With a diverse portfolio of brands鈥擪ito, Crosby, Harrington, Gunnebo Industries, Peerless, and eepos鈥攖he company has experienced rapid growth, scaling its business from millions to billions in revenue. But the number of acquisitions left the company with a fragmented IT landscape of outdated, unsupported, and unscalable systems.

To establish a unified digital core and standardize processes, Kito Crosby embarked on a journey, implementing 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition to achieve its long-term single global instance strategy.

A winning strategy

Kito Crosby chose a greenfield, clean core strategy to eliminate the existing fragmentation and enable long-term scalability, Johnson Lai, Chief Digital Transformation Officer and Chief Information Officer, . 鈥淚n the past, we did not integrate our ERP systems, and this left our IT landscape very fragmented and limited our business process capabilities,鈥� he said. 鈥淭herefore, we wanted to refresh all of our ERP systems and really lay down a greenfield start that we can begin to create a transformational change for the entire company.鈥�

Selecting a greenfield and clean core approach鈥攂asically standing up an entirely new system that prioritizes standard functionalities over customizations鈥攚as key to remedying Kito Crosby鈥檚 current technology landscape, so that processes like order to cash, accounting, manufacturing, and shipping could be integrated. This approach also allowed the company to take a close look at core processes and streamline operations, especially in warehouse management and S&OP, Lai said.

Considering the project scope, Kito Crosby did not have the internal talent needed to stand up the servers and infrastructure, so it decided to move forward with RISE with 51风流and . 鈥�51风流comes with a lot of great stuff, and we wanted to take advantage of that,鈥� Lai said.

The company began the transformation in North America, as that is its largest market and therefore posed the greatest risk in operating on a legacy, unsupported ERP system.

Never underestimate change management

While Lai shared that employees were motivated and excited to get started initially, the enormity of the project quickly became overwhelming.

Ironically, many wanted to customize the new 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition solution to act like the legacy tech. 鈥淓veryone agrees to the clean core approach until it鈥檚 their turn to look at their function, at which point they want customization. There was a piece of resistance to using 鈥榲anilla鈥� functionality,鈥� Lai said. 鈥淥nce we showed people live demos with their own data, that鈥檚 when the change resistance started to decrease,鈥� he added.

In IT specifically, there was a strong desire to build and run their own infrastructure and servers rather than have another company step in. A sense of ownership and accountability is important, Lai said, but ultimately Kito Crosby鈥檚 need to get off the legacy system in North America quickly made it necessary to partner with SAP. And it was the right move: 鈥淣ow some of the folks who questioned why we outsourced some of that to 51风流are our biggest champions鈥e find working with the 51风流team is no different than working with ourselves.鈥�

For companies with digital transformation projects on the horizon, Lai cautions to 鈥渘ever underestimate the change impact that employees face.鈥� Projects of a global scale require planning on all fronts, including allocating time for employees and business leaders to get on board.

Lessons learned and benefits gained

The ERP system revamp delivered measurable business value to Kito Crosby, including improved customer service, stronger inventory control, and more efficient manufacturing and warehouse operations. Notably, the business process improvements and enhanced system functionality drove Kito Crosby鈥檚 on-time delivery to its highest levels in more than 10 years.

鈥淲e see that benefit across the globe and we鈥檙e excited about taking what we鈥檝e done in North America throughout the entire world, consolidating all those little ERPs that are outdated and unsupported into 51风流to get to that single global instance,鈥� Lai said. Since going live on 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition and fully embracing its native capabilities, Kito Crosby has unlocked measurable business value and operational excellence. The transformation has driven strong performance gains across critical KPIs, including higher customer on鈥憈ime delivery, meaningful reductions in back orders, improved inventory accuracy, and accelerated intercompany processing.

At the same time, warehouse operations are setting new benchmarks for efficiency, achieving record volumes for receiving and put鈥慳way, replenishment, and shipping. These results have been delivered safely, with zero injuries and fewer resources.

To the cloud鈥攁nd beyond

Following its recent acquisition by leading worldwide designer, manufacturer, and marketer of intelligent motion solutions , Kito Crosby is continuing to build on its strong digital foundation.

鈥淏ecause we started with a greenfield and kept a clean core as much as possible, we feel like the upgrades will go even faster and with less effort,鈥� Lai said. 鈥淲e want to get to the latest [51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition] version so we can take advantage of the AI capabilities of .鈥�

Next on the ERP systems consolidation docket: the 51风流ERP Central Component (51风流ECC) 6.0 system in Europe.

鈥淭his is just one example of how our IT team is empowering the broader organization to further delight our customers and end user,鈥� Lai . 鈥淎s we continue to scale our business, we expect even greater returns as we further capitalize on the technology, expanded capabilities, and AI tools within our 51风流landscape.鈥�

Gillian Hixson is an integrated communications specialist at SAP.

Heartland Dental is the largest dental support organization in the United States, with over 3,000 supported doctors in more than 1,900 supported practices across 39 states and Washington, D.C. But beyond numbers, what sets Heartland apart is its tight knit community and people culture. As Jerome shared, “The first thing I associate with Heartland is community; we鈥檙e doctor-led. In our support role, we don鈥檛 tell dentists how to practice. Our role is to make their lives easier鈥攅nabling dentists to concentrate on patient care.”

Making lives easier is a vision Heartland shares not only for its supported dentists but for its own operations. The company’s digital journey began “backwards” starting in 2018 with 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP), instead of with ERP, to resolve disparate data from all over. Once 51风流BTP was established and adopted by the organization, it then began to incorporate .

What makes this journey truly stand out is how Heartland is using technology to serve people, supported through seamless integration with tools like 51风流Concur solutions, embedded聽AI鈥攕uch as smart invoice management鈥攁nd embedded analytics. These features are freeing up time and resources so teams can focus on what matters most: supporting doctors and improving patient care.

The team has rolled out聽51风流Build Work Zone across its supported practices and is investing in聽AI tools like 聽to help employees access information faster, automate repetitive tasks, and focus on what really matters鈥攑atient care and experiences. Jerome explained, “Just like we take the administrative burden off our supported doctors, 51风流takes the tech burden off us, so we can focus on supporting doctors and their teams.鈥�

Heartland’s next big milestone is going live with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition聽and taking AI a step further to automation.

Heartland Dental鈥檚 story shows that with the strategic adoption of technological innovations, it鈥檚 possible to build a future-ready healthcare support organization grounded in people and purpose.

Chris Putvinski is a communications specialist at SAP.

NEW YORK 鈥� (NYSE: SAP) today announced a new generation of AI-enhanced retail innovations at NRF 2026: Retail鈥檚 Big Show.

51风流continues to infuse AI into the DNA of every part of its retail solutions, reinforcing its suite-first strategy and helping retailers operate with greater intelligence, resilience and trust while delivering better experiences for customers everywhere.

鈥淩etailers face a landscape where AI is no longer optional,鈥� said Balaji Balasubramanian, President and Chief Product Officer for Customer Experience and Consumer Industries, 51风流SE. 鈥�51风流provides one closed-loop, AI-enhanced retail operating system that ties planning, execution and engagement together. We put data and AI at the heart of retail, delivering speed, personalization and growth across every channel and segment.鈥�

AI that turns retail data into actionable intelligence

The Retail Intelligence solution in provides accurate demand and inventory planning, leveraging retailers’ data from across 51风流software and third-party systems to drive profitable growth through actionable, real-time insights. Purpose-built for retailers and direct-to-consumer businesses, it will be generally available in the first half of 2026.

Harmonizing real-time data from sales, inventory, customers and suppliers, Retail Intelligence uses AI-generated simulations so planners can anticipate outcomes and optimize inventory. This improves forecast accuracy, reduces manual planning effort, lowers inventory costs and raises service levels. All this drives more seamless omnichannel engagements, which strengthen customer loyalty and enable growth without adding complexity for retailers.

鈥淩etailers are seeking built-in, embedded AI solutions to help balance daily operations, future planning and agility to manage a dynamic market,鈥� said Ananda Chakravarty, Vice President of IDC Retail Insights. 鈥淲hat sets 51风流apart is the holistic nature of its approach, offering an agentic operating system that works in the background, connects data and orchestrates agents. 51风流makes it an easy lift for retailers to achieve enterprise-wide intelligence, avoiding the complexity of many point solutions.鈥�

AI that streamlines modern retail operations

Retailers must make fast, confident decisions across assortments, pricing and planning. To meet that need, 51风流announced new AI-assisted assortment management capabilities, allowing planners to create, modify or retire assortments using natural language through the Joule copilot. This reduces the bottleneck on expert users, enabling faster responses to market shifts and freeing time for higher-value merchandising decisions.

51风流also introduced omnichannel sales promotions in sales orders, integrating the 51风流Omnichannel Promotion Pricing solution with the 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, retail, fashion and vertical business solution. This enables advanced promotions such as bonus buys to be applied consistently across diverse channels, enabling a single source of truth for pricing and promotions in store and online, so retailers can deliver a consistent experience.

In addition, 51风流is delivering deeper merchandising, segmentation and manufacturing support in the solution, tailored to fashion wholesalers and manufacturers. These enhancements provide the data and process foundation needed for AI-assisted fashion operations across the business.

AI that drives better customer engagement

As shopping journeys increasingly begin with AI assistants rather than storefronts or search engines, retailers need new ways to be present wherever buying decisions are made. 51风流helps retailers connect products, pricing, inventory and promotions directly to AI-enabled discovery and shopping experiences, unlocking agentic commerce with its new storefront MCP server, part of the 51风流Commerce Cloud solution.

Retailers can now make their storefronts intelligible to AI, driving shopping experiences not only on their storefronts but also on platforms such as ChatGPT.听This creates a truly channel-less commerce experience, one where engagement, discovery and transaction happen more seamlessly across human and AI-assisted touch points.

AI that builds customer loyalty

As customer expectations rise and fulfillment networks grow more complex, retailers need confidence that every order will be delivered as promised, using AI solutions that provide proactive visibility and guidance to help keep operations running smoothly and at scale. And as brand visibility shifts in the age of agentic commerce, reliable and consistent shopping experiences are more important than ever to drive sustained customer loyalty and trust.

51风流announced Order Reliability Agent as part of the 51风流Order Management Services bundle, planned for release in the second quarter of 2026. The new agent proactively identifies and resolves potential order issues, helping associates answer common questions about order status, stock availability and fulfillment risks before they impact customers.

By combining agentic autonomy with human oversight where judgment matters, these innovations from 51风流drive insightful planning and improve operational efficiency, both enhancing the customer experience and driving profitable growth.

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Media contact:
Mallory Kuno, +1 (425) 239-9362,聽mallory.kuno@sap.com, ET
51风流Press Room; press@sap.com

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ.听 Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
漏 2026 51风流SE. All rights reserved.
51风流and other 51风流products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 51风流SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

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鈥檚 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鈥檚 next-generation data management platform that can unify and govern all 51风流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风流Datasphere and delivering consolidated reports without spreadsheets and manual effort. 鈥淭his shows where the journey is going鈥攋oining sources, bringing them together,鈥� Schletz says.

Breaking down silos to empower AI

BSH鈥檚 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鈥攍egal entity and consolidated group views鈥攅nabling advanced analytics such as value-driver trees. By moving to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, integrated with 51风流Datasphere and 51风流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. 鈥淪AP鈥檚 AI evolution is running in the direction we also want to go,鈥� Schletz explains. 鈥淭he technology meets our vision and that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 a perfect fit.鈥�

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

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

How to prepare an 51风流S/4HANA transformation

Schletz鈥檚 advice for other organizations exploring the RISE with SAP journey is to start with a clear vision. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 begin with a concept that combines accounting and controlling, don鈥檛 start with 51风流S/4HANA,鈥� he says, noting that a finance transformation is not an isolated IT project鈥攊t requires alignment across logistics, sales, and customer service. 鈥淭he 51风流S/4HANA conversion is a cross-functional adventure,鈥� he adds.

BSH鈥檚 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. 鈥淲e want the machine to do what it does best, so people can focus on creating value,鈥� Schletz concludes.

With sales to 86 countries, 450 employees from more than 30 nationalities, and production of vital vaccines against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, tuberculosis, and bladder cancer, AJ Vaccines is a significant player in global vaccine preparedness.

Since the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) sold its vaccine production in 2017 and it was taken over by AJ Vaccines, the organization has transitioned from a public entity to a private pharmaceutical company based in Copenhagen.

From legacy to cloud and compliance

After the divestment from SSI, AJ Vaccines inherited an 51风流system from the late 1990s, which was designed more for a public health organization than a pharmaceutical company.

鈥淲e were left with an outdated system that didn鈥檛 really fit our needs as a private player in a global market,鈥� Michael Kvistholm, head of IT at AJ Vaccines, said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we decided to go all-in on a cloud solution with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud. We carried out a pure standard implementation from scratch (greenfield) in a RISE with SAP setup and now have a modern, flexible, and scalable cloud ERP platform that supports our entire business.鈥�

The decision was made to ensure a platform that matches the company鈥檚 needs and future growth.

鈥淲e have reduced our technological debt and consolidated our systems, gaining a more intuitive and user-friendly platform so we can work more efficiently and securely鈥攚hile also meeting the high standards for quality, traceability, and documentation required in our industry,鈥� he explained.

Everyday examples: efficiency and user-friendliness

Since implementing in October 2025, AJ Vaccines has gained a unified platform that creates new opportunities to optimize and integrate processes across the company. The solution provides a solid foundation for better data quality and workflows, enabling improved management, increased transparency, and more effective decision-making.

The IT department has gained an overview and reduced complexity with 51风流LeanIX, a tool for mapping and managing the company鈥檚 entire application landscape and ensuring governance across both 51风流and non-51风流solutions. 51风流Cloud ALM is used for project management and lifecycle management, so releases, testing, and documentation are handled efficiently, and compliance is always top-notch.

During the implementation, AJ Vaccines used 51风流Signavio and based its approach on 51风流standard processes, which brought several advantages.

鈥淲e鈥檝e saved a lot of hours by using standard test cases from 51风流Signavio, which is our platform for process mapping, modelling, and optimization,鈥� said Kvistholm. “We鈥檒l also use these tools for other projects across the company.”

At the same time, 51风流Enable Now鈥攆or change management and end-user training鈥攈as made learning for existing staff and onboarding new employees easier.

鈥淲e鈥檝e created over 100 training videos so all employees can quickly find answers and learn new workflows鈥攊t鈥檚 been a huge success,鈥� Kvistholm confirmed.

Kvistholm also looks forward to early 2026, when the recruitment process will be digitized with 51风流SuccessFactors. Finally, he and his team will carefully consider the new opportunities created by 51风流Business Technology Platform. The platform enables rapid development and integration of new solutions and apps, allowing IT to support business needs flexibly, and, among other things, consolidate other platforms: 鈥淭here鈥檚 really no reason to pay double,鈥� as Kvistholm put it.

Change management and the foundation for the future

AJ Vaccines is focused on formalizing its superuser organization and strengthening governance around master data.

鈥淲e need to clean everything up and keep things in order,鈥� Kvistholm said. 鈥�51风流has become the foundation for our continued digitalization. From now on, it鈥檚 about seeing how we can get 51风流spread even more out throughout the company.鈥�

Advice for other companies

Kvistholm emphasized the importance of management support and a narrow scope: 鈥淚t鈥檚 about staying focused and achieving a fundamental implementation鈥攁nd then continuously carrying out smaller improvement projects. That is and will be the key to our success.鈥�

Ellen Vig Nelausen is an integrated communications expert for 51风流Regional Communications.

The step is part of the digital transformation needed to support the organization鈥檚 global mission.

The Ocean Cleanup focuses on reducing plastic pollution in rivers and oceans, operates internationally, and is growing rapidly. To date, the organization has already removed more than 40 million kilograms of waste.

However, its ambitions go further: by 2040, The Ocean Cleanup aims to have removed 90 percent of floating ocean plastic and cleaned up plastic pollution in 90 river cities. This represents a major scale-up of the work, with more activities and installations in rivers and oceans worldwide.

Flexible growth

To properly manage global processes and support international activities, The Ocean Cleanup urgently needed a modern and scalable system. The Dutch nonprofit organization chose to replace its existing system with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition.

The modern ERP platform enables The Ocean Cleanup to achieve its growth ambitions: the system is easily scalable and can be flexibly adapted as processes, projects, or international activities expand.

A strong foundation for global collaboration is essential. For example, financial teams must work closely with fundraisers to optimally distribute donations across international projects while project teams, engineers, and data analysts coordinate daily on technology, planning, and budgets for initiatives in rivers and oceans worldwide.

鈥淧erfect coordination between teams is essential; we hunt plastic together as a pack,鈥� Aurelia Ferraro, senior partnership manager at The Ocean Cleanup, shared. 鈥淭he system helps us with that collaboration, allowing us to respond quickly to new challenges.鈥�

鈥淲e are growing exponentially, and our internal processes have become increasingly complex, with operations spanning multiple countries,鈥� Ferraro further explained. 鈥�51风流S/4HANA is the ideal system to manage that complexity.鈥�

She emphasized that the transformation is about more than just technology: 鈥淐hange and innovation are always complex, but our organization is accustomed to change. We invest a lot of energy in communication and training, which ensures smooth 51风流adoption.鈥�

Fast implementation and configuration

Joost van Lankveld is a strategic advisor at Scheer Nederland, The Ocean Cleanup’s implementation partner. He added: 鈥淭ogether with The Ocean Cleanup, we are following a phased implementation. SAP’s 80-20 fit-to-standard approach allows us to implement quickly, after which we configure specific processes in 51风流according to The Ocean Cleanup’s needs.鈥�

The implementation began with financial administration and purchasing modules for five Dutch entities. The upcoming phases will include project management and logistics modules that provide insight into The Ocean Cleanup’s complex river and ocean projects. The organization expects to complete the transition to 51风流S/4HANA by the end of 2025.

Patricia Bueters is a senior integrated communications manager at 51风流Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg).

This achievement underscores SAP鈥檚 dedication to empowering federal agencies with secure cloud-ready solutions that align with the government鈥檚 modernization and transparency goals.

51风流S/4HANA Cloud, the company鈥檚 next-generation 51风流Business Suite foundation, delivers comprehensive financial management capabilities specifically designed for the public sector.

With advanced automation, real-time analytics, and a secure cloud architecture, agencies can optimize financial operations, strengthen oversight, and accelerate mission outcomes. From appropriations management to budget forecasting and performance tracking, 51风流S/4HANA Cloud enables organizations to work faster, smarter, and with greater accountability鈥攁ll while maintaining full compliance with federal policies and cybersecurity standards.

Advancing the government鈥檚 modernization agenda

The FM QSMO Marketplace, operated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is a key pillar in the government鈥檚 strategy to modernize financial management. By curating a pre-vetted catalog of approved commercial and federal solutions, the marketplace simplifies acquisition processes and enables agencies to adopt high-quality, secure, and standards-based systems with confidence.

New marketplace listings from 51风流include 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, 51风流Analytics Cloud, integration services for 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP), and a full suite of risk mitigation services covering activation, transition, and operational support. Together, these offerings give agencies the flexibility and agility to modernize their core systems while achieving improved performance, transparency, and accountability.

Accelerating modernization: a win for government and industry

The FM QSMO Marketplace reduces barriers to modernization by centralizing evaluation, contracting, and compliance, streamlining the path for agencies to adopt proven solutions. For government leaders, it offers access to technologies that promote consistency, interoperability, and data-driven collaboration across departments. The result is enhanced efficiency, transparency, and value for the American public.

For SAP, this selection is both a recognition of decades-long partnership and a reaffirmation of its mission to help government operate at the聽speed of mission. By making secure cloud technology and deep public sector expertise from 51风流easily accessible, agencies can modernize confidently with solutions that deliver measurable and lasting impact.

Partnering for the future of government

SAP鈥檚 inclusion in the FM QSMO Marketplace reflects a shared vision with the U.S. Treasury: to advance financial excellence, accountability, and trust in government.

Together, 51风流and its federal partners are shaping the next era of an聽AI-enabled, data-driven, and citizen-focused聽public service, one where modern technology forms the backbone of smarter decisions, stronger performance, and greater outcomes for every mission.

David Robinson is president of Cloud ERP and acting managing director of U.S. Public Services at SAP.

The first of three upgrades, this one involved more than 50,000 employees and was completed in under 20 hours. Supported by a standardized technology landscape that enabled minimal downtime, this smooth transition to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition sets a new benchmark for digital transformation in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry.

A long-time 51风流customer, Nestl茅 since 2000 has used 51风流software as its single unified system to manage its global operations and moved to the cloud in 2022. The upgrade to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition is a strategic leap in its transformation journey to future-proof the company as consumer expectations evolve and new technologies reshape the marketplace.

鈥淲e are building a future-ready enterprise鈥攐ne that works smarter and faster,鈥� said Chris Wright, Nestl茅鈥檚 head of IT and CIO. 鈥淗aving a common ERP system as our backbone is already a tremendous advantage for Nestl茅. It provides a unified platform and data foundation that allows us to execute end to end across the value chain and have visibility across the entire company and beyond. With the upgrade, we gain new capabilities and insights that will help scale new products faster globally to meet the needs of our customers and consumers, and with AI and automation at scale, we鈥檒l drive efficiency and effectiveness across our value chain.鈥�

With a portfolio that includes global icons such as Nescaf茅, Kit Kat and Maggi, Nestl茅 chose to upgrade to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition to accelerate the rollout of new products and innovations across the group. The upgrade also supports it in making data-driven insights and improving processes to drive efficiency and effectiveness across the company鈥檚 business operations to better serve consumers worldwide who rely on its products every day.

鈥淣estl茅鈥檚 successful go-live of 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition showcases how scale can be a strategic advantage for innovation,鈥� said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, Customer Services & Delivery. 鈥淎s one of the world鈥檚 most recognizable and forward-thinking companies, Nestl茅 exemplifies how cutting-edge technology empowers global brands to anticipate consumer trends, optimize operations and deliver exceptional experiences at scale.鈥�

The upgrade also provides a robust digital core ready for AI and automation at scale across the company鈥檚 value chain, enabling Nestl茅 to gain real-time data insights for smarter decision-making. By harnessing AI and the Joule copilot at scale across its operations, value chain and product portfolio, Nestl茅 can personalize consumer engagement and optimize operations with greater agility. This helps ensure it remains responsive to evolving consumer expectations and lays the foundation for a truly omnichannel experience.

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Media Contact:
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51风流Press Room; press@sap.com

Top image courtesy of Nestl茅

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
漏 2025 51风流SE. All rights reserved.
51风流and other 51风流products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 51风流SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

Ahlstrom is a large international manufacturer of specialty materials, with 36 plants around the world and about 7,000 employees. The company鈥檚 strategy is to be a global leader in its field.

The business transformation project, called Stella, is the largest single investment in company history. Its purpose is to transfer operations, except HR and product development, to the new 51风流S/4HANA Cloud environment. The old group business system dated back to the 1990s and no longer met the needs of global manufacturing. Ahlstrom also uses 51风流Ariba for its procurement, which had already been implemented.

鈥�51风流S/4HANA Cloud was clearly the best solution for us, especially for production management and planning,鈥� shared Ahlstrom CIO聽Kristiina Lammila, who is responsible for the project. “With it, we can harmonize our operations and bring all our plants under the same system.”

Unifying systems and data

One of the main challenges of the project was integrating different systems and unifying fragmented data. With modernization, processes can be streamlined, daily work made easier, and time freed up for more strategically important tasks.

鈥淲e have managed to make significant progress with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud standard solution,” Lammila said. “We use private cloud, which also allows for fairly flexible modifications. One plant is already live, and next year seven more plants will join. The goal is to complete the entire transformation within five years.”

According to Lammila, the system enables flexible transfer of production from one plant to another and global optimization of the supply chain.

Benefits for both employees and customers

systems benefit all stakeholders. Streamlined production processes reduce waste and improve quality. Harmonized purchasing brings savings and the most visible change for Ahlstrom鈥檚 customers is smoother supply chains and better availability of products. The use of AI and analytics is expanding. Especially in sales support, AI solutions built on 51风流Sales Cloud data are already in use at Ahlstrom.

鈥淲e can integrate even more closely with our customers, as many of them also use SAP,鈥� Lammila explained. “This facilitates and streamlines the flow of information between companies.”

From the employee鈥檚 perspective, 51风流S/4HANA Cloud makes teamwork easier. For example, order and inventory balances can be checked conveniently based on real-time data. Lammila also pointed out that the updated system supports employer branding, as job seekers expect to have appropriate and up-to-date tools at their disposal.

Strong change leadership is key to success

Lammila advises companies planning similar projects to approach transformations as comprehensive initiatives that must engage all employees, including management, not just the IT department.

鈥淪trong management commitment and a shared vision of where we are going and how to get there are needed. The project must be led as a deep transformation, and the end result must not be compromised due to haste. Poorly executed work is difficult to fix later,鈥� she concluded.

Ellen Vig Nelausen is an integrated communications expert for 51风流Regional Communications.

By using AI and advanced analytics, BRF managed to improve forecast accuracy, optimized inventory, and fine-tuned planning. Collaborative forecasting and real-time data alignment now increase operational efficiency, enabling BRF to manage its extensive operations in over 127 countries and adapt quickly to changes in these markets. 

Project outcomes that scale

With 44 production units, 103 distribution centers delivering more than 500,000 deliveries per month to more than 415,000 customers, representing 5 million tons of food produced per year, the scale of the achieved improvements is immense.

鈥淏RF is transforming efficiency and productivity standards in the production chain, developing solutions that make processes more agile, simple, and efficient,鈥� said Gilberto Andretta, executive technology manager at BRF. 鈥淲e are one of the leading 51风流IBP organizations achieving daily demand planning and sensing, statistical modeling, forecast accuracy and embedded analytics, time-series analysis, and exception management, which is integral for our more than 400 planners.鈥�

By using 51风流IBP, the process of accurately accessing and analyzing demand and forecast data is 33 percent faster.

Award-winning solution

For BRF, seeking innovative solutions is essential to advancing digital transformation and driving growth. The company considers the use of AI as fundamental to overcoming supply chain management challenges.

鈥淭he transformation of BRF’s supply chain through 51风流solutions has made it easier to integrate processes, predict future trends, and respond quickly to market needs,鈥� said Miriam Hahn, customer success manager for 51风流Brazil, who is working with BRF on its supply chain journey. 鈥淭his journey highlights the strong partnership between 51风流and BRF.鈥�

Using 51风流Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain, BRF can now analyze vast data sets, improve forecast accuracy, monitor order trends, and enable proactive decision-making.

Ensuring that forecasts and delivery deadlines are accurate requires detailed and flexible planning, enabling a quick response to changes, increasing operational efficiency and accuracy. Additionally, consolidating real-time information, aligning financial and operational planning, and improving interdepartmental collaboration are fundamental steps for BRF鈥檚 operation.

Use of artificial intelligence

BRF is a recognized early adopter of 51风流Business AI and SAP鈥檚 AI copilot Joule. By integrating AI-driven insights, the food giant can accurately forecast demand, optimize inventory levels, and ensure timely delivery of products. This advanced technology helps BRF anticipate market trends, adjust production schedules, and reduce waste — ultimately leading to improved efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Within 51风流IBP, BRF is utilizing demand planning and sensing, statistical modeling, forecast accuracy and embedded analytics, time-series analysis, and exception management. Examples where AI is improving the business include:

• AI algorithms combine traditional time-series forecasting, regression and predictive modeling, and machine learning to produce more precise daily forecasts.
• Used for master data analytics, AI intelligence improves data quality, enhances the planning processes, and supports better decision-making.

More to come

BRF is among the first customers to successfully incorporate 51风流IBP with Joule to leverage the 51风流Help Portal and a chatbot to assist BRF employees.

Currently, BRF is deploying a “brownfield” 51风流S/4HANA Cloud implementation upgrade of the existing 51风流ECC system based on its successful established 51风流environment. The company is in the process of incorporating 51风流S/4HANA Cloud features and capabilities, while retaining much of the existing infrastructure and core data services. In addition to 51风流S/4HANA and the cloud-based 51风流Ariba solution for procurement, BRF is also running 51风流SuccessFactors software for human capital management (HCM).

鈥淏RF is an early adopter for many of SAP鈥檚 AI services and our strategic partner in the region,鈥� said Caio Granzotto, account director for BRF at 51风流Brazil. 鈥淎s a next step, they plan to use 51风流IBP鈥檚 AI assistant to improve supply chain processes and simplify the work of their planners. The company is also considering order-based planning using additional AI algorithms.鈥�

Top image courtesy of BRF

The goal is simple: keep the core clean, standard, and upgrade-stable while still enabling business-specific differentiation where it counts.

Why clean core matters

Over time, many ERP landscapes become weighed down by custom code, undocumented changes, and hard-to-maintain integrations. This limits flexibility, slows down upgrades, and increases the total cost of ownership.

The clean core approach addresses these challenges by promoting the use of standard processes and enabling strategic extensions for differentiation. It focuses on building resilient business processes supported by seamless integration, efficient operations, and strong data quality.

By embracing a clean core approach, customers can:

• Accelerate innovation cycles
• Minimize technical debt
• Simplify system maintenance and upgrades

Rather than limiting agility, clean core ensures that extensions are done the right way 鈥� with long-term stability, scalability, and innovation-readiness in mind.

Clean extensions: build what you need, without risk

Business differentiation often depends on tailored processes, custom applications, or personalized user experiences. 51风流supports this through clean extensibility, a framework that enables innovation without compromising system integrity.

Extend 51风流S/4HANA Cloud using:

• Side-by-side extensibility on 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP): creating scalable, decoupled applications that run independently from the core.
• On-stack extensibility with ABAP Cloud: tightly integrated, upgrade-stable extensions within the ERP system

Both models ensure flexibility while keeping systems clean, secure, and easier to maintain. Choose between side-by-side and on-stack extensibility based on your use case, applying an 51风流BTP-first strategy.

Clean core level concept: clarity and control

To clarify extensibility decisions and simplify qualification criteria, 51风流has evolved its original three-tier model into the clean core level concept, an enhanced maturity model that brings greater structure, flexibility, and transparency. It also provides a more pragmatic approach to managing custom code in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud.

The new maturity model categorizes extensions into four distinct levels (A, B, C, and D) based on their architectural integrity, upgrade safety, and alignment with clean core principles. The evolved framework empowers organizations to make smarter decisions, streamline development, and continuously optimize their extensions 鈥� with more clarity, confidence, and long-term control.

Each extension is evaluated using a standardized methodology that looks at how the extension is built, how well it is decoupled from the core, and how easily it can be upgraded or maintained.

The model defines four levels of compliance:

• Level A – Extend with 51风流Build: Fully compliant extensions using only publicly released and stable 51风流interfaces, backed by formal stability contracts.
  • Side-by-side: Built on 51风流BTP, using pro-code and low-code tools for app development and process automation.
  • On-stack: Built within 51风流S/4HANA Cloud using the ABAP Cloud development model with publicly released APIs.
• Level B – Leverage classic APIs: Compliant extensions, in addition to meeting level A criteria, using also SAP鈥檚 classic APIs and technologies.听 These APIs offer well-defined, documented, and generally upgrade-stable interfaces for extension use.
• Level C – Accesses internal objects: Partially compliant extensions allowing access to 51风流internal objects, offering flexibility for legacy scenarios. To minimize upgrade risks, 51风流plans to provide a changelog for 51风流objects to help identify changes early and plan upgrades proactively.
• Level D – Not recommended extensions: Extensions not considered 鈥渃lean鈥� that use explicitly non-recommended objects or techniques; for example, explicitly non-recommended objects, modifications, write access to 51风流tables, or implicit enhancements. These represent the highest risk and create significant technical debt.

By assigning each extension to a compliance level, the clean core level concept gives IT leaders, enterprise architects, and business stakeholders a shared vocabulary and visual road map for assessing their current ERP landscape. It supports transparent decision-making regarding where to invest in cleanup, modernization, or new development.

How 51风流supports your journey to clean extensions

51风流offers a full set of technologies to support clean, upgrade-safe extensions and provide clean core insights:

• 51风流BTP serves as the foundation for side-by-side extensions, enabling development, automation, and integration.
• 51风流Build is a unified application development and process automation solution for developing apps, AI agents, and automations using pro-code, low-code, and generative AI 鈥� enabling personalization and efficiency at scale.
• ABAP Cloud, part of 51风流Build, supports both on-stack and side-by-side development, enabling the enforcement of clean principles through syntax checks and lifecycle support.
• Joule, SAP鈥檚 AI copilot, boosts developer productivity by generating clean, context-aware code and streamlining workflow automation across ABAP, Java, JavaScript, and low-code tools.
• The RISE with 51风流Methodology dashboard provides real-time insights into clean core adoption.
• For detailed code-level governance, the ABAP test cockpit is the key tool.

Smarter way to extend

Supported by the level concept and a powerful set of extensibility tools, SAP鈥檚 clean core strategy empowers organizations to innovate faster, increase agility, and lower total cost of ownership.

Extend what sets you apart: Decoupled extensions simplify upgrades and accelerate innovation. That鈥檚 one advantage of clean core.

Learn more at

Priyadarsana Panda is senior vice president and general manager of Cloud ERP Solution Area at SAP.
Steffen Pietsch is vice president and head of 51风流BTP Product Management at SAP.
Rudolf Hois is senior vice president and chief product owner of Cloud ERP Private at SAP.

With six locations and a rapidly expanding international presence, WestWood faced growing complexity in managing siloed data and keeping up with ever-evolving compliance requirements. The company鈥檚 small product safety team was stretched thin, struggling to maintain manual processes and ensure the highest standards across teams and departments. To better serve customers and streamline its operations, WestWood set out to find an integrated, automated solution.

To address these challenges, the German construction company adopted a comprehensive suite of cloud solutions, services, and learning resources to accelerate its digital transformation.

Working together with聽51风流gold partner , WestWood implemented and . WestWood unified business processes, standardized information management, and automated workflows across the company. This integrated approach made critical data accessible to all relevant teams, helping WestWood stay ahead of compliance regulations and support sustainable growth.

Automating product safety for innovation and growth

鈥淲e wanted a solution that automated important steps of our product safety processes and was flexible, so we can evolve our workflows as compliance standards change and our company expands into new markets and regions with dynamic requirements,鈥� explained Martin Wegner, product safety manager at WestWood.

The flexibility of WestWood鈥檚 products has spurred innovation, such as the growing trend of green roofs, which require robust waterproofing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 becoming increasingly popular to grow plants on roofs, creating a 鈥榞reen roof鈥� that is environmentally friendly and improves air quality,” Wegner added. “New construction trends such as this encourage us to continuously innovate.鈥�

Given that many of WestWood鈥檚 protective, decorative, and slip-resistant finishes require special handling, product safety and compliance are mission-critical. Previously, these processes were manually and fragmented across departments, making it difficult for the small team to keep up with changing regulations.

Harnessing automation for superior customer service

With , WestWood automated the delivery of product safety information. Now, every customer automatically receives up-to-date safety data sheets with their orders, and these updates can be sent instantly to all previous customers, ensuring safe and compliant use of WestWood products. Previously, this was a time-consuming manual process. Thanks to the automated customer service process, now over 24,000 e-mails are sent automatically each year, saving time and ensuring compliance.

鈥淎utomating this process is an amazing time-saver,” Wegner noted. 鈥淚t makes our lives so much easier and helps us ensure the latest safety and usage instructions are reliably available to our customers.鈥� Centralized data management also provides a continuously updated, auditable track record of all product safety activities.

Automation has also improved internal processes. The product safety team now receives automated notifications whenever product safety information is needed and can easily support multiple languages and fulfill local compliance requirements and regulations.

According to Wegner, 鈥淎s we expand into new markets, the built-in internationalization features of 51风流S/4HANA will be crucial to our success and help us deliver outstanding customer service and support sustainable processes in compliance with local regulations.鈥� This enables WestWood to have faster, more practical management of customer orders for around 10 users across 3 departments, supporting the innovative company鈥檚 global expansion.

鈥淭hanks to 51风流S/4HANA for product compliance, it is impossible to forget things,” Wegner said. “No information gets delayed in communication between departments, and customers instantly receive the latest safety and usage information for our products.鈥�

Streamlining workflows and supporting sustainability

With 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, and support from Innovabee, WestWood no longer needs to run on-premises IT systems and can focus on adding value for its customers.

Building on the success of its implementation, WestWood plans to further streamline its operations. The ambitious company aims to consolidate two systems for dangerous goods management into a single 51风流application. They are also planning to fully automate label printing, which is an important step as new regulations require larger font sizes and more detailed information. Automatic label printing based on existing product data will optimize management, eliminate redundancies, and save significant time and effort.

WestWood is also committed to sustainability. By reducing paper use and leveraging integrated solutions from SAP, the company is expanding its sustainability management and reporting capabilities. Streamlining and automating compliance with documentation and labeling guidelines, as well as managing hazardous chemicals, allows WestWood to protect the environment at every stage — from production plants and warehouses to end customers.

Improved insights and reporting are also helping WestWood future-proof its business and stay competitive in an industry shifting toward greater environmental, social, and governance transparency.

To learn more, read WestWood’s customer story: .

Since its humble beginnings in 1971, Merrifield has flourished into one of the largest full-service garden center, nursery, and landscaping companies in its region, employing more than 600 individuals and comprising over 70 acres of plants, property, and storefront in northern Virginia. Its business includes three brick-and-mortar locations carrying plants, gardening supplies, and home and holiday d茅cor; an online store; a wholesale division that supports other local landscape contractors; a materials production division that recycles materials from landscaping jobs; and a line of private-label products tailored specifically for the environmental conditions in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

Clearly, the business has expanded and evolved over the years to meet changing industry and customer standards, but its founding principles of providing the highest quality customer services and unparalleled plant and product selection remain steadfast. The same is true for the systems supporting the products and services in Merrifield鈥檚 retail operations. With its omnichannel strategy, it鈥檚 critical that Merrifield delivers a consistent, seamless, and personalized experience across all its customer touchpoints.

Blooming into a modern, tech-savvy enterprise

Luckily, CFO Lynn Warhurst has made it one of her personal goals to bring technology into the company since joining in 1978. 鈥淭here was zero technology鈥o we knew going forward that if we wanted to grow and be successful, we needed to change something,鈥� she said.

After coming across 51风流at an NRF event in the early 2000s, Merrifield went live with 51风流ERP Central Component (51风流ECC) in 2013 to replace its 20-year-old garden center legacy system, providing the company with modern audit trail capabilities and increased data reliability.

Continuing its long-standing innovation journey and partnership with SAP, Merrifield is now transitioning its 51风流ECC system to the cloud with .

Merrifield Garden Center sees up to 300 transactions per hour per location, Warhurst said, and so the company needed a solution with enhanced processing speeds that can handle a high volume of retail transactions. What鈥檚 more, the company also wanted a system that supports Apple Pay and Google Pay, has customer loyalty tracking and data analytics capabilities, and ensures enterprise security and compliance.

Merrifield also wanted to bring together its retail and wholesale divisions onto one platform as opposed to hosting them on fragmented solutions. 鈥淲e knew [51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition] could handle our complexity and give us the detail we needed to run and grow our business,鈥� Warhurst said. 鈥淎fter 54 years in business, both divisions will run on the same platform. It鈥檚 very exciting that we can interchange cashiers for retail and wholesale, which means being more efficient as a company.鈥�

51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, retail, fashion, and vertical business is a new solution introduced in January of this year. Built specifically for retailers, the ERP solution is tailored to the industry鈥檚 unique complexities around scaling, merchandising, store operations, and supply chains. The flexibility of its public cloud architecture helps unify and integrate industry-specific processes with out-of-the-box integrations.

Merrifield is also implementing 51风流Omnichannel Sales Transfer and Audit to help ensure the completeness of sales transactions across multiple channels, improve data reporting, and comply with local regulations.

Strong partnerships build a foundation for success

To facilitate its cloud transformation, Merrifield engaged as its implementation partner. 鈥淗aving a trusted partner is very important,鈥� Warhurst said, explaining that Merrifield has worked with Syntax since 2018.

For the move to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, retail, fashion, and vertical business, Syntax came on-site to Merrifield to experience its current system first-hand and better understand what the business sees as mission-critical during this transformation, Warhurst said. Together, they identified solution provisioning and integration, data migration, and business continuity as priorities. With this insight, Syntax is working with 51风流to integrate any remaining project gaps into an upcoming solution release in August.

鈥淪yntax and 51风流have been great. We are one of the first to go public cloud for retail and they have been there for us,鈥� Warhurst said. 鈥淚t was very important to find somebody who believed in us and was there for us, and I feel that that鈥檚 really one of the most important things for our success.鈥�

While the new system is projected to go live in September, the project is currently in the configuration and realization stage and Merrifield is excited for the future. Adopting this holistic, omnichannel, cloud-based solution will help the garden center achieve its goals of expanding into more locations and online offerings by having trusted, complete data from across its divisions available in one place.

Gillian Hixson is an integrated communications specialist at SAP.

Top image courtesy of 51风流employee Tom Lennart-Krupp.

Philipp L眉bcke, CIO at Th眉ringer Energie AG, has worked in the industry for 20 years and is thrilled by the dynamism it is currently going through. But that wasn鈥檛 always the case. 鈥淲hen I got started in the energy sector, the business was relatively static, and I鈥檒l admit that I was tempted by other industries over the last decade,鈥� he says. Today, he no longer sees any need to change. Just the opposite, in fact: in recent years, the business 鈥渉as become extremely exciting, and it will stay exciting,鈥� L眉bcke adds.

To understand his enthusiasm, all it takes is a look at his current employer, TEAG. The company, headquartered in Erfurt and with over 2,200 employees, supplies households and businesses with electricity, natural gas, heating, and water. It also added a telecommunications subsidiary to its portfolio several years ago, which offers broadband access, mobile telephony, and additional services such as storage. It has a new subsidiary for electromobility and another for photovoltaics.

In addition to these new business areas, the company鈥檚 core business鈥攕upplying electricity鈥攊s undergoing drastic changes. L眉bcke emphasizes: 鈥淭he energy transition is irreversible, and that doesn鈥檛 only mean the end of nuclear power, but also the end of coal-fired generation in the long term.鈥�

Decarbonization requires decentralization and digitalization

The future lies in the central supply of natural gas and hydrogen through power plants, along with decentralized power generation through photovoltaics and wind power, according to L眉bcke. 鈥淲e give the municipalities in Thuringia all the support we can when it comes to executing the transition locally,鈥� he says. To succeed, this energy transition requires perfect coordination of what experts refer to as 鈥渢he three big Ds鈥�: decarbonization requires decentralization, which in turn is only possible with maximum digitalization. 

Which brings us to SAP, TEAG鈥檚 largest and most important strategic partner. In 2022, TEAG decided to move all its core processes for the energy sector鈥攎eter reading, billing, device management, contract and customer management, information exchange, and subledger accounting鈥攖o 51风流S/4HANA Cloud in the long term. 鈥淭hat made us the first energy supplier with a comprehensive聽,鈥� L眉bcke says. 鈥淭he energy sector is undergoing fundamental change, and data interchange within the companies will increase significantly. Decentralization and maximum digitalization mean that we will be processing much more data much faster, offering a variety of new cloud services based on AI, and creating many more automated decision-making processes.鈥� All of which will require maximum integration and high-quality master data. And they also need the right partner.

Learning to manage complex projects

TEAG intends to migrate all seven of its deployed systems that manage master data to the new platform incrementally, a plan that has been divided into three large-scale projects. The first involved the implementation of the 51风流S/4HANA core鈥攊nitially on premise鈥攊ncluding master data cleansing and version management of large amounts of legacy data. This project, which has been completed in the interim, involved around 200 internal employees and externals. Along the way, the team gained the ability to manage even complex 51风流projects.听

In the second step, TEAG implemented 51风流S/4HANA Utilities, an ERP solution specifically for energy suppliers, together with the 51风流Customer Experience portfolio based on 51风流Service Cloud, divided into the three market roles of electricity supplier, grid operator, and metering point operation. This project has been underway for 18 months, and TEAG will go live with it on December 1, 2025, initially with the role of electricity supplier.

Last but not least, the third transformation project involves implementing聽 for workforce management. To this end, the company developed a road map in 2024, 鈥渟o we can optimally leverage everything we need for this,鈥� L眉bcke says.

Demographic change is forcing the transition

The utility company aims to decommission all its current 51风流systems by the end of 2027 and move them to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud. The fact that TEAG has decided to run its central applications in the cloud in the long term, in addition to going all-in on SAP, is a result of the fourth 鈥渂ig D鈥� in this story: demographics. 鈥淲e won鈥檛 be able to completely replace the many employees who will be retiring in the next 10 years,鈥� L眉bcke says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we need to become more independent of labor-intensive processes overall.鈥�

Working in the cloud means getting a boost from AI

The company鈥檚 cloud strategy supports this goal, because it means TEAG will not only need less expensive hardware in the future but it will also require fewer highly-trained people to run and provide the systems. 聽

And people who work in the cloud鈥攚ith the resulting consistent focus on platform strategy and standardization鈥攃an take advantage of artificial intelligence in many areas. Take , for example. This copilot is based on generative AI and learns from 51风流data to help give users context-sensitive support.

All in all, 鈥淚T will take center stage more than ever for energy suppliers,鈥� L眉bcke says. 鈥淎nd business IT is also getting closer to key business decisions than ever before. That鈥檚 what gives the job so much variety and makes it so exciting.鈥�

And it will certainly protect the TEAG CIO from temptation from other industries in the future.

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The world鈥檚 biggest jewelry brand chose 51风流S/4HANA Cloud and RISE with 51风流to support the execution of its digital transformation and to simplify and scale its processes end to end.

Learn more about Pandora鈥檚 success.

The dressings were so well loved, customers could be seen leaving the restaurant with bottles of their favorites. By 1955, the restaurant鈥檚 upstairs kitchen had become a full-scale salad dressing factory and Marzetti dressings could be found in grocery stores throughout Ohio. Today, Marzetti produces many of the salad dressings, fruit and vegetable dips, frozen baked goods, and specialty brand items found on U.S. store shelves.

Liam Durbin, Marzetti鈥檚 Chief Information Officer, was brought onboard in December 2018 by Marzetti鈥檚 CEO, Dave Ciezinski, who had worked with Durbin previously at Heinz. Durbin was charged with replacing Marzetti鈥檚 legacy green-screen PRISM software, which had become outdated, with a modern ERP system.

After a competitive bidding process, 51风流was chosen as the new ERP system. Durbin says 51风流was selected in part because of its dominance in the industry, which aligned well with Marzetti’s business requirements.

Tailwind

The transformation project, known as Project Ascent to reflect its aspirational nature, received board approval within months of Durbin joining, and by April 2019 the company had begun hiring personnel for the project with Capgemini as the system integrator.

Durbin emphasized the strong support the project received from both the CEO and the board鈥攕upport which he said 鈥渃reated a lot of tailwind鈥� for a project they saw as crucial to ensure the company’s future success.

鈥淭he CEO and the board were clear that they wanted the 鈥楢 players鈥� for the project, creating a dream team to ensure its success,鈥� Durbin said, so they rented a new building to house the project team, providing separation from the main office and allowing the team to focus on the project. This approach ensured that the project team had the necessary resources and environment to work effectively and deliver the project on time, Durbin said.

The initial plan was to execute the project and move to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud running on Microsoft Azure in four waves, but it eventually became six waves because of COVID-19. The pandemic forced the team to send everyone home, adding an extra year to the project timeline.

Implementation waves

To adapt, they created wave zero, which involved moving a facility in New Jersey鈥攐ne of about 16 facilities overall鈥攐nto 51风流from a technical perspective. 鈥淭his allowed us to kick the tires and make sure the functionality worked,鈥� Durbin said.

The project team also implemented during this extra time. Overall, the phased approach allowed the team to manage risks and ensure that each wave was successfully completed before moving on to the next.听For example, wave one covered finance, trade, procurement, and customer support鈥斺�渆verything touching the customer,鈥� Durbin said, adding that waves two, three, and four went pretty much as planned. 鈥淲e chose to split wave four in two to de-risk it because it contained two large facilities,鈥� he added.

Project Ascent is now considered complete, and over the past two years the IT team has focused on standing up the product organization and building relationships between product owners and department heads. The product owners, who were part of the project team, now work closely with their respective departments to prioritize and implement enhancements. Durbin said this structure ensures that the company continues to optimize and improve its ERP system, delivering ongoing value to the business.听

Master data project and analytics

As part of the final wave, the team undertook a master data project to ensure data accuracy and consistency across the organization. By standardizing and cleaning the master data, the company improved its ability to make data-driven decisions and enhance overall business operations.

The company chose Microsoft for its analytics platform, which, Durbin said, 鈥渁llowed us to keep the clean core so we now do most of our reporting and analytics on the Microsoft platform.鈥� 聽

He said one of the objectives of the project is to democratize access to data within the company. As part of this process, the team is trying to build a community of super users who can create reports themselves using Power BI and Power Platform, 鈥渟o the democratization is underway,鈥� he said while acknowledging that those employees in operations 鈥渁re going to need some help.鈥�

AI projects

The company already has several AI projects underway, including an accounts payable (AP) automation project using optical character recognition to streamline the process and reduce manual effort.听鈥淚n addition to projects like AP automation, we are also very excited to see what AI capabilities 51风流will be adding to its products,鈥� Durbin said.

Looking back at the Project Ascent, he highlighted the importance of having a fully-staffed organizational change management team for 51风流training and change management. He said the team played a crucial role in ensuring the project was rolled out on time and provided training and support to employees, helping users鈥攕ome of whom had never used a computer mouse鈥攁dapt to the new system.

鈥淭he amount of work involved in training people on how to interact with 51风流was a lot bigger than we thought because how technology has changed,鈥� Durbin said, adding that another challenge has been recruitment. 鈥淎s COVID-19 started to ebb and people were starting to go back into their jobs鈥攁nd this condition still persists today鈥攁 lot of factories and manufacturing businesses have had difficulty hiring hourly workers again.鈥�

鈥淪ome of the glamour of a well-paying manufacturing job has sort of gone away in America, and I think other companies, other countries as well, need to restore that,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, we’ve had to deal with high turnover in some of our locations. Turnover is a wild card, and for the success of a project you just can’t understate it.鈥�

Recognizing the limitations of on-premises legacy systems, Amer Sports moved its Arc鈥檛eryx brand to the 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, fashion and vertical business solution, establishing a scalable and future-ready digital core. Amer Sports wanted a solution that would offer cost predictability with a subscription model, regular technological upgrades and access to innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, sustainability tracking and advanced analytics.

鈥�51风流S/4HANA Cloud is the ideal entry point into our cloud enterprise resource planning era,鈥� said Stefan Schubert, senior vice president and CIO of group IT, Amer Sports. 鈥淢oving to the cloud is more than just upgrading our technology landscape. For us, moving to a clean, standardized ERP environment unlocks the potential of future innovations and enables our brands to innovate faster and operate with greater agility.鈥�

With operations in over 40 countries and more than 13,000 employees, Amer Sports is one of the first customers to implement the solution. As part of its broader transformation journey, the company already has kicked off the migration of its global system built on 51风流ERP Central Component and is actively working with 51风流on several AI use cases.

Additionally, Amer Sports is a beta client for the 51风流Business Data Cloud solution, providing feedback on the recently launched software-as-a-service solution that unifies and governs diverse 51风流data and smoothly connects with third-party data.

鈥淥perating in an industry where supply chain agility, data insights, security and business continuity are mission critical, we are proud to be partnering to provide these advanced capabilities,鈥� said Manos Raptopoulos, chief revenue officer for APAC, EMEA and MEE at SAP. 鈥淭his enables a global leader like Amer Sports to innovate faster, optimize its operations and deliver exceptional experiences to its vast community of athletes and outdoor adventurers.鈥�

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Media Contact:
Lesa Plingen, +49 622 776 9000, lesa.plingen@sap.com, CET
51风流Press Room; press@sap.com

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
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This milestone marks the first step in CAF鈥檚 digital transformation journey to a sustainable and efficient manufacturing process.

Moving from a heavily customized on-premises landscape to a standardized one in the cloud, Beasain, Spain-based CAF has smoothly integrated 51风流solutions into core business functions including master data management, record to report, source to pay, sales and transport, engineering to stock (including manufacturing) and workforce management.

鈥淐AF is now set for future success, as our new technology landscape allows us to better comply with business requirements in a complex and fast-changing market,鈥� said Guillermo Apell谩niz, CAF鈥檚 digital transformation director. 鈥淎dditionally, we鈥檙e now able to leverage other technologies or capabilities such as AI with a focus on company efficiency.鈥�

Continuing on its digital transformation journey, CAF is looking to enhance the integration of its data with the 51风流Business Data Cloud (51风流BDC) and 51风流Datasphere solutions. This will reduce time to market of analytical requests, enabling CAF to make data-driven decisions more efficiently. CAF will also tap into the 51风流Databricks capability in 51风流BDC to help it manage data from its various product lines of buses and trains. This will open new possibilities for integrating business and product data, with the potential to leverage artificial intelligence.

鈥�51风流solutions are empowering CAF to focus on sustainability by manufacturing high-speed trains, commuter trains, metros and buses with low or zero emissions,鈥� said Jos茅 Vall茅s, managing director of 51风流Spain. 鈥淭he complexity of CAF鈥檚 projects and demanding supply chains require robust and flexible solutions, which 51风流is proud to provide.鈥�

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A longtime 51风流customer, BASF adopted a hybrid system landscape in order to integrate 51风流S/4HANA Cloud into BASF鈥檚 vast system and reduce the complexity of on-premises management. With a clean core strategy in place, any new customizations and functional extensions will be cloud ready, allowing simplified system maintenance and operations in the long run.

BASF chose 51风流S/4HANA Cloud to leverage the latest innovations in artificial intelligence and sustainability solutions.听Once fully implemented, BASF will benefit from streamlined operations, real-time data insights, improved decision-making capabilities and the flexibility to adapt quickly to evolving market demands. Having recently activated the Joule copilot for first use cases in 51风流SuccessFactors solutions, BASF is evaluating further use cases for its core processes.

鈥淲e are proud to partner with BASF on this transformative journey,鈥� said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE, Customer Services & Delivery. 鈥淏y choosing 51风流S/4HANA Cloud, BASF is laying a strong foundation for future growth and innovation. The ability to leverage a clean core and standardized processes will provide BASF with the agility and resilience needed to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment.鈥�

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51风流Press Room; press@sap.com

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
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Serax is a customer-centric company that prioritizes excellent service for its B2B and B2C customers. It was precisely this customer focus that led Serax to implement solutions to help automate its order-to-cash process.

The challenge

The order process is straightforward for most customers, including B2C. Customers order what they want on the web shop, and the order is directly entered into 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.

However, Serax鈥檚 B2B customers often still place orders by generating a PDF in their ERP system and automatically sending it to Serax鈥檚 customer service mailbox. These B2B manual orders amount to 30% of all orders coming into Serax.

Serax鈥檚 strong commitment to customer service means the company is happy to facilitate this, but it strains the customer service team. Once Serax receives the order, the customer service team must manually download the PDF, double-check dates and quantities, and then enter the order details into 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition to create the sales order. This entire process is time-consuming and error-prone.

鈥淧roviding excellent service is one of our core priorities, and this can be enabled by gaining efficiencies in certain processes,鈥� says Sara Goris, 51风流product manager at Serax. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 basically what led us to this use case. Our customer service team was still entering 30% of all orders manually into the system. We wanted to streamline that process from our side, especially since many of our customers will continue to send sales orders in PDF format.鈥�

The solution

Serax needed a solution to automatically create sales orders from PDFs. It achieved this by activating and fine-tuning an app called . This app was built with using , which allows businesses to create web and mobile applications.

With the app, Serax can drag and drop the PDF from the customer鈥檚 e-mail into the app before it orchestrates the entire process. First, it sends the PDF to 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP), where extracts the data. The document API uses pre-trained AI to take PDF files as inputs and return structured data. The second step is data matching. The application maps the extracted data to the master data, such as sold-to party, ship-to party, and product. This helps ensure the extracted data from the PDFs makes sense in the context of Serax鈥檚 business.

A sales order request is created, and the customer service employee is notified to review it and convert it into an actual sales order in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.

Results

The application has cut the number of manual B2B orders by 33%.

The time saved lets Serax invest back into better customer service. 鈥淭ime savings mean our customer service employees can spend more time on real customer service instead of putting in an order,鈥� says Ragna Qvick, digital business manager and HR performance manager at Serax. Serax鈥檚 employees also have more time for value-adding activities like upselling or cross-selling.

This jump in efficiency enables Serax to grow its business by adding more capacity for the team. 鈥淲e either needed more resources or for our existing people to become more efficient so that they can focus on more value-adding tasks for our customers,鈥� Goris says.

Another benefit of automation is reduced errors, as customer service employees no longer need to enter precise values from the PDF when creating sales orders. Instead, they can rely on document extraction to populate the order; they only need to confirm the values. 鈥淚t reduces the risk of errors because when it’s a human action, there’s always a chance of errors in quantities or other details,鈥� Qvick says.

Future

Serax and its partner are already looking at additional capabilities to automate the flow fully. This way, customer service employees will no longer need to open the emails and drag and drop the PDF. 鈥淲e have a proof of concept running to automate the process fully. It will pick up the attachment from the mailbox directly into 51风流S/4HANA,鈥� Goris says. 鈥淚t will also inform the customer service rep if anything is missing. They get a notification via Situation Handling to know when to intervene.鈥�

Learn more about how 51风流Business AI can help transform your organization鈥檚 efficiency and help drive success:

Cross-border mobility and citizen services are becoming increasingly digital, and governments are looking into the use of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence to drive efficiency and sovereign security. To accelerate its innovation road map and help governments meet the increasingly complex needs of travelers and citizens, VFS Global is adopting 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition and other 51风流solutions.

鈥淲e take great pride in partnering with 51风流as a leading and trusted technology and AI company,鈥� said Zubin Karkaria, founder and CEO of VFS Global. 鈥淏y combining our deep expertise in visa, consular and citizen services with SAP鈥檚 world-class solutions, we empower governments to enhance efficiency, strengthen security and enable seamless mobility for millions of travelers around the world.鈥�

鈥淲ith 51风流solutions at its core, VFS will be able to leverage the latest innovations to become an even stronger partner for governments, travelers and citizens worldwide,鈥� said Christian Klein, CEO of 51风流SE.

In line with its vision to embrace technological innovation to support governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, VFS Global has also chosen 51风流Business Technology Platform and the 51风流Business Data Cloud solution to deliver leading-edge and AI-powered solutions to its customers and to drive operational excellence across its global operations.

鈥淏y combining the strengths of VFS Global and SAP, we are elevating cross-border mobility and citizen services to the next level,鈥� said Michael Nilles, member of the VFS executive board and chief digital and technology officer. “Strategically, this positions us as a leading force in shaping the future of GovTech and TravelTech, powered by technology and AI innovations that benefit governments, travelers and citizens worldwide,” he added.

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Nathan Fletcher, nathanf@vfsglobal.com, BST

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
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鈥淲e create devices that promote independence,鈥� Alejandro Erick Franco, CIO and vice president of Information Technology at American Printing House for the Blind (APH), said in an interview at 51风流Sapphire. This includes APH鈥檚 , which also renders images via equally finger-friendly 鈥渢actile graphics.鈥�

There鈥檚 also APH鈥檚 older navigation app that can help low-vision or blind users find restaurants and venue facilities, or pinpoint any of the booths at, say, a massive .

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That innate spirit of innovation also led APH to develop eBRF, a revolutionary new braille file standard that has the potential to standardize both digital braille and tactile graphics — and slash wait times for physical braille textbooks — leading Fast Company to name APH one of its .

After all, 鈥渆mpowering people鈥� is part of APH’s . That is why accessibility at the heart of its solutions, according to Franco. And accessibility within the software is why APH runs SAP, as well as hopes to be on the cutting edge of AI development at the company.

Designing accessibility into everything

According to Franco, 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition will help APH and other organizations employ low-vision and blind individuals who, until now, might not have been able to use a computer. So, it is vital that websites and user interfaces, for instance, render in an inclusive format that enables these workers to accomplish tasks on their own.

鈥淭he software is designed with accessibility in mind,鈥� Franco told 51风流during an interview for its . 鈥淚f you are a person that鈥檚 low-vision or non-sighted, you can follow it — and follow it in an organized fashion that makes it really easy to navigate.鈥�

This tech-enabled independence also includes work that previously depended on help from a sighted person, such as requisition forms, according to Franco.

鈥淣ow, they can do it alone,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be able to navigate better without a cumbersome system, they鈥檙e going to be able to run their reports.鈥�

Franco isn鈥檛 talking out of turn. He and APH understand their customers鈥� pain points.

Understanding the business case

Though tech is a big part of APH鈥檚 business, it鈥檚 also a manufacturing facility that produces books, textbooks, and tests in braille and large print, Franco noted. The Kentucky-based nonprofit also .

So, APH also understands the intricacies of supply chains, production, and compliance. Myriad modules within 51风流S/4HANA have proven to be significant enablers for APH鈥檚 business, according to Franco.

鈥淲e can take an order; we can order material,鈥� Franco said in . 鈥淲e can produce it, we can ship it, we can invoice 鈥� but also [offer transparency] for the [nonprofit] reporting that we have to do.鈥�

Looking forward, APH has its sights set on AI.

Embracing the future with AI

鈥淲e want to use what 51风流is going to be launching in AI, and also educate the AI 鈥� train the AI so we can benefit from it,鈥� Franco said. 鈥淲e would love to have an AI system where if, let鈥檚 say, a school needs a textbook for a sixth grader from biology, we can use AI to translate that textbook into braille.鈥�

AI could also help APH improve eBRF and create tools to help develop an even better braille format, according to Franco. Combined with 51风流S/4HANA and GROW with SAP, which helps midsize organizations quickly and reliably adopt cloud ERP, APH wants to expand how eBRF and other technologies can help low-vision and blind users achieve their independence.

鈥淎nybody can use the software — if you鈥檙e low vision, if you are in the blindness field, or don鈥檛 see,鈥� Franco said. 鈥淲e utilize 51风流in our manufacturing facility; now, we would like to see other organizations utilize the software, if it鈥檚 service, if it鈥檚 manufacturing, if it鈥檚 creating something.鈥�

Working for new opportunities

Franco said there are very few ERP software companies that develop for low-vision and blind users, and few organizations that hire low-vision and blind employees. APH is looking to change that by helping technology reach the next level, putting accessibility at the center of design, training, and utilization.

鈥淏y using 51风流S/4HANA Public Cloud, they can employ somebody who鈥檚 blind, somebody who鈥檚 low-vision, and give them a better work environment,鈥� Franco said. 鈥淕ive them the opportunities that they don鈥檛 have today.鈥�

With 16,000 food retail stores and travel agencies across 21 countries, the Germany-based REWE Group impacts and nourishes 50 million customers across Europe each week. Aligned with REWE Group鈥檚 mission to deliver the best performance, REWE digital, the IT unit of REWE Group, will migrate 73 51风流software systems to Google Cloud over several years. 51风流S/4HANA Cloud allows REWE Group to benefit from greater infrastructure scalability, IT landscape efficiency and the ability to flexibly adapt its technological resources to business requirements in real time.

Guido Hoepfner, COO of REWE digital, said: “This is a significant step forward in the digital transformation of the entire REWE Group. Through our deepened partnerships with 51风流and Google, we are taking the harmonization of processes and the standardization of the company’s technical operating models to a new level. By introducing leading cloud solutions from SAP, we are aligning ourselves with the technological market standard. This allows us to continue setting the pace for digitalization and innovation in retail and tourism.”

Harmonized and standardized IT processes are crucial for REWE Group鈥檚 digital transformation, as it modernizes its business processes and increases operational synergies. 51风流S/4HANA Cloud helps REWE Group streamline its existing on-premises systems and leverage more of SAP鈥檚 innovations in the future, including artificial intelligence. REWE digital expects to significantly reduce its hardware and operating costs by standardizing its IT infrastructure.

“RISE with 51风流offers the REWE Group a perfect opportunity to further advance its cloud integration and digital transformation. We are excited to be part of this critical transformation for the company. By migrating to the cloud, the REWE Group will benefit from our continuous developments, including innovations in artificial intelligence, and take the next step into the future,” said Alex Klaeger, president Middle and Eastern Europe at SAP.

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This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP鈥檚 2023 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
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鈥淭he agreements with 51风流and Microsoft primarily ensure long-term stability for our Opus solution. Opus customers will benefit from the most innovative technologies and a secure and compliant data and cloud setup. This will empower us to enhance the quality of our solution, and to provide even greater value in public administration, whether it concerns payroll, debtors or finances,鈥� said Jan Gaardboe Jensen, Senior Vice President, KMD.

As a major player in the Danish IT market with operations in various European countries, KMD develops and delivers IT solutions and services, focusing on digitalization and IT infrastructure for municipal, state and business segments. By entering into a technology and cloud agreement between KMD, 51风流and Microsoft, KMD will be enabled to elevate the operation of KMD Opus, its ERP system offering used by thousands of public employees in Denmark for managing payroll, debtors and finances.

By migrating to 51风流S/4HANA Cloud, KMD is looking to develop a new user interface with increased AI integration to bring more automation to repetitive tasks and greater access to data-driven insights, making reporting easier and more accessible to users.

“For the past 27 years, KMD and 51风流have worked together to digitize the public sector,鈥� said Mikkel Stavnsbo, Managing Director, 51风流Denmark. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see KMD embark on its next chapter with a focus on new innovative technologies and automation with cloud services from SAP, such as AI. The shift to the cloud unlocks more opportunities for us to work together to contribute to an even better run society,鈥� he added.

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51风流Press Room; press@sap.com

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of SAP鈥檚 2023 Annual Report on Form 20-F.
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51风流and other 51风流products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 51风流SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

鈥淭hanks to this successful transformation and the move to the RISE with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition solution, we have become an innovation leader.鈥�

Nils Krugmann, head of Architecture & Data, Commerz Real AG

The introduction of the RISE with 51风流Methodology — along with the integrated toolchain that supports customers through their business and technical journeys — was a game changer to accelerate time to value and support the business case for transformation.

鈥淢oving forward, we鈥檙e confident that the cloud transformation enabled by RISE with 51风流will empower our organization to innovate and excel in today鈥檚 competitive healthcare market and contribute to our Fresenius vision of advancing patient care.鈥�

Ingo Elfering, CIO, Fresenius Group

Today we announce a new commercial package that will support customers even further in this journey.

Introducing the 51风流Cloud ERP Private package

The new 51风流Cloud ERP Private package is designed to drive customers鈥� transformation, accelerate time to value, and enable business agility. It includes:

• Business applications to modernize business processes with a comprehensive cloud ERP solution, integrated with applications designed to enhance financial agility across the entire supply chain
• Transformation tools and services to accelerate time to value with expert support, and to streamline and transform business processes, landscape, and architecture using our comprehensive, integrated toolchain
• Cloud optimization and extensibility services to advance the path to a clean core by eliminating data silos and ensuring custom code aligns with cloud compliance, enabling companies to continue building, extending, and innovating ERP for future growth

The package is designed to support customers every step of the way.

Business Applications

Customers can:

• Benefit from modern cloud business applications with the latest standard capabilities
• Continuously innovate with new features in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition in a private cloud operating model
• Gain financial agility across the supply chain with 51风流Business Network Supplier Portal for 51风流Cloud ERP Private and the 51风流Enterprise Service Management solution and 51风流Taulia solutions

By integrating these applications, customers will enhance collaboration and agility to run operations, embodying the connected essence of the 51风流Business Suite offering.

Transformation Tools and Services

The foundation of a successful transformation journey starts with a holistic assessment of the current systems and a clear understanding of the impact of transitioning to a cloud ERP. This data-driven analysis lays the groundwork for a robust foundation in the ERP transformation journey.

By including 51风流LeanIX聽and聽51风流Signavio capabilities into the package, customers gain a comprehensive understanding of their current landscape helping to shape the target architecture. This results in a smoother, more agile ERP cloud transformation and long-term process efficiency. This data-driven approach ensures informed decision-making and continuous transformation monitoring, aligning perfectly with the RISE with 51风流journey.

Embedded services from 51风流include expert support to drive solution activation as well as onboarding and kick-off of the transformation project, ensuring that all critical aspects are addressed from the outset. It also includes workshops to align technology to the business goals that are strategic for the transition, tailored road map development, and adoption plans.

Cloud Optimization and Extensibility Services

The 51风流Cloud ERP Private package includes 51风流Build, enabling both on-stack and side-by-side extension of 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition with AI-powered application development and process automation. 51风流Build allows customers to innovate while maintaining a clean core — a central principle of the RISE with 51风流methodology. The deep integration with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, combined with the code-first, low-code, and generative AI capabilities of 51风流Build, guarantees that extensions and personalization add value without complicating core operations.

This is aligned with the continual innovation and extensibility strategies encouraged by the RISE with 51风流journey. 51风流HANA Cloud is a cloud-native database for modernizing enterprise systems that allows customers to build and deploy intelligent data apps at scale. The package also includes the 51风流Master Data Governance application to enhance data quality and help maintain a single source of truth, further aligning with the continual innovation and extensibility strategies

Summary and Next Steps

As businesses venture into the new digital era, 51风流is committed to guiding and supporting every step of their journey toward integrated, cloud-powered operational excellence.

The 51风流Cloud ERP Private Edition package is not just a solution; it is a gateway to a future of limitless potential and unprecedented business agility. Let us embark on this transformative journey together and redefine what’s possible for your business.

.

Maura Hameroff is senior vice president of Cloud ERP Product Marketing at SAP.

This solution helps developers create, extend, and automate business applications faster using AI-powered, code-first, and low-code tools.

51风流Build has been designed as the optimal way to extend 51风流S/4HANA Cloud and other business applications. Thousands of customers are already experiencing up to 3x faster development speeds with 51风流Build according to 鈥� and now we’ve made it even better.

We are making it dramatically easier for 51风流S/4HANA Cloud customers to develop with 51风流Build. Starting today, all 51风流Build capabilities, along with 51风流HANA Cloud, are included in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud.

Combined with deep technical integration, this unified offering empowers customers to quickly extend and personalize their 51风流S/4HANA Cloud systems using AI-powered application development and automation, while maintaining a clean core and eliminating additional licensing or budgeting complexity.

51风流Build now fully included with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud packages

New pricing and packaging for 51风流Build provides customers with a frictionless way to innovate by gaining the freedom to choose the right tool for every job — whether it鈥檚 AI-powered code-first or low-code development, no more complexity of multiple licenses. Additionally, 51风流Build and 51风流HANA Cloud are now included in 51风流Cloud ERP Private packages, meaning 51风流S/4HANA Cloud customers can jumpstart all their development without needing to purchase additional licenses.

• Lower total cost of ownership (TCO): The new commercial approach for 51风流Build alongside 51风流S/4HANA Cloud significantly lowers TCO through flexible and cost-efficient model, optimizing resource usage while reducing operational overhead. By integrating seamlessly with existing 51风流S/4HANA Cloud investments and simplifying application management across the 51风流ecosystem, organizations can drive greater business value.
• Leverage deep integration with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud based on proven security and technology platform following clean core best practices: With the 51风流Build Extensibility Wizard users access a guided experience that helps them jumpstart their extension creation from 51风流S/4HANA Cloud. The Extensibility Wizard is available now in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition and will be available in the second half of 2025 in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition.
• Build faster with ready-made pre-built content and Joule for developers AI capabilities to generate code and app logic, create data models, sample data, automations, and code explanations with quality and precision.
• Gain flexibility: By offering seamless access to both code-first and low-code tools under one unified license, 51风流Build makes it easier for businesses to meet diverse development needs of their developers without being locked into restrictive platforms.

“51风流Build is strategic for Delaware, as we believe it is the future for our 51风流developers. For our customers, it is the easiest way to achieve a clean core and accelerate innovation, boosting their businesses.”

Tim Leys, 51风流Platform Unit Lead, Delaware Consulting

Get Started Today

Customers asked for more flexibility and a simpler way to build and automate. We listened and took action to make it a reality. 51风流Build is the gateway to faster, more efficient application development and automation for all 51风流systems.

Learn more today:

• for more details
• to learn how to easily extend 51风流S/4HANA with 51风流Build

Bharat Sandhu is senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Business Technology Platform at SAP.

These powerful capabilities help reduce manual effort and empower smarter decision-making while helping businesses stay ahead of the competition. 

Exploring AI-assisted capabilities 

In the 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition 2023 FPS03 release, innovative AI capabilities continue to be shipped at a fast pace. They help businesses improve employee productivity, assist in decision-making, and provide predictive insights, in order to better adapt to changing demands and better compete in an unpredictable environment.听

New AI capabilities include: 

• AI-assisted journal upload: This capability simplifies the process of creating journal entries by using generative AI technologies. It is designed to assist accountants in managing large backlogs of period-end journal entries, which are often required for transactions executed outside the accounting system, temporary postings, settlements, accruals, and provisions. By leveraging AI technologies, this feature enhances efficiency and accuracy in managing journal entries, ultimately benefiting accountants and financial departments.听
• Predictive labor demand planning: Labor demand planning now enables the prediction of planned durations for picking and packing processes, enhancing the efficiency of resource and workload planning. By utilizing historical workload data, the capability provides accurate predictions for task durations, eliminating the need for extensive preprocessing or reliance on engineered labor standards. This feature allows warehouses to optimize labour allocation and reduce inefficiencies by predicting the time required for tasks such as picking, packing, and outbound deliveries.听
• AI-based explanation of detailed scheduling optimizer results: Production planners often struggle to quickly understand the detailed scheduling optimizer results, as they are intricate and can lack clear explanations. This complexity can leave planners uncertain about the decisions made by the optimizer, making it challenging to address exceptions efficiently. SAP’s AI assistant now includes a capability that offers explanations for detailed scheduling optimizer planning results. Production planners can ask questions in natural language through a chat interface, allowing them to intuitively grasp what occurred during the scheduling process. This helps them to focus on any exceptions.听
• AI assisted in-house service initiation: Repair shops receive a significant amount of paperwork. Manually converting this paper-based information into the 51风流system is labor-intensive and prone to errors, which can lead to data loss, especially under tight deadlines. The AI assisted in-house service initiation leverages the Document Information Extraction service to capture incoming paper documents. The 51风流system automatically extracts the necessary data and creates a list of repair objects for the corresponding in-house service. Repair staff then reviews the generated order and continues processing it to completion.

Additions to SAP鈥檚 unified copilot Joule

After having released many transactional and navigational use cases with S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition FPS02, we continue our journey with releasing Joule support in these areas:聽

• Dispute management for contract accounting: Transactional capabilities for dispute resolution and payment resolution
• Revenue accounting and reporting: Transactional capabilities to manage revenue accounting items, manage revenue contracts, revenue contract schedule, combine revenue contracts, and reconcile revenue contracts聽
• Sales: Transactional capabilities to perform single or mass changes to sales order fields, provide issue resolution for sales order fulfilment issues, create sales documents with reference, and fetch billing document information聽
• Service: Transactional capabilities to fetch service confirmation details, reference objects, release service orders and service order items, cancel service confirmations, and complete service confirmations聽
• Asset management: Transactional capabilities to display maintenance orders, maintenance notifications, and maintenance jobs, and perform activities on jobs聽
• Enterprise portfolio and project management: Transactional capabilities to display or change a project work breakdown structure (WBS) element, or network in project builder聽
• Procurement: Transactional capabilities to create purchase requisitions with or without material or service items, show a list of materials or suppliers, update the delivery date for all schedule line items in one or more purchase orders, show the details of purchase order items and workflow approver emails, process invoice reminders
• Product lifecycle management: Transactional capabilities to fetch details of bills of material and navigate to the Maintain Bill of Material app, and fetch details of change records
• Convergent invoicing: Transactional capabilities to display clarification cases, billing plans, invoicing documents, and billing requests聽

Additional innovations across functional areas

The latest release features a wealth of new enhancements to improve business processes across procurement, finance, manufacturing, R&D, and service and asset management. The enhancements include:

Procurement

Mass change of price scales in central purchase contracts enables procurement professionals to efficiently perform mass changes on central purchase contracts by uploading or downloading scale鈥痸alues for item condition types using Microsoft Excel.听

Finance

• Improved data integration and flexibility for planning鈥痠n manage financial plan data app: To continuously optimize the integration between 51风流Analytics Cloud and 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, a new framework in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition enables users to efficiently configure and schedule jobs for financial plan data to be integrated from 51风流Analytics Cloud into 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition.
• Hedging of subsidiary exposures by treasury center (balance sheet FX risk) aggregates the balance sheet exposures of subsidiaries on treasury center level and performs hedging of the net exposure centrally without any additional internal transactions.听

Manufacturing

• Manage production models materials app: The production model provides a joint view of the manufacturing bill of material (MBOM) and the shop floor routing to facilitate hand-in-hand definition of the MBOM components and shop floor production steps, supported by a 3D visual of the header material of the MBOM.听
• Check optimization log app: Increased transparency for production planners is available through insights into status indicators, runtime metric, cost, and solution quality metrics.听

R&D

• Project cost overview and project cost line items apps to include service transactions: Project cost and revenue transparency for the service business managed projects is possible by analyzing service contract items and service order items assigned to WBS elements.
• Standard contents for dangerous goods regulations allow users to continuously consume up-to-date compliance requirements for dangerous goods management by benefiting from a simplified process to receive fast and frequent updates of dangerous goods regulations.听

Service Management

Service hierarchy with collective accounting: Enhance commercial flexibility in creating bundled service offerings by grouping of service order items into service hierarchy and by consolidating financial reporting and revenue recognition.听

Asset Management

• Manage maintenance orders simplifies the management of maintenance orders. With this new 51风流Fiori app, the planner can display a comprehensive list view of maintenance orders, create maintenance orders, and process individual orders.听
• 鈥淎s-found鈥� data recording in performance maintenance job: Improve recording of asset reliability data by recording the as-found condition of the maintained asset in a proactive maintenance job without an assigned maintenance notification.

51风流is resolutely at the forefront of the AI revolution, embedding ever more capabilities in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition. We redefine how businesses run and how people work, and this is only the beginning. We are working on new agentic capabilities soon available via Joule, underpinned by our .听

With the FPS03 release, our aim is to equip聽businesses with new capabilities to increase their level of automation, improve their users鈥� experience, boost their efficiency, and uncover new business opportunities.听聽

To see these innovations in action, make sure to join , which will deep dive into the new AI functionalities and other innovations introduced here. You can also learn more about our recent innovations by reading: .

Maura Hameroff is senior vice president of Cloud ERP Product Marketing at SAP.

Here, three critical tools that can help prepare systems, maintain operations, and execute a migration with precision are highlighted. But remember, this is only a snapshot of the comprehensive portfolio featured in the free guide, 鈥�.鈥�

The Custom Code Migration app: For preparation with clarity

Before embarking on any journey, it鈥檚 essential to know where you鈥檙e starting from鈥攁nd to take stock of your current situation. The 51风流Fiori app 鈥淐ustom Code Migration鈥� can act as a guide, helping IT teams assess their existing systems and custom code objects with precision. It can identify which elements are obsolete, which require adaptation, and which can seamlessly transition across.

Custom code often reflects years of adjustments鈥攗seful in their time but not always efficient for modern systems. By shedding unnecessary complexity, this app can ensure your cloud migration starts with a lean, optimized core. It can provide clarity, helping IT leaders make confident decisions about what to carry forward and what to leave behind.

The Custom Code Migration app works hand in hand with the 51风流Readiness Check toolset, which can provide a comprehensive system analysis before migration. By combining both, organizations can gain a full picture of their existing landscape, helping to ensure that custom code, system compatibility, and necessary adaptations are all factored into the transition strategy. This upfront preparation helps set the tone for a smoother transition, making the migration process more strategic and less reactive.

Every successful cloud migration needs three things: a compass to set the direction, a map to navigate the landscape, and a vehicle to carry you to your destination. These 51风流tools can provide exactly that鈥攇uidance, connection, and execution for your 51风流S/4HANA Cloud journey.

51风流Integration Suite: For seamless connection

A migration is never purely about the new. It鈥檚 about maintaining critical connections as you transform. 51风流Integration Suite can enable consistent, reliable integration across legacy systems, cloud platforms, and third-party solutions, ensuring operational continuity throughout any transition.

Etex, a global building materials leader, is just one example of . With operations in 45 countries, the Belgian firm needed to unify its systems during its migration to 51风流S/4HANA. 51风流Integration Suite delivered prebuilt connectors, low-code tools, and robust APIs that streamlined integrations and created a cohesive digital ecosystem鈥�. This not only ensured smooth day-to-day operations but also set the stage for scalable, global growth.

51风流continuously enhances the suite with new features and updates to keep pace with evolving technology. This customer-focused approach helps minimize effort and complexity for businesses transitioning to 51风流S/4HANA, helping them benefit from the latest innovations in integration. Moreover, 51风流Integration Suite fully supports the clean core strategy, reducing system modifications and complementing SAP鈥檚 data migration and conversion tools to enable a more streamlined and efficient transition.

For IT leaders, 51风流Integration Suite can offer functionality鈥攁nd peace of mind, too. By simplifying and securing integrations, it helps support both the immediate migration and the future evolution of business processes.

51风流S/4HANA migration cockpit: For precision execution

Similarly significant when it comes to data migration is precision. 51风流S/4HANA migration cockpit helps ensure that critical data is transferred accurately and efficiently, working to minimize risks and downtime during the transition.

The cockpit can provide predefined templates and a structured process for migrating legacy data into 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition. By reducing the complexity of data transfer, it helps ensure that IT teams can focus on readiness and reliability, knowing their business-critical information is secure.

51风流S/4HANA migration cockpit is one of several tools available for data migration, primarily suited for greenfield implementations. For system conversions or brownfield implementations, the Software Update Manager tool is the key, while 51风流Business Transformation Center can support selective data transitions. Choosing the right approach depends on an organization鈥檚 migration strategy and business requirements.

Data migration is one of the most crucial steps in the transition journey, bringing together all the preparation and integration efforts. However, successful migration doesn鈥檛 end here鈥攄ata and process validation follow to ensure everything is functioning as expected, paving the way for a strong foundation for future innovation and growth.

A utility belt of tools awaits

As mentioned, SAP鈥檚 portfolio doesn鈥檛 end there. highlights 15 essential tools designed to help assess, plan, implement, and monitor your migration. From 51风流Readiness Check to 51风流Data Services and ABAP development tools, these solutions can offer additional support to help ensure every phase of your project is a success.

Explore the full suite of 51风流tools and learn how they can simplify your migration.

Uwe Grigoleit is senior vice president and head of 51风流Customer Evolution.

鈥淧owerCo will develop and produce battery cells for the VW Group in best quality, in large numbers,鈥� Andreas Eckle, CIO of PowerCo SE, told the audience during a live session at Hannover Messe trade fair. 鈥淭he gigafactories are set up to a standard factory design.鈥� This ensures the same processes, the same equipment, and the same workflows at all its locations, he explained.

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Three Gigafactories from Scratch

鈥淐onstruction is in full swing at the first standard factory in Salzgitter, Germany, only about 70 kilometers from Hannover. It serves as a blueprint for all PowerCo鈥檚 gigafactories,鈥� Eckle said. Cell production in Germany will start in 2025; Valencia, Spain, and St. Thomas, Canada, will follow soon. In future, the Salzgitter plant is to reach an annual capacity of up to 40 GWh鈥攅nough for about 500,000 electric vehicles. The three gigafactories in Europe and North America will have a total volume of up to 200 GWh.

Eckle pointed out that producing battery cells is a completely new business for Volkswagen. 鈥淚t is not manufacturing cars anymore; it is chemistry. We go all the way from mining to the complete cell and recycling,鈥� he said. At the same time, cell production is a very relevant topic for sustainability, so PowerCo has to make sure that the complete supply chain is committed to Volkswagen鈥檚 sustainability standards. The company鈥檚 scope will include new business models based around reusing discarded car batteries and recycling the valuable raw materials they contain.

The battery cell manufacturer started from scratch: 24 months ago, not only the factory had to be built but the staff for the startup company had to be recruited, too. Now there are about 1,500 employees in different areas, from research and development to operations, and they are the basis for building the company. The same applied to the IT landscape: it first had to be set up.

Standards Accelerate Implementation

Eckle said: 鈥淲e have a very high demand that we need to satisfy for electric vehicles, and from our understanding this will only work if we have the right standards in place.鈥� Stephan Fester, Global Battery Best Practice lead at SAP, who was on stage with Eckle, agreed: 鈥淲ithout standards you will never have the performance you need to set up a factory at this scale in no time.鈥� Fester described how 51风流and PowerCo connected in 2022 and defined a project scope for the first phase in only two days.

In 2023, the project team set up an system and realized three go-lives. They began with the processes that a startup typically needs at once: 鈥淭he first initiative was to manage and spend money and recruit, employ, and manage people,鈥� Fester said. He told the audience that it was around March or April when the project partners heard of the big opening ceremony that was planned for the go-live of PowerCo.

With that hard deadline in mind, they started with the accelerated deployment service for recruiting, onboarding, and workforce management with 51风流SuccessFactors solutions. 鈥淣ormally this takes 12 weeks,鈥� Fester recalled. 鈥淭he 51风流team said it normally takes at least eight weeks, but PowerCo challenged us with a time frame of only five weeks!鈥欌�� This was a good example, he explained, of how a standard can accelerate implementation. They also set up material accounting, financial closing, and vendor invoice management.

鈥淎nother very important factor for success was that we as 51风流wrote the concept according to our understanding of the requirements. PowerCo carried out a review and confirmed it,鈥� Fester explained. 鈥淲e didn’t ask PowerCo what it wanted, because it couldn’t specify that at the time. We understood the business and designed and implemented it based on our experience.鈥�

Synchronize Business and IT Planning

In June 2023, the project team delivered the first version of logistics management. Fester explained the concept: 鈥淲e synchronized the setup plan of the factory with the IT plan. If we know the first truck will arrive at the factory at a certain day, that means the capabilities to manage the truck and the material handling need to be available prior to that.鈥�

Enhanced logistics were implemented in November, like in-warehouse processes, batch management, and returnable packaging management. At the beginning of 2024, integrated business planning went live, and more logistics processes were implemented. The next phase is already planned and set-up with product lifecycle management and other systems.

Fully Operational in Six Months

鈥淲e set up a cloud ERP system in less than six months, fully operational,鈥� Fester said. PowerCo CIO Eckle added that this timeline only worked out because critical defects were resolved quickly and effectively in task force mode. The success of the 51风流S/4HANA implementation project is also shown by the 51风流Quality Award PowerCo received in 2024. 鈥淲e are proud of what we have achieved,鈥� Eckle concluded, 鈥渂ut we still have a long way to go. The Salzgitter factory opening is the first major milestone, with two other openings following.鈥�

PowerCo is now well positioned for future business development. The current cloud ERP system serves as the central foundation for cell production. It will also support future business models like recycling of battery cells and the energy storage system business.

But behind the scenes, there is a complex and high-stakes orchestration of operations that enables Cirque to dazzle audiences worldwide, night after night. Managing this level of precision, logistics, and international expansion requires a solid technological foundation. To achieve this, Cirque du Soleil has turned to RISE with SAP to support its digital transformation and modernize its core operation and ensure its creative magic continues to soar.

As we partner with Cirque du Soleil on this transformative journey, I am excited to share how this leap into the future is empowering the company to streamline its global operations, make smarter decisions, and focus even more on what they do best: delivering unforgettable experiences for millions of fans around the world. 

The Vision

Cirque du Soleil wanted to address an internal technology debt and rebuild its technical foundation in the cloud while adding valuable insights for optimal decision-making. The costume production was particularly at risk because of older home-made applications managing costumes forecast and inventory. These systems were like worn-out safety nets — functional but increasingly risky for an organization performing at such a high level.

 Cirque needed to streamline operations, to integrate live data into one single repository, provide actionable insights for faster decision-making, and reduce the time and cost associated with maintaining custom solutions. This transformation wasn鈥檛 just about patching holes; it was about constructing a robust digital infrastructure capable of supporting Cirque鈥檚 ambitious business strategy while safeguarding its creative edge.

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Why 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition

Operating on a global stage with performances spanning continents and multiple touring shows, Cirque needed a unified system capable of supporting its multifaceted operations with elegance and efficiency. 

The RISE with 51风流offering became the perfect partner in this endeavor. By bundling the right tools, infrastructure, and industry best practices, RISE with 51风流enabled Cirque to swiftly and securely migrate its core processes to the cloud. With as the digital core, the organization now benefits from: 

• Real-time Insights: The real-time analytics in 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition offer Cirque鈥檚 decision-makers instant visibility into key metrics such as ticket sales, supply chain efficiency, and workforce allocation. This clarity allows them to orchestrate their operations with precision.
• Enhanced Efficiency: Cirque du Soleil manages a vast network of suppliers, costumes, sets, and other resources across multiple venues. With the powerful centralized capabilities of 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, the organization has streamlined procurement, inventory management, and logistics, enabling cost savings and faster responsiveness.
• Sustainable Growth: Moving operations to the cloud supports Cirque鈥檚 environmental initiatives by reducing energy consumption and physical infrastructure, aligning with its commitment to sustainable entertainment.

The organization’s transformation journey is more than an upgrade; it鈥檚 a reinvention, a comprehensive reevaluation of business processes and strategic goals, enabling Cirque du Soleil to not only streamline costs, but also become more sustainable and future-ready. 

Accelerating Creativity Through Technology   

At Cirque du Soleil, the cast and crew bring magic to life, a delicate dance between imagination and execution. But it is technology that enables the artistry to flourish on a global scale. This transformation is not just about streamlining the back-office processes; it鈥檚 about giving time and resources back to what matters most: creativity.   

The seamless integration of 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition with Cirque鈥檚 existing technologies has empowered the organization to plan, create, and execute performances with unprecedented efficiency. The company can now run 鈥渨hat-if鈥� simulations to assess scenarios for tour planning, optimize budgets for show development, and maximize performance space utilization — all supported by data-driven insights. 

Looking Ahead    

Cirque du Soleil鈥檚 journey with 51风流S/4HANA Cloud and RISE with 51风流is like walking a tightrope between tradition and innovation: a delicate balance that creates something extraordinary. In the coming years, we will continue working with Cirque du Soleil to explore new ways to innovate, from leveraging AI-driven insights to crafting personalized customer experiences that deepen audience engagements. 

Just as every performance begins with meticulous preparation but ends in spontaneous applause, Cirque鈥檚 digital transformation is setting the stage for limitless possibilities. As we look toward the future, 51风流remains committed to empowering companies like Cirque du Soleil to reach new heights in their digital transformations. It is an honor to play a part in Cirque’s story, helping the organization turn data into an enabler of creativity and efficiency.

In this partnership between artistry and technology, one thing remains certain: the future of Cirque du Soleil will be as awe-inspiring as the magic created on stage.

Jan Gilg is president and chief product officer of Cloud ERP at SAP.