SAP: we’re the operating system of the global economy

⇨ SAP urging customers to “focus on operational excellence” in the move to cloud

⇨ SAP NOW Sydney featured ex-tennis star Ash Barty and NZ Rugby chief Mark Robinson

⇨ Customers Atturra, Sigma Healthcare, Powerlink Queensland and more improve processes with new SAP solutions

SAP believes it is “the operating system of the global economy in the era of AI” and that business leaders must focus on delivering operational excellence in a world dealing with several disruptions, according to SAP ANZ President and Managing Director Angela Colantuono. 

Speaking at this year’s SAP NOW event in Sydney, Colantuono continued the push for customers to move to the cloud and benefit from cloud-exclusive offerings like Business AI. 

“Over the last six months talking to so many CEOs, there’s a common theme that emerged – it has become quite a tough operating environment for organisations and we’re all feeling the prolonged effect of a volatile economy,” Colantuono said. 

“Inflation and interest rate changes are on the mind for many, and we continue to witness the fragility of our supply chains, whether it’s from a changing climate or a geopolitical disruption. Labour shortages also remain a challenge to boost productivity levels. 

“While we can’t control these challenges, leaders must focus on delivering operational excellence, and that means moving to the cloud. It’s all about simplification – an opportunity to simplify our systems, organisational processes and how we get work done.” 

Colantuono also touched on SAP’s financial results across the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, citing the 38 percent year on year cloud revenue growth. 

“We can’t talk about moving to the cloud without talking about AI, and SAP, we feel is the operating system of the global economy in the era of AI,” she added. “There’s never been a better time to partner with SAP.” 

Continuing the cloud push 

Colantuono was later joined by SAP APJ Chief Business Officer Liher Urbizu, who discussed how digital transformation programs would fail for exclusively focusing on technology, and that a balanced approach involving people and processes would be the key to success. 

AWS also took the stage to discuss how to build a future-ready culture within an organisation, suggesting organisations reconsider their operational horizons and find ways to free up resources and reduce costs to adapt to the rapid pace of change in this current business environment. 

Also speaking at SAP NOW were former top professional tennis player Ash Barty, WTA Ventures SVP of Partnerships Sarah Cummins, and New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson. 

Focus on customers 

Australian IT services provider Atturra implemented SAP SuccessFactors, reporting improvements to the accuracy of its HR data, onboarding and learning processes, and staff retention. 

“As a company that prides itself on helping clients embrace the tools of the future, we saw how relying on better technology would support our growth and deliver a first-class experience to our people,” Atturra Chief Operating Officer David Dekker said. 

“Implementing SAP SuccessFactors has streamlined our onboarding process, allowing new team members to settle in and start learning and contributing faster. In the second phase we added further functionalities with the Performance & Goals, Learning and Recruiting modules. This has been a game changer in promoting a culture of continuous development, boosting employee engagement and supporting our goals for sustainable growth and innovation.” 

Pharmaceutical goods wholesaler and distributor Sigma Healthcare implemented SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain (SAP IBP) to streamline its supply chain operations. The company reported improvements in operational efficiency, inventory management, customer service and customer satisfaction across its network of pharmacies. 

“Since implementing the Response and Supply module of SAP IBP, we have seen improved metrics across the board, including reduced inventory, increased availability and greater efficiencies,” Sigma Healthcare CIO Martin Hawkins said. 

“This transformation could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of both the EY team and our Sigma Operations Planning Team. The new system has also improved our ability to forward plan for events such as supplier closures and public holidays, further enhancing our service to customers.” 

Powerlink Queensland, which earlier this year implemented SAP Sustainability Control Tower, has chosen RISE with SAP on Microsoft Azure to implement SAP Business AI. 

This deal is the utility’s latest engagement with SAP following Powerlink’s implementation of SAP S/4HANA and SAP Analytics Cloud in 2022, and more recently, SAP Sustainability Control Tower. 

Powerlink CEO Paul Simshauser said RISE has helped strengthen the organisation’s sustainability reporting through the consolidation of auditable climate-related metrics aligned to Australian and International standards. 

“Powerlink has a long-standing relationship with SAP, reaching a 25-year milestone this year, that has delivered significant value to our organisation with recent uplifts in data management, automation and self-service,” Simshauser said. 

“We opted to accelerate our move to RISE with SAP as it is a natural progression of our digital transformation and AI advances. With many of our mission critical processes already running on SAP, having the ability to leverage SAP Business AI capabilities will deliver tremendous value to our people.”