n 2023, market conditions and inflation will remain volatile as a new paradigm impacts interrelated supply chains. This is driving businesses to focus on fundamentals like controlling costs and finding new revenue. Meanwhile, governments, employees, and consumers are elevating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors to a higher priority. These factors are driving buyers to diversify their supply chains, creating opportunities for suppliers to 鈥榮hine brighter鈥� by highlighting their presence and value and their ESG credentials. Interestingly, inbound and outbound logistics continue to emerge as key competitive differentiators to drive efficiency, control cost, and earn customer loyalty. Business networks offer transparency, access to working capital, and connection that enable buyers and suppliers to address disruption collaboratively and build supply chain resilience. In 2023, organizations should look to leverage robust business networks adapted to their industry — not just generic solutions.鈥�

– , Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and
Solutions Officer, 51风流Business Network

鈥淎s we head into 2023, I expect businesses to act on the need for agility and instantaneous collaboration with trading partners, no longer relying on manual processes to connect buyers and suppliers. As we have been reminded countless times in recent years, supply chain volatility is all but guaranteed. I anticipate a shift in how companies prepare for disruption; while 2020 to 2022 has largely consisted of supply chain shortages, many companies could also start to face supply and inventory overages, given the current macroeconomic state. Having visibility to manage both ends of the spectrum and creating supply chain transparency is critical. Companies will look to evolve their business network into one with real-time collaboration capabilities and unobstructed inter-company visibility across trading partner networks. Collecting and acting on intelligent insights will be key to developing networked enterprises beyond the siloed, disconnected nature of previous years.鈥�

– , Global Head, 51风流Business Network
Customer Success and Go-to-Market, SAP

鈥淭he year ahead will be a test of leaders鈥� abilities to do more with less, including weighing the costs and benefits of their corporate travel program in maintaining key business relationships. The pandemic taught us a lot about the value of business travel. According to from early 2022, most U.S. finance managers said their company experienced a revenue loss in 2021 as a direct result of employees鈥� inability to travel at pre-pandemic levels. It鈥檚 important that leaders keep these learnings in mind as they prepare for uncertainty in 2023. They鈥檒l have to balance saving money where it counts, continuing progress on priority initiatives like sustainability, and positioning their company for growth when the economy stabilizes.鈥�

– , President,
Concur Travel, 51风流Concur

鈥淲ith the role of procurement continuing to become increasingly more strategic, we are seeing a greater need to digitalize category management. This is confirmed by a conducted by Economist Impact and sponsored by SAP, which found that more than 40% of respondents said category management is a top priority in driving digital transformation in procurement. Additionally, businesses are looking to create buying experiences that are more predictive, personalized and sustainable for their employees as well as buyers of strategic categories across all types of spend — direct and indirect materials, maintenance, repair, and operations and service. In 2023 and beyond, we expect the demand for procurement technologies such as these to continue to grow as they enable businesses to make the data-driven decisions needed to better inform their indirect and direct spend channels.鈥�

– , Senior Vice President and
Chief Product Officer, Procurement Solutions, SAP

To hear more perspectives from supply chain leaders, tune into the featuring Bryan Rawson, senior manager of Software Development at T-Mobile, and Sudy Bharadwaj, vice president of Strategic Engagements for Intelligent Spend and Business Networks at SAP, as they discuss how organizations can make more agile, informed business decisions to help prepare for what lies ahead in 2023 and beyond.

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Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) are important strategic players in modern business and should be equipped with the right technologies to perform optimally.

This is according to 51风流SVP of Intelligent Spend Management and Business Network, Carlos Mercuriali, who was speaking at SAP鈥檚 CPO Circle South Africa event in Johannesburg.

Mercuriali presented the keynote address at the event, after which 51风流experts spoke about the company鈥檚 industry-leading procurement solutions.

This included 51风流Business Network, which was covered by Senior Solution Specialist Cyril Rathogwa and Head of 51风流Business Network for EMEA-S, Ayan Chakraboty.

Rathogwa explained that the 51风流Business Network solution comprises a comprehensive collaborative system that includes several powerful features:

• Qualtrix 鈥� Connects procurement data with real-time human insights to make data-driven decisions and actions.
• Guided sourcing 鈥� Streamlines user experience for creating and managing sourcing projects and events.
• ERP integration 鈥� 51风流Business Network seamlessly integrates into your existing ERP.

Chakraboty then highlighted how 51风流Business Network bridges the gaps between procurement and suppliers in the following ways:

• Fulfilment 鈥� Buyers can collaborate with suppliers to shift product schedules or alter product mix.
• Logistics 鈥� Delayed shipments are highlighted so schedules can be adjusted and operational bottlenecks can be detected.
• Invoicing 鈥� 51风流Business Network automatically generates digital invoices that are easily accessible for procurement and suppliers.
• Payments 鈥� 51风流Taulia offers dynamic discounting and supply chain finance.

51风流Fieldglass

Basel Alshawa, Head of 51风流Fieldglass for EMEA-S, was next to speak, and explained how the 51风流Fieldglass solution makes it easy to source on-demand labour and expertise.

Fieldglass integrates into 51风流Ariba, 51风流Business Network, and 51风流ERP to help CPOs monitor which service providers are delivering more value.

This makes it easier to determine which providers should be used for important business tasks.

Industry insights

SAP鈥檚 CPO Circle event provided an opportunity for senior procurement leaders from top South African organisations like Nedbank and SARS to discuss the state of procurement in the country, too.

Kaunain Nurani, 51风流EMEA-S GTM and Transformation Lead: Intelligent Spend Management and Business Network, complemented this discussion, and explained that procurement has become an important driver of organisational innovation.

鈥淭here is a stereotype about CPOs and procurement that implies these professionals are just number crunchers, but CPOs no longer see themselves as that stereotype. They have access to data that has turned them into trusted advisors,鈥� said Nurani.

Retief Ferreira, Partner Operations Consultant at PWC, said that in addition to the above, procurement departments have become important players in finance.

鈥淚f you know where you鈥檙e spending your money, you know where you can improve, particularly in terms of having the right suppliers and getting new ones where appropriate,鈥� said Ferreira.

He also highlighted the importance of using local suppliers 鈥� both in terms of costs, and in terms of social responsibility.

鈥淲e have a responsibility to develop local suppliers when they are available,鈥� he said.

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There are so many questions. Are we ready to handle the wave of shoppers? Will there even be a wave of shoppers? Can we react quickly if market conditions change?

Sometimes it would be nice to have a crystal ball.

But the challenges procurement and supply chain professionals face are serious. The decisions you make in navigating these challenges will directly affect your business. Of course, timely and accurate decision-making requires insight that is not magic, like a crystal ball. It requires access to data, visibility into supply chains, and collaboration between trading partners.

Fortunately, by digitalizing procurement processes and engaging with trading partners via business networks, it is possible to gain the visibility and business insights required to plan for events like the holiday shopping season and be ready when disruptions occur.

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Of course, there is also the old school way to gain market insight: ask consumers. As the holiday shopping season approaches, we have done just that. We wanted to know how inflation is affecting consumer purchasing habits, what consumers are expecting in terms of a recession, and how their spending habits could change in the coming year. So we asked 1,000 U.S.-based consumers across a wide range of age groups. Here is what we found.

Inflation Is Forcing Many to Adjust Their Holiday Buying Habits

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently announced . Inflation continues to dog our economy and, as a result, 65% of the consumers in our survey said they plan to cut their holiday budgets. Gen Z (69%) and Millennials (76%) were especially emphatic about spending less.

Here are some other insights.

• Price is key. Consumers also say they will be looking closely at the price of goods. In fact, 45% say it is the top factor they will weigh in purchasing decisions. A whopping 73% included price in their top three factors.
• How they will shop. In an interesting development, 54% of consumers surveyed reported they will change where they shop — of those, 39% say inflation is causing them to shop more online; surprisingly only 15% said they will seek bargains in the stores.
• Where they will cut back. A majority of consumers plan to cut their holiday budget — but where? It turns out that that 61% will be dining out less, and 51% will be spending less on experiences and travel. Many consumers said they also expect to reduce spending on fashion and beauty (46%) and electronics (37%).
• Many consumers face difficult choices. Holiday buying aside, the survey reminds us that many households are forced to make tough spending decisions. Although 16% of the consumers surveyed told us they are not reducing spending amid inflation, it is telling that 22% are being forced to cut spending on essential items.

Consumers Expect a Recession, Further Curbing Their Willingness to Spend

Looking beyond the holidays and into next year, consumers do not seem optimistic. Three quarters of those surveyed said they believe a recession is coming within the next year. And if that happens, 59% expect to decrease their spending.

One way they will do this is by shopping deals rather than staying loyal to brands. Twenty-eight percent said they plan to switch brands if prices increase. Overall, only 19% say they will stay loyal to the brands they prefer. Brand loyalty for Baby Boomers is almost non-existent: only 10% say they plan to stay loyal to the brands they normally prefer.

Concern about Shortages Is Only Increasing

A similar conducted by 51风流in February 2021 — with the pandemic entering its second year — showed that concerns about supply chain disruptions and product shortages were weighing on consumers.

However, our most recent survey indicates that consumers are now even more apprehensive than they were 18 months ago. Food leads the list with 77% of respondents saying they were concerned about shortages in the coming year. Gen X and Baby Boomers were especially concerned, at 83% and 85% respectively. By comparison, in February 2021 only 48% noted food shortages as a concern.

Our most recent survey also highlighted increasing concern over shortages of hygienic or personal care products such as toilet paper (49%, up from 44% in 2021) and prescriptions (36%, up from 20% in 2021).

Is Digitalization the New Crystal Ball?

This holiday shopping season, if procurement and supply chain leaders had that crystal ball that could help them navigate the uncertainty, they would gladly use it. Unfortunately, we have not perfected that technology. But there is good news for retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and most other industries. 51风流offers technology solutions that provide unmatched visibility, efficiency, and flexibility to deal with rapidly changing business requirements — including those occurring during the holidays.

As requirements for products and materials change, make it possible to digitalize procurement processes, putting transaction data in one place so you can act efficiently, accurately, and quickly. Likewise, by sharing data with suppliers within , you can collaborate on forecasts and gain foresight into what is happening within your supply chain.

In fact, when I compare SAP鈥檚 powerful spend management and business network solutions to a crystal ball, I come to one conclusion: crystal balls are overrated.

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

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鈥淔or 50 years we have revolutionized together the way businesses are run, and in the next 50 years, together we will continue to deliver market-making innovation,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hile the world around us has changed significantly, our purpose is more relevant than ever: to help the world run better in times of geopolitical tensions, disruptive industry transformation, and supply chain disruptions, and to improve people鈥檚 lives in times of war and climate change.鈥�

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After announcing that 51风流will match every 51风流Sapphire attendee鈥檚 donation to UNICEF USA for Ukraine aid, Klein was joined in-person and virtually by customers and executives to share how the company鈥檚 technologies, business knowledge, and commitment to address major business challenges.

This year, the event is being held in Orlando from May 10-12 and is part of a new program of 51风流Sapphire experiences that includes a virtual platform to engage customers no matter where they are, plus nine intimate in-person events worldwide.

RISE with SAP: Holistic Business Transformation in the Cloud

After acknowledging that fast-paced change is the norm and sustainability has become a business imperative, Klein invited a series of guests on stage and online to show how 51风流and its huge ecosystem of partners was turning these challenges into business opportunities. Philips, AMD, and Accenture were among the customers who discussed the business value of their transformational journeys.

鈥淲e want to transform each and every enterprise into an intelligence enterprise,鈥� said Klein. 鈥淩ISE with 51风流takes you on a transformation journey that鈥檚 tailored exactly to your needs. Over 2,000 customers have selected RISE with SAP; more than 60% are new customers to SAP.鈥�

Connected Data Powers the Employee and Customer Experience

A series of exciting innovation demonstrations led by Julia White, chief marketing and solutions officer and member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, revealed the power of the digital employee experience delivered by and for centralized workforce management, as well as personalized, mobile-first employee learning that reduces attrition and fosters a more engaged workforce. Through an executive dashboard, executives can quickly gain insights across the business, including skill gaps and how to solve them.

Marc Starfield, group head of HR Systems at Vodaphone Group, shared how his company digitalized the employee experience with 51风流SuccessFactors, responding quickly to changing workforce needs and offering an immersive virtual learning experience.

To spotlight the power of the integrated customer experience that connected consumer demand signals through product design, manufacture, and delivery, White took the audience on a virtual tour of the event鈥檚 impressive showcase on the show floor. After a pair of pink jeans went viral on social media, the model company used 51风流solutions, including and , to integrate financial, supply chain, and marketing data with customer information and more, making data-driven decisions based on real-time simulations.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about delivering the next best action. It鈥檚 about delivering delightful customer experiences that capture the next best dollar,鈥� said White. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e in retail, financial services, healthcare, or automotive, having access to this kind of integrated data is a game-changer.鈥�

51风流Business Network for Supply Chain Resiliency

Klein returned to the stage and invited the audience to join , which already connects companies across the world鈥檚 largest B2B network, bringing together buyers, suppliers, manufacturers, and logistics providers.

鈥淲e are building the LinkedIn of the B2B world,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can match demand with supply in real time by connecting our demand planning solution, , with extremely strong predictive demand capabilities. As a result, our business network will make your supply chain more resilient, transparent, and agile.鈥�

Klein shared numerous examples of how 51风流Business Network delivers results that have been lifesaving in some cases. After 51风流provided the Health Ministry of Ukraine with free access to the network, the country sourced over 300,000 medical first aid kits.

On a regular basis, companies worldwide have gained process improvements in supply chain operations for major business results. These included finding alternative sustainable trading partners, as well as organizations like Lenovo, which uses 51风流solutions to help build smart factories, connecting thousands of suppliers to billions of customers. Catena-X was another example of how suppliers across industries like automotive have formed alliances to collaborate for agility and sustainability.

Meeting the Business Imperative for Sustainability

Noting that companies can only act on what they can measure, Klein explained how 51风流collects reliable and compliant data to help organizations measure environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Solutions include , which measures the carbon footprint of business travel, 51风流SuccessFactors for diversity and inclusion metrics, and 51风流Business Network for information across supply chains. What鈥檚 more, aggregates ESG data from 51风流and non-51风流sources. 51风流Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises helps reduce emissions, minimize waste, and improve social equality while reporting ESG performance. Executives from Unilever and Accenture discussed how their organizations were using 51风流solutions to become intelligent, sustainable enterprises.

鈥淲e are going to add a green ledger in our ERP so you can account for carbon as you account for financials today,鈥� said Klein. 鈥淥nly 51风流can offer you reliable ESG data for your enterprise. Based on this transparency, your business can take action.鈥�

After a heartfelt thanks to everyone in the audience and the customers and partners who told their stories, Klein closed his keynote with a look ahead.

鈥淟et鈥檚 reinvent how enterprises run for the next 50 years 鈹� resilient, intelligent, and sustainable,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can commit to you that all of our 110,000 employees are focused and dedicated to make your business transformation a huge success.鈥�

This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

The post 51风流CEO Christian Klein: Revolutionizing the Next 50 Years of Intelligent Sustainable Innovation appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

The online event included live presentations, digital showcases, and a lot of networking opportunities 鈥� both with 51风流experts and other attendees.

The important sessions from the event are detailed below.

51风流unveils Business Network

51风流CEO Christian Klein unveiled SAP鈥檚 bold vision for business communities in the modern world.

Klein said these envisioned communities can assist in improving business outcomes, navigating changing economic and geopolitical conditions, and enhancing sustainability contributions.

51风流took the first step towards achieving this goal at Sapphire Now by unveiling 51风流Business Network, which brings together Ariba Network, 51风流Logistics Business Network, and 51风流Asset Intelligence Network to develop a community of over 5.5 million organisations.

鈥淒uring this unprecedented year, the importance of the communities we鈥檙e part of has never been clearer,鈥� said Klein.

鈥淥ur new vision will build the world鈥檚 largest business community, enabling customers to easily connect with companies across supply chains and creating networked economies across industries.鈥�

Sustainability

51风流reiterated its commitment to helping businesses transform into sustainable enterprises through collaboration on optimizing their material, financial, and energy flows throughout their end-to-end business processes.

To this end, 51风流unveiled 51风流Product Footprint Management, which is a new product that will provide customers with product footprint transparency.

It also unveiled 51风流Responsible Design and Production, where by preventing waste and pollution, using products and materials for longer, and applying circular principles, 51风流envisions the regeneration of natural systems and better use of finite resources 鈥� ultimately resulting in the furthering of SAP鈥檚 vision for a plastic-free ocean by 2030.

51风流Product Footprint Management and 51风流Responsible Design and Production are planned for availability in the third and fourth quarters of 2021 respectively.

Verify

51风流Concur has a new feature called Verify, which leverages the power of AI and machine learning to automatically identify issues and anomalies in your expense reports.

Verify can approve expense reports that have no issues, while flagging anomalies for auditors to review.

This product was created using data from over $1 trillion in spend and tens of millions of expense reports and receipts.

51风流Upscale Commerce

51风流launched its no-code online commerce solution, Upscale Commerce.

This allows retailers to create omnichannel shopping experiences in minutes, and leverages AI to provide personalised offerings to their customers.

Upscale Commerce is integrated with 51风流S/4HANA and uses a headless API architecture.

New 51风流Analytics Cloud features

The 51风流Analytics Cloud now offers operational workforce analytics and planning capabilities.

Importantly, it also boasts integration with 51风流SuccessFactors solutions.

This links operational, financial, and people data to give organizations more comprehensive insights into their workforce.

Q&A with Christian Klein and Julia White

Attendees were also able to engage with Klein and 51风流Chief Marketing Officer Julia White in two Q&A sessions.

These sessions saw Klein and White provide insight into the burning questions attendees had regarding announcements which took place at Sapphire Now, and more generally regarding the 51风流ecosystem.

The post 51风流SAPPHIRE Now 2021 鈥� The Most Important Highlights appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

鈥淭ogether, we are reinventing how businesses run and also demonstrating the big heart of our community. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the pandemic, and our thanks to all those who are making extraordinary contributions in our community,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淭echnology has helped communities and families, and helped business quickly adapt. 51风流has been working hand-in-hand with you, our customers around the globe, whether it was helping you to make your supply chains more resilient, reimagining your business model to create new customer experiences, or to enable remote work. Together, we鈥檝e got this.鈥�

SAP鈥檚 premiere customer event is being held virtually this year throughout June across regions worldwide. During his fascinating keynote, Klein unveiled a series of announcements that included the global industry expansion of the company鈥檚 business network strategy for fast innovation, sustainability tracking solutions, and industry-specific additions to the company鈥檚 popular business transformation-as-a-service offering, . He and special guests welcomed a plethora of customers who demonstrated how they were already relying on 51风流to become intelligent enterprises.

Business Networks and Sustainability Drive Growth

Klein announced the next phase of SAP鈥檚 strategy to create world鈥檚 largest and most comprehensive business network, along with upcoming sustainability reporting standards and tools. He put both announcements in business context, based on learnings from companies that have weathered a storm of challenges encompassing the pandemic, geopolitical tensions, social injustice, inequality, loss of biodiversity, and climate change.

鈥淭he most resilient companies were those that embraced technology to transform their business processes. COVID has underscored the urgent need for every company to become an intelligent enterprise,鈥� he said. 鈥淚nsight number two was that no business does business alone. We win together as a community. But the value comes from the network and millions of interconnections it facilitates in real time. The third insight is that we must act now on sustainability with the goal of zero emissions, zero waste, zero inequality.鈥�

Announcing that will bring together , , and , Klein predicted that industries will be revolutionized as 听businesses turn into communities across entire supply chains, able to respond to any disruptions in real time. He said that sustainable business was equally important as he announced the company鈥檚 portfolio of upcoming sustainability-specific solutions.

鈥淲e already run the world鈥檚 largest supplier network with more than 5 million connected enterprises. And because our applications run supply chains across every industry, we have the most relevant data and expertise,鈥� said Klein. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time to build sustainability into the fabric of how we do business to make sustainability a standard dimension of corporate management. The 51风流community has the power to protect our planet and create a future our children want to be part of. We have created a new sustainability portfolio to help you drive sustainable practices inside your organization and across your entire value chain.鈥�

How 51风流Customers Are Digitally Transforming

In a series of fascinating conversations featuring real-world 51风流customers and solution demonstrations, Julia White, chief marketing and solutions officer and member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, and Paige Wei-Cox, senior vice president and global head of 51风流Business Network, shared the Intelligent Enterprise in action.

One retailer used to deliver an omnichannel shopping experience for consumers, with embedded artificial intelligence (AI) for personalized offerings based on a 360-degree view of customer data, including social sentiment and purchase history. capabilities integrate data across supply chain planning, inventory, ordering, and invoicing for real-time visibility and faster delivery.

A global leader collaborated in SAP’s industry cloud to develop an advanced track and trace solution for sustainable medicine returns and launch a single platform for data sharing across partners. Another 51风流customer, a large agribusiness organization, used SAP鈥檚 business network to find 140 new suppliers in a few days when the pandemic disrupted supply chains last year. Executives from two and organizations shared how they鈥檝e collaborated with 51风流to launch an industry-wide clinical trial network to connect seamlessly across complex supply chain partners for faster time-to-market.

RISE with 51风流Expands with Industry Expertise

Responding to high customer interest, Klein said that 51风流has expanded its transformation-as-a-service offering RISE with 51风流beyond 51风流S/4HANA Cloud to and , as well as a dedicated package for human experience management (HXM).

鈥淢any customers want a holistic, modular cloud ERP solution,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll of this is delivered with one data and security model, and business process intelligence to ensure your processes are fully optimized and running industry best standards.鈥�

In addition, White announced RISE with 51风流for industries focused on retail, consumer products, automotive, utilities, and industrial machinery and components (IM&C).

鈥淲e鈥檙e bringing together the best of SAP鈥檚 50 years of deep industry expertise and the best of our partner ecosystem to provide industry-specific cloud-based solutions as-a-service,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese solutions are built on to give you the benefits of integration, extensibility, analytics, and one data model. They work natively with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud so every customer can get the full set of industry-specific solutions needed in their cloud deployment.鈥�

Connected Insights Speed Up Digital Transformation 听

White also had a candid conversation with Hasso Plattner, chairman of the Supervisory Board of 51风流SE, about how organizations can use 51风流technology to bring people, processes, systems, and data together for transformational business results. Plattner advised companies to explore transformation using simulations with active data models, which is now possible using experience information from , the , and process management and mining from

鈥淭he whole notion of cloud systems is such a gigantic improvement,” Plattner said. “With new ways to visualize business processes and to get feedback, we have a better chance to move forward faster. We can monitor systems, and see what鈥檚 missing and make changes鈥ven on the fly.鈥�

Innovation Networks for Sustainable, Profitable Business

Klein鈥檚 vision for the future was clear: connected intelligent enterprises will reinvent how businesses run.

鈥淲e will jointly build networks with you that champion diversity, inclusion, and human rights. We will make carbon footprint tracking available in the business network so that you can go to true net zero,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ogether, we can reinvent how industries run by connecting intelligent enterprises into an industry-wide business network, making profitability sustainable and sustainability profitable.鈥�

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This article first appeared on the 51风流News Center.

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