Ima Buxton, Author at 51��News Center

Beyond Gravity’s All-Out Mission to the Cloud

Ima Buxton — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:15:00 +0000

As it seeks to modernize its software environment, Beyond Gravity wants to take full advantage of the cloud. That’s why this leading supplier to the space industry is on an all-out mission to move its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to 51��S/4HANA Cloud, public edition.

While catastrophic asteroid impacts have been rare in Earth’s history, the threat asteroids pose to life on our planet is very real. With that in mind, NASA and ESA launched a mission in 2021 to test a method of planetary defense that involved deflecting Dimorphos – one part of the Didymos double-asteroid system – from its orbit by crashing a spacecraft into it. In part two of the mission, due to begin in October 2024, an orbiter known as “Hera” will lift off and, in October 2026, begin examining the effects of the test on Dimorphos.

Beyond Gravity: Space Technology That Protects the Planet

“Protecting Earth from asteroids that could pose a threat to us all is an exciting and important task,” says Johan Eckerstein, CIO at . Headquartered in Switzerland, Beyond Gravity is one of a group of suppliers of high-tech equipment for Hera and is responsible for delivering the spacecraft’s two solar wings. In addition to a variety of satellite components, the space technology specialist also builds launch vehicles, and a third, smaller division serves the growing lithography market. According to , Beyond Gravity ranks third among 21 competitors in its field.

Image courtesy of Beyond Gravity.

Johan Eckerstein. Image courtesy of Beyond Gravity.

EZYOne Transformation Project: Flight Path to the Future

“Our ambition is to be the No. 1 space technology supplier, the most innovative and most exciting company to work for,” says Eckerstein. As CIO, his job is to put the technology in place to make that vision a reality. The EZYOne program he initiated in October 2022 was a crucial first step in that process.

Beyond Gravity is the legal successor to RUAG Space, the space division of Swiss technology group RUAG International. So while it only began operating as a startup under its new name in May 2022, it has decades of experience in the space industry. With the company due to be privatized soon, its EZYOne digital transformation project is as necessary as it is challenging.

As the name implies, the idea is to make things easier. Beyond Gravity has historically grown from various companies and locations. Currently, there are various sites with different IT systems that are not linked to each other.

With EZYOne, Beyond Gravity is preparing to become a digital-first company that will leverage artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, augmented reality (AR), and many other emerging technologies. The first step is to build a common digital core that will enable the company to unlock tremendous value and new ways to serve customers.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition: Seven Becomes One

Each of Beyond Gravity’s business divisions has built up its own vast pool of expertise over the years. But when it comes to IT, the company’s colorful history means it now has a mishmash of legacy systems – comprising seven different ERP systems alone – and, thus, an array of complex, inefficient, and costly processes.

IT solutions in use at Beyond Gravity in 2023

7 ERP systems
8 product lifecycle management (PLM) systems
5 business process management systems
2 manufacturing execution systems (MES)

EZYOne lifted off in October 2022. “We began by defining the architecture we wanted for our new IT landscape,” explains Eckerstein. That process led to a number of design principles aimed at ensuring the project was a success. They included:

One solution of each type for all business units
Cloud first
Standard first (out of the box)
No technical data in the ERP system
Rapid go-live in the first quarter of 2024

When it came to selecting an ERP solution – and based on these criteria – Beyond Gravity opted for SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition. “From the perspective of an agile startup and the global market leader we aspire to become, cloud is the only way to go,” says Eckerstein. “When you choose a cloud solution, you are committing more to a provider’s road map than to a static product. And, as a midsize company, we can benefit from a vendor like 51��that has the infrastructure and resources to provide the solution reliably and securely.” This, he adds, eases the pressure on IT teams and frees up time for value-adding tasks.

Standard Covers 92% of Processes

Eckerstein points out, however, that if you want to enjoy the benefits of the public cloud, you have to be consistent in your approach. Essentially, when you transform business processes, that means sticking as far as possible to the standard version of the public cloud solution. Beyond Gravity defined the following rules:

80% of processes must be covered by the standard – and adapted to it if necessary.
Key processes not covered by the standard must be added to SAP’s to-do list and implemented within a specified time frame.
Where non-key processes are not covered by the standard, alternatives must be explored, such as a third-party solution, manual process, or other neat solution.

The result of this approach surprised even Eckerstein: “We managed to cover 92% of all processes with the standard solution. And in finance, we didn’t find a single gap!” There were many other practical benefits, such as:

Managers can be able to call up a status overview of all projects in real time – for any country or currency – with just a few clicks.
Intracompany processes can become more efficient, thanks to the option of using fully automated ordering and confirmation and in-transit goods tracking.

The percentage of processes not covered by the standard may be small, but it can represent a huge gap if even one of those processes is mission-critical.

Beyond Gravity has also got 51��– 51��Switzerland, to be precise – on board as an implementation partner to give it the most direct line possible to the 51��developers working on the cloud ERP solution.

Public Cloud ERP: A Calculated Risk

Beyond Gravity is now halfway along the project timeline. The solution was completed in September 2023 and is currently in its initial testing phase – with the first go-live scheduled for March 2024 in Sweden. “This kind of speed is only possible in the public cloud,” says Eckerstein, “and only if you adopt the right mindset.” In other words, if you want to enjoy the benefits of the public cloud, you have to be willing to take a certain amount of risk that you would avoid with an on-premise installation and trust that the provider’s road map will take you where you want to go. But, as Eckerstein adds, “This has nothing to do with blind trust; it’s about objectively calculating the risks involved.”

Top image courtesy of 51��employee Trupti Warad

smart Europe Offers Car Drivers a Hyper-Personalized Customer Journey

Ima Buxton — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 12:15:35 +0000

Thanks to a new e-commerce platform and digital twin technology, smart Europe is in the vanguard of automotive brands tailoring their business models to customer needs and direct online car sales.

Whether it’s streaming services, cell phones, or robotic lawn mowers, today’s consumers are more than happy to enjoy the convenience of buying high-tech products and services online. In a matter of mouse-clicks, they can configure a product and select whether to buy, lease, or subscribe – depending on their personal preferences.

But things are very different when it comes to buying a new car. A found that three out of four consumers still prefer to purchase from an authorized vehicle dealership. Yet it also revealed that there was a growing appreciation of the benefits of virtual purchase processes. Consumers would like to see buying a new car become like buying a new cell phone.

“Our assumption is that there will always be people who visit physical dealerships to “feel” a car and test-drive it,” explains Björn Schick, CXO and member of the executive board of smart Europe. “But it won’t be long before they become the minority and more people start configuring and ordering their cars online – in just a few quick steps.”

Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Vehicle Sales Are Booming

How soon that happens, Schick says, will depend hugely on whether suitably attractive offers are available. Increasingly, customers are willing to sign contracts online if they can obtain a favorable short-term lease or subscription deal on transparent terms. They then have a tendency to be more adventurous in their choice of car model and color.

“They’ll quite deliberately opt for a sportier model, maybe, or bright yellow paintwork,” says Schick. “That’s because the focus is not on the vehicle’s resale value when the contract ends, but on the customer’s preferences.”

Many of today’s market players – both established and new – are well aware of the business opportunities behind this change in consumer habits. They are muscling their way into online channels to claim their share of the rapidly growing D2C vehicle market. Alongside electric car pioneer Tesla, brands including NIO and Polestar are showing the way – and automakers across the world are following their lead.

Direct Sales on a Single E-Commerce Platform

smart Europe also sees strong prospects for its own new-vehicle business here and is aligning its entire company infrastructure accordingly. smart Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of smart Automobile Co., Ltd., a joint venture established in 2019 between iconic German vehicle manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, which transferred its smart brand to the partnership, and Chinese automaker Geely. The aim of the joint venture is to offer all-electric smart models on a new e-commerce platform for climate-conscious, city-dwelling consumers for whom the online world is second nature.

“Our business model is based on direct business with consumers, whom we address through an omnichannel approach so that we can sell our cars virtually and physically on a single platform,” explains Schick.

Car dealerships play their part in this business model too. “We see them as a key element in our sales strategy,” says Schick. “Their role is changing, but it’s just as important as before. As a newly formed company, we’ve got the chance to reinvent and recalibrate our dealership model.” Dealers will no longer own vehicles themselves and sell them, but will serve as brand ambassadors for (joint) customers at the physical retail touchpoint and as sales and service partners. They will arrange test drives, hand vehicles over to their new owners, and invite customers to events targeted at particular client segments. In short: car dealerships as we know them today will no longer function chiefly as sales outlets, but as agencies that showcase the brand.

51��Commerce Cloud as the Process Backbone for smart Europe

The foundation for this innovative style of cooperation is smart’s new e-commerce platform, which can be accessed not only by smart Europe employees and dealers but, for example, by repair shops as well. They can each see the data the customer has given its consent for them to access. The new platform will become operational at the end of 2022, coinciding with the launch of the first new smart #1.

Central to the platform is , on which all of smart Europe’s e-commerce transactions will run, from product configuration to payment. “51��Commerce Cloud lets us map all the country-specific tax and legal requirements so that we can manage all the processes for our business across Europe on a single platform,” explains Schick.

Coupled with 51��Customer Data Cloud, 51��Commerce Cloud also plays a key role in delivering hyper-personalized content on the front end because, when the two solutions are integrated, they push relevant data for a given set of parameters by country and customer segment. This means that, on the new e-commerce platform, someone who is sporty, adventurous, and has an eye for design will see different content and journeys than, say, someone with a different psychographic profile, such as an “information seeker.”

Accurate and Secure Consent Management Built In

51��Customer Data Cloud and 51��Commerce Cloud form the backbone for authenticating and verifying customers and for managing customer consent. The 51��Customer Identity and Access Management solutions help ensure that all customer consent statements relating to being contacted or to personal data being processed are handled accurately and securely and – most importantly – in compliance with GDPR (the EU General Data Protection Regulation).

The major advantage of 51��Customer Data Cloud is that it records all customer data centrally, including conventional data like the personal “smart ID” that identifies any smart customer at any touchpoint and relevant product data as well. The digital key is an example of how this data can be used: owners of an all-electric smart can opt for a digital key to operate their car and can even share the key with friends via an app. The vehicle-locking mechanism, consent to the transfer of data, and so on are managed on the central platform.

“This shows that the new platform is much more than a marketing and sales tool,” says Schick. “It is practically part of the product.”

Enhanced 360-Degree View Supports New Business Models

More product data comes from the 51��Digital Vehicle Hub application, which serves as the digital twin of any smart car. The application contains not only technical data about a vehicle, but also provides insight into wearing parts that need replacing and about driver behavior. Connecting these two layers, customer data and product data – each of which allows a panoramic view of their object – creates 360-degree visibility into both the customer and their vehicle. This in turn opens the door to scores of new digital services, product enhancements, and personalized customer offerings.

“Having opportunities like this on the horizon makes working with 51��particularly compelling,” says Schick. “We’re on an innovation journey, interacting closely with 51��on what else the solutions might be able to do in the future.” smart Europe’s aim is to deliver on its vision of becoming an urban companion for its target market – for all of their vehicle-related service needs.

“Our motto is ‘try, learn, adjust, repeat!’” says Schick. “With that in mind, we’ll keep moving steadily along the road to our destination – but always be ready to change lanes if we need to.”

Top image courtesy of smart Europe.

BrandZ Ranking 2021: 51��Is Germany’s Most Valuable Brand for Fourth Year

Ima Buxton — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 18:15:57 +0000

51��has topped the BrandZ ranking 2021 and again been named Germany’s most valuable brand, for the fourth year in succession.

The prestigious BrandZ brand valuation ranking is compiled by UK communications services group WPP in conjunction with global data, insights, and consulting company Kantar Millward Brown. It draws on a unique combination of detailed financial analyses and data garnered from 3.8 million consumers in more than 50 countries.

German Brands Show Resilience Amid Pandemic

Despite the impact of COVID-19 and the threat of recession, the BrandZ top 50 most valuable German brands grew by $17.3 billion to a cumulative value of $353 billion in 2020. According to the analysts, one of the reasons that the companies included in the BrandZ ranking 2021 have escaped serious financial damage from the pandemic is the uniquely broad mix of sectors they represent, 19 in all. As such, lower demand for cars, financial products, and leisure activities was more than offset by gains in the technology, logistics, and (online) retail sectors. And their strong focus on doing business in international markets helped bolster the balance sheets of the top 50 German companies.

“The digital transformation hadn’t really picked up momentum but will now only continue to accelerate,” says Masa Schmidt, head of Marketing for Germany at SAP. “Studies show that COVID-19 has accelerated the digital communication strategies of companies in Germany by up to seven years. Customer behavior has changed irrevocably, which is why it is all the more important to develop more agile marketing strategies, question the status quo, and hone in on customer behavior. Going forward, customer journeys will increasingly involve a hybrid of online and offline touch points, but must be viewed as a single experience, and perceived as such by customers.”

“Digitalization has become key to survival in the pandemic and the acceptance of cloud technology has increased dramatically,” adds Kerstin Koeder, head of Marketing for EMEA at SAP. “However, due to the market’s pandemic-induced reluctance to invest, 2020 was a difficult year for SAP. That’s why I’m extremely happy that we’re not holding off. Instead, driven by our new strategy, we’re investing heavily in our cloud technologies, helping our customers go digital and migrate to the cloud. In doing so, we’re demonstrating that we’re not simply paying lip service to the sentiments of Customer First and Customer Success – they are our top priority. Our decision to invest sends out a clear message that we are not willing to trade customer satisfaction for increased margin and shareholder value in the short term.”

Trust and Security as Competitive Advantages in the Pandemic

Alongside their financial resilience, German brands possess another characteristic that stands them in good stead, particularly in times of crisis: they are highly regarded around the world for their focus on quality and their reliability and are traditionally seen as “helpers.” According to a further key result of the analysis, many German companies lived up to this status by fostering honest, open, respectful, and engaging relationships with their customers, thus creating a sense of trust and security among consumers.

“Especially in challenging times, the value of brands very much comes to the fore,” explains Christoph Prox, managing director of Brand, Media, & Communications at Kantar in Germany. “In times of crisis, brands are among the few things in life that provide stability, security, and reliability.”

This means that companies need to build a strong brand, which requires significant investment and long-term commitment on the part of the respective parent company.

Helping the World Run Better and Improving People’s Lives

With its “Together We Got This” and campaigns, 51��is investing in helping companies address the huge, unexpected challenges brought about by COVID-19.

Koeder explains: “Customers have very high expectations of brands when it comes to customer experience, in particular how companies conduct their business and how socially responsible they are – especially in times like these. Using innovative 51��solutions to improve people’s lives and help the world run better was the mission of SAP’s founders from day one. It is still the company’s top priority, and it’s in our DNA. In terms of our marketing strategy, we have placed even greater focus on showing how we deliver on our purpose, and how we can help our customers and partners get through the pandemic as best they can. Our contributions include providing products free of charge, building the Corona-Warn-App, and supporting the manufacture and distribution of vaccines using our technologies. ‘Together We Got This’ and Back to Best underscore our commitment as the partner for digital transformation.”

Ima Buxton, Author at 51����News Center