NZ’s Zespri speeds up SAP-based supply chain process with master data management

⇨ Kiwifruit company wanted to move to SAP S/4HANA but staff did not trust the data from legacy systems

⇨ Engaged Syniti to improve master data quality, particularly in the finance and supply chain business units

⇨ Improved data helped automate workflows to speed up supply chain

New Zealand-based global kiwifruit marketer and distributor Zespri International has sped up its supply chain processes through master data management for its SAP S/4HANA environment. 

Zespri, which sells kiwifruit to 59 countries and manages 30 percent global volume, is the largest marketer and distributor of the fruit worldwide. It works with 2,800 growers in New Zealand and 1,500 from the rest of the world, and has a team of 850 staff across New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the Americas. 

The company sought to migrate to SAP S/4HANA to improve data and processes across its value chain, including sales and distribution, supply chain planning, forecasting and finance. 

Zespri’s staff however reported that the company had relatively poor data quality, where data from its legacy systems like SAP ECC were managed through spreadsheets. The data was not deemed trustworthy, hampering decision-making across the business and limiting migration plans. Improving data governance as part of its SAP S/4HANA migration was the logical move. 

With its integrations with SAP products, Zespri turned to data management specialist Syniti to manage its master data. 

Syniti APJ Managing Director Gary Chua said Zespri saw the fruits of having a unified source of data. 

“Having a single set of accurate data allows for improved decision-making,” Chua said. “Prior to implementing an integrated platform, Zespri relied on manual tracking and inputting data into spreadsheets. This wasted time and led to inaccuracies across the organisation. Using a single point of reference, the company was able to make more well-informed decisions.” 

Zespri started its Syniti partnership with its finance and supply chain business units, managing material master data and business partner supplier data. 

Material master data relates to Zespri’s fruit varieties, size, markets, characteristics, and packaging, which impact everything from shipping to sales orders and more. Business partner supplier data relates to purchase orders and supplier payments, which impact the procurement and payment processes. 

Syniti Data Replication was implemented first to handle the data migration from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA, as well as provide Zespri staff with a real-time view of statistics of all objects on a single page. 

Syniti Knowledge Platform followed to support the data scaffolding process, so Zespri can use data validation to identify any failures, reasons for data mismatch and act on insights for the supply chain process. 

“Through the use of Syniti Knowledge Platform, the reporting and dashboarding that it provides makes the data verification experience for us much easier. The platform provides us with better visibility of data quality and how it is working for us,” Zespri head of data, analytics and enablement Brett Hartman said. 

“We are now able to work better with our data owners and champions across the business to drive improvements.” 

Zespri also automated workflows by building a Supplier Onboarding Form to replace manual and paper-based transactions, accelerating its supply chain process. 

“Our digital transformation journey is still just beginning and there is much more to do,” Hartman said. “Together with Syniti we hope to continue to grow our data management partnership, make better decisions based on our trusted data, and in doing so, achieve our goal of becoming a digital-first, future-led business.”