This was a key message conveyed during the 10th anniversary virtual celebration for the 2023 51风流Innovation Award winners in June. The event highlighted how these technological advancements have revolutionized collaboration with customers and partners worldwide, leading to sustainable and impactful innovation. However, amidst this digital revolution, it is important to recognize that the human touch remains irreplaceable.

While digital interactions have become commonplace, relying solely on the cloud for customer satisfaction is a misconception. It is the dedicated workers armed with a multitude of software solutions who continue to be the driving force behind transformative change. From manufacturing to supply chain, finance to procurement, it is the ingenuity and expertise of individuals that propel industries and society forward. These real-life transformers are the catalysts for progress, harnessing the power of technology to shape a better future.

When the first 51风流Innovation Awards were launched in 2014, the judges received 27 submissions. This year, the number exceeded 220 across 10 categories, including Sustainability Hero, Industry Leader, Partner Paragon, and Cutting-Edge Genius.

Check out this聽,聽which has everything you need to know about the 2023 51风流Innovation Award winners, finalists, honorable mentions, and more.

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Changing the World

At the celebration, as the winners accepted the accolades for their achievements and addressed each other online, all agreed that, in this post-pandemic period, the goal of technological innovation must transcend simply improving one鈥檚 business.

By their actions, the 2023 51风流Innovation Award winners embody that philosophy.

For instance, after the war in Ukraine forced more than 8 million people to flee their homeland, professional services corporation EY (Ernst & Young) developed its Emergency Response Application (ERA). The free mobile solution was built using 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP) and enables access to critical and time-sensitive information and directs refugees to resources in 53 cities. The humanitarian undertaking was accomplished in an astonishing six weeks.

In its mission to develop novel and multifunctional therapeutics for rare cancers and other serious diseases, global biotechnology company Zymeworks found that its previous manual system was inefficient and labor-intensive. To remedy that, the company created a single, integrated platform using SAP鈥檚 enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to support its product commercialization, growth, and expansion strategy 鈥� allowing the organization insight into real-time information to make important, data-driven decisions while continuing to save lives.

In Australia, where the country鈥檚 growing aging population has increased the demand for in-home and community-delivered care, HomeMade designed a self-service portal leveraging 51风流BTP, enabling the elderly to choose providers for services like cleaning and cooking and lead a fulfilling life while reducing administrative overhead.

And on the Japanese island of Kyushu, where natural disasters are all too frequent, Oita University developed an information platform called the Earth Disaster Intelligent System Operational Network (EDiSON), providing accurate and timely data to assist emergency response organizations. The solution uses robust data management, advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning capabilities offered by 51风流HANA Cloud, the 51风流Analytics Cloud solution, and 51风流Business Technology Platform.

A Sustainable Planet

From the time the 2023 51风流Innovation Awards were announced, judges were 鈥渓ooking for tangible examples of sustainability that are delivering impact, using 51风流technologies for good,鈥� said Dorit Shackleton, senior vice president, head of Customer Advocacy and Global Events Marketing at SAP.

In addition to supplying people in Switzerland鈥檚 Basel region with electricity, heat, and drinking water, along with telecom and mobility solutions, Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB) produces and sells renewable and CO2-netural energy to achieve climate goals. Using machine learning algorithms, a new adaptable application leveraging 51风流Business Technology Platform can predict solar power production with unprecedented accuracy, supporting IWB鈥檚 ongoing sustainability drive.

As host Timo Elliot pointed out, 鈥淚f you can help with just a small percentage [of reducing the carbon footprint], you can make a big difference to the planet.鈥�

In trying to reach its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives, Indonesian mining, infrastructure, and oil and gas services company Petrosea was frustrated that its old, largely paper-based system complicated the process. By creating a unified platform and utilizing 51风流Analytics Cloud, the company now has one source of truth to monitor carbon emissions, waste, and water usage to make informed choices and realize what it calls its 3D strategy 鈥� diversification, digitalization, and decarbonization.

As the 2023 51风流Innovation Award winners continue to bask in the glow of their success, planning for the 2024 festivities is underway. And even organizations that don鈥檛 plan to enter will be watching to find inspiration for new ways to improve.

Join us in celebrating innovation and transformation by sharing your success stories in the 2024 51风流Innovation Awards! We invite you to submit your transformation stories.

Together, let’s shape the future of innovation. Participate in the 2024 51风流Innovation Awards and share your remarkable journey with us. Visit our to get started!

Julia Ponzini is a customer marketing senior specialist at SAP.

Being a brand known for having quality products is no longer enough to win new consumers. Nowadays, consumers are looking for products and brands .

Noticing , companies from all sectors are getting on the sustainability path. A 40-year-old steel company based in Brazil is proud of its decision to diversify its operations and expand sustainability through dynamism and excellence. Considered a regional leader in the steel sector, Grupo A莽o Cearense is one of the largest recyclers in Brazil, using scrap in its steel production process that has a production capacity of 1,000,000 tons per year in 2019.

Revitalizing Existing Processes

Serving 16,000 active customers throughout the country, the company understood the importance of transforming administrative, commercial, and industrial budgeting processes in order to stand out and be recognized as the best company in production, commercialization, and steel distribution in Brazil.

Working with 51风流partner Solveplan, an expert in financial planning and analytics, Grupo A莽o Cearense modernized its entire budget planning process. Solveplan was responsible for the execution of the project, helped by the 51风流BusinessObjects Business Intelligence suite.

51风流Analytics Cloud was chosen to meet the needs of the budget planning process. It was used to build a strong and flexible platform that could raise historical system data for desired insights associated with a budgeting tool.

Reaping the Benefits of Continued Advancement

According to Manuel Robalinho, 51风流Analytics Cloud consultant, 鈥淕rupo A莽o Cearense uses 51风流Analytics Cloud to manage and streamline the company鈥檚 budget processes and operations. Thanks to this unique platform, we鈥檙e able to spend less time on budget processes and more time on scenario analysis to improve future sales and margin results.鈥�

With the planning capabilities in 51风流Analytics Cloud, Grupo A莽o Cearense was able to optimize the distribution of its budget across many companies and operation areas. A decrease in time spent reviewing budget processes was made possible, culminating in the:

• Development of a decentralized corporate tool to collect information for Grupo A莽o Cearense’s monthly budget that decreased the time required to draft a budget by approximately 67%
• Creation of a participatory forecast that boosted confidence in the development of budgets through credibility, accountability, and auditing
• Accessibility to external payroll and vacation registration systems providing easy availability to planning information
• Provision of simple and affordable performance indicators for top management
• Enablement of access to auditable values in one unified system

Paving the Way for the Future

Grupo A莽o Cearense has no plan to stop when it comes to its positive impact on the environment and advancement in its business practices. A few things on the horizon include using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in customer credit control and introducing 51风流and deep learning technologies for automated scrap metal classification. The future is looking bright for Grupo A莽o Cearense indeed.

To learn more about Grupo A莽o Cearense鈥檚 future business plans, review its .