Antonia Fuener, Author at 51��News Center

A Recipe for the Future: BSH Reinvents Finance and Embraces the Cloud with SAP

Antonia Fuener — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 12:15:00 +0000

For decades, BSH Hausgeräte GmbH has been a quiet force in kitchens worldwide, with brands like Bosch, Siemens, and Gaggenau in its portfolio. Now, the company is rewriting its own recipe—not for food, but for finance. In partnership with SAP, BSH is transforming its IT landscape to a cloud-first foundation, aiming to free employees from manual tasks and put insights at the center of decision-making.

In an interview, BSH Head of Governance, Methods, and Systems Heiko Schletz explained how the company is reshaping finance and why its move to the cloud is a critical ingredient to a successful AI-enhanced future.

Technology follows vision

Represented in more than 50 countries, BSH manufactures home appliances in 39 factories worldwide. Schletz’s team oversees group controlling and is responsible for ensuring that financial data flows smoothly from its core systems, such as ERP, all the way up to the consolidated group level. His team manages how financial data is structured and integrated across all global entities, ensuring it can be used effectively for company-wide reporting and decision-making.

BSH is working to bring accounting and controlling together into one integrated process, supported by real-time data and analytics. One principle is guiding this transformation: technology follows vision, not the other way round. As part of its transformation journey, BSH is embracing change by testing new technologies to support its vision.

To simplify reporting efforts, for example, , SAP’s next-generation data management platform that can unify and govern all 51��data and seamlessly connect with third-party data.

A recent use case automatically connected accounting balances, controlling P&L data and market metrics in 51��Datasphere and delivering consolidated reports without spreadsheets and manual effort. “This shows where the journey is going—joining sources, bringing them together,” Schletz says.

Breaking down silos to empower AI

BSH’s long-term goal in the financial area is to get rid of silos between accounting, controlling, and treasury. Schletz envisions a parallel ledger architecture that supports both—legal entity and consolidated group views—enabling advanced analytics such as value-driver trees. By moving to 51��S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, integrated with 51��Datasphere and 51��Analytics Cloud, BSH aims to create a single source of truth for finance spanning from subsidiary ledgers to group-level consolidation.

Schletz is convinced that with a cloud-based, synchronized toolset, his finance team can deliver the latest figures for decision-making faster and with less manual consolidation. “SAP’s AI evolution is running in the direction we also want to go,” Schletz explains. “The technology meets our vision and that’s why it’s a perfect fit.”

The company has relied on 51��solutions for decades, starting with 51��R/3 and now running 51��S/4HANA, 51��Business Warehouse, and 51��Analytics Cloud. The next milestone is cloud migration: RISE with SAP. “In the next two years, we go into the cloud,” Schletz says. “We want a synchronized toolset that gives us a holistic view.”

To get the most out of analytics and AI functionalities, BSH is currently consolidating and simplifying its comprehensive business application landscape. The company’s target is to move from six separate ERP solutions to one global 51��S/4HANA environment that covers all subsidiaries and geographies.

How to prepare an 51��S/4HANA transformation

Schletz’s advice for other organizations exploring the RISE with SAP journey is to start with a clear vision. “If you don’t begin with a concept that combines accounting and controlling, don’t start with 51��S/4HANA,” he says, noting that a finance transformation is not an isolated IT project—it requires alignment across logistics, sales, and customer service. “The 51��S/4HANA conversion is a cross-functional adventure,” he adds.

BSH’s journey is ongoing, but the direction is set. Cloud migration via RISE with SAP, integrated data, and a finance function designed for insight rather than manual effort. “We want the machine to do what it does best, so people can focus on creating value,” Schletz concludes.

Every Car Counts: How 51��and BMW Group Are Standardizing Production Logistics

Antonia Fuener — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 12:15:00 +0000

Every 57 seconds, a new car rolls off the assembly line at the BMW Group’s plant in Regensburg, Germany. But the factory does more than just build highly desirable automobiles; it is also pioneering the company’s cloud transformation to SAP S/4HANA.

Using RISE with SAP, BMW Group converted the factory’s operations to modern cloud software, which also enables greater integration of AI. The successful go-live among this complex shift operation was the result of an extraordinary team, a strategic partnership lasting more than 30 years, and seven years of co-innovation between BMW and SAP.

Creating a new standard as partners

Following the initial rollout of the new solution at BMW Group’s MINI plant in Oxford, England, the Regensburg plant is the first full-scale BMW Group facility to transition to 51��S/4HANA.

The rollout of the new cloud solution for the parts process chain (abbreviated as PKT in German) affected the entire logistical process chain for the digital control of parts supply in vehicle production — from ordering required components from suppliers, receiving, and warehousing to delivering them to the production line.

In addition to purely logistical processes, the solution also covers the plant’s quality and maintenance processes. For the first time, the new PKT template for 51��S/4HANA enabled unified management of parts supply across all production technologies required to build a vehicle.

The project’s success is rooted in a team that worked across corporate boundaries toward a shared goal. Customer Services & Delivery and Product & Engineering teams from 51��partnered with BMW to create a blueprint for holistic digital transformation in production logistics — from the press, body, and paint shops to final assembly.

Awareness of the importance of this transformation project was palpable among every 51��employee involved. “We made one thing clear to everyone on the team: every single car counts,” says Carola Schoenfelder, chief project expert, Strategic Customer Innovations at SAP, and program lead for 51��at BMW. “It wasn’t only about IT; it was about the factory, the people, and the result.”

Transformation as a staircase

Around one-third of employees at the BMW plant in Regensburg work directly with 51��S/4HANA components, including and 51��Extended Warehouse Management. Involving those affected in the change process was critical to success. Another factor in the project’s success was learning from experience. The smaller MINI factory in Oxford had already completed its go-live, which helped guide the project team as it worked on the bigger Regensburg project.

Instead of designing the transformation as a metaphorical “rock face” that had to be climbed without any safety equipment, the team viewed it as a “staircase”: an incremental, guided transition. In addition, satellite support points were set up within the factory to offer support at any time.

Identifying optimization potential

Six months after go-live, it is clear that the transition to 51��S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition is more than just a technical upgrade; it’s noticeably changing daily operations. In particular, the new 51��Extended Warehouse Management application is proving to be a key technology that supplies important data and identifies potential for optimization.

Thanks to the new data foundation, the potential for optimization can be more precisely identified, for example, by the use of tugger trains and reduction of internal transport kilometers.

Standardization brings not only efficiency but also flexibility. Employees can switch between tasks more easily, and even between factories, because less specialized knowledge is needed. The processes are more streamlined and more transparent.

“The global digitalization of our production logistics significantly increases transparency and standardization, allowing us to respond more quickly to changes in demand or supply shortages,” explains Michael Nikolaides, head of Production Network and Logistics at the BMW Group.

Ready for an AI-driven future

Strategically, the new IT infrastructure has brought significant changes. The cloud provides speed and flexibility, without users having to worry about the technology in the background. Moreover, the introduction of standardized cloud solutions is a crucial step toward fully harnessing the potential of AI in the future. To benefit sustainably from AI, standardized software solutions that can be quickly enhanced with new capabilities are needed.

“With the next stage of digitalization in production logistics — enabled by consistent, unified data structures and standard process templates — we have significantly advanced the AI enablement of the BMW Group,” explains Alexander Buresch, CIO and senior vice president of BMW Group IT.

Over a seven-year period of co-innovation, BMW shared its automotive-specific requirements while 51��mapped large sections of these requirements in 51��S/4HANA and in the industry solution 51��S/4HANA for manufacturing logistics. “As part of our partnership with SAP, we have transferred key corporate processes to a service-oriented, cloud-based platform, achieving a new level of efficiency, quality, and automation,” Buresch says.

Those who use a shared standard can also find solutions collectively, share them, and co-develop solution designs. If other automakers configure on the same standard in the future, BMW will also benefit from new 51��releases.

The strategic collaboration to develop the PKT template began in 2018 as a project driven by deep expertise and strong commitment. The go-live in Regensburg is a key indicator that 51��S/4HANA Private Cloud can meet the complex demands of a high-volume vehicle plant. Together with BMW, the 51��consulting team demonstrated that with meticulous preparation, a lossless go-live in a complex shift operation is possible. The rollout process works and can be adapted and expanded plant by plant.

Hendrik Haas, senior vice president, general manager, and head of Customer Services & Delivery Middle and Eastern Europe at SAP, adds: “The collaboration with our lighthouse customer BMW is making waves in the market and demonstrates how digital transformation in production logistics can be successfully implemented. BMW’s Regensburg factory was an important step, with extraordinary commitment from both sides of the partnership. We will continue the RISE with 51��transformation at the main factory in Munich this summer, together with BMW.”

Transform Today to be Resilient Tomorrow

Antonia Fuener — Thu, 22 May 2025 15:05:00 +0000

In a keynote that blended interactive audience participation, customer conversations, and product announcements, 51��executives and customers took to the 51��Sapphire stage on Wednesday to showcase how cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping global business.

With the evolving 51��Services and Support portfolio, 51��executives also showcased a new approach to engaging with customers. The message was clear: transformation is no longer optional — it’s survival.

Building on this theme, Thomas Saueressig, Member of the Executive Board of 51��SE, Customer Services & Delivery, emphasized how 51��stands by its customers as an indispensable partner in today’s volatile environment marked by shifting tariffs, global uncertainties, and an accelerating pace of change. “We understand that our customers seek faster transformations, faster time to value, and increased agility,” Saueressig said, adding that 51��is committed to supporting them at every step of the way.

Using RISE with SAP, the company’s transformation-as-a-service offering, and the power of the Business Transformation Management portfolio, 51��can already deliver up to 30 percent cost savings for its customers, and this is more important than ever when budgets are under pressure and organizations need to transform quickly. “But we don’t stop there,” Saueressig said, announcing a further evolution of the RISE with 51��Methodology, with updates to the discovery phase, a project workspace in 51��Cloud ALM, as well as a new transformation preparation service, including tailored transformation road maps for 51��customers.

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On stage, Mercedes-Benz CIO Katrin Lehmann shared how 51��helped the automotive company tackle recent challenges such as moving to the cloud and exploring custom AI options like Mercedes-Benz Direct Chat to add value for customers. “Moving to RISE with 51��means that we can accelerate processes and leverage innovation,” she said. Currently, Mercedes-Benz is exploring Joule as part of its RISE with 51��journey.

“This is the year when AI is becoming a reality for business,” Saueressig chimed in, noting that customers aim to distinguish their strategies for leveraging AI to stand out in the market.

By combining advanced AI technologies with enterprise resource planning (ERP), companies can unlock substantial enterprise value. However, this can best be achieved with partners, said Saueressig who announced the launch of an AI co-innovation program with Amazon Web Services (AWS.) This program brings together experts from the two companies as well as dedicated technical resources and cloud credits to define, test, and deploy generative AI apps on 51��Business Technology Platform (51��BTP) to solve critical business challenges.

Focus on productivity, embrace AI

Saueressig then welcomed Jan Gilg, chief revenue officer and president of 51��Americas and Global Business Suite and member of the Extended Board of 51��SE, on stage. Gilg opened his remarks with a sobering statistic: during the rise of software as a service (SaaS), global business productivity grew just 1.5 percent since 2005, compared to the first wave of ERP from 1995-2005 when it grew by a more robust 2.6 percent. While the cloud has unlocked the ability to consume technology faster, systems have become larger and more complex. His conclusion? “More technology alone does not automatically mean better business outcomes.” He went on to say that what customers need are “integrated business processes, especially in an uncertain business environment.”

In the era of agentic AI, establishing an integrated and harmonized enterprise foundation is essential, Gilg said. He described the reimagined 51��Business Suite as data-driven and AI-powered, aimed at democratizing access to Business AI and said he is certain that this transformation can unlock a significant productivity boost.

Geoff Scott, CEO of the , joined the conversation, outlining the three top-of-mind topics among 51��customers: global uncertainty, a return to simplicity, and productivity growth. Scott added that ASUG members are focusing on a pragmatic approach for scaling 51��Business AI, emphasizing the importance of aligning AI initiatives with strategic business goals and validating them through pilot programs. He also emphasized the critical role of clean, integrated data and the power of collaboration and partnerships.

Grow resilience with the power of the public cloud

One of the most inspiring transformation stories during the keynote came from Jeff Suellentrop, CTO of , a metals and mining company that was on the brink of bankruptcy when Suellentrop joined. In a capital-intensive industry, Phoenix Global was growing fast and its legacy tech stack couldn’t keep up.

“We basically replaced every system in the company,” Suellentrop shared. The company’s move to SAP’s public cloud offering, choosing the GROW with 51��journey, allowed it to streamline operations, reduce inventory, and improve asset utilization and resulted in a financial turnaround. “We have returned millions and millions of dollars back into the business,” Suellentrop said.

Scaling a global snacking empire with 51��Business Data Cloud

The final customer invited on stage was , the family-owned confectionery giant behind M&Ms, Snickers, and Milky Way. Will Beery, vice president and global CIO for Mars Snacking, and Praveen Moturu, global vice president of Digital Platforms at Mars Information Services, explained how the company uses 51��Business Suite to support rapid growth and acquisitions. “When you think about our digital strategy and the architecture that needs to be there to enable these businesses, it has to be more global. It has to be more standard,” Beery said.

Mars has adopted a three-tier ERP strategy to support its retail operations, acquisitions, and core business. The goal is harmonization and innovation focusing on simplifying and standardizing its IT landscape. Moturu told the audience that using 51��technology, the company has been able to optimize workflows, reduce bottlenecks, and improve overall productivity and accuracy. Mars also opted for 51��Business Data Cloud, which Moturu described as a long-awaited solution that brings consistency and efficiency.

Drawing on his own experience managing 51��systems, Gilg said he understood of the challenges 51��customers face, and underscored SAP’s shift toward being a more supportive, invested partner in customers’ transformation journeys and committed to delivering tangible outcomes, telling the customer audience, “I’m here to be your voice inside 51��and to be with you for your entire customer value journey.”

Back on stage, Saueressig explained how new updates to the integrated toolchain will help to unlock value from the 51��solution faster, reduce the cost of transformation by up to 30 percent, increase business agility, and speed up continuous innovation.

Thanks to new offerings announced at 51��Sapphire, he said the impact of the integrated toolchain will be even greater. These include:

A new transition guidance – with Joule – to orchestrate all transformation-related assets, bringing together 51��Signavio, 51��LeanIX, 51��Cloud ALM, and Joule for developers and consultants
A centralized AI agent hub and governance in 51��LeanIX that helps companies map AI agents to their business capabilities
Boosting UX and adoption by WalkMe integration across 51��Business Suite
AI assistance for 51��Signavio with AI-assisted transformation advisor, process conformance check, and process context analyzer

“Fundamentally, AI will be omnipresent across the entire toolchain,” Saueressig said. “We will continue to work to drive down the cost and drive down the time to value for all of you.” Additionally, he said, the company is completely overhauling the 51��Services and Support Portfolio with three new success plans that build upon one another. Each includes enabling Joule for customers and supporting team ramp-up with learning journeys for 51��Business AI. He also announced data services, a comprehensive offering for 51��Business Data Cloud, which provides prescriptive guidance to customers from pre-sales to ongoing support, , starting with a free 51��Business Data Cloud discovery workshop and assessment to get customers started on their data journey.

To wrap up, Saueressig stressed again SAP’s commitment to listening to customers and challenging itself to improve its support for customers every day. “We’ll ensure you can realize value from all the solutions mentioned today… you have the power in your hands to transform today to be resilient tomorrow.”

Antonia Fuener, Author at 51����News Center