Zespri begins Phase 2 of digital transformation with SAP S/4HANA

⇨ Zespri has achieved significant savings of NZD1 million in infrastructure costs, NZD2 million in profit and loss, and 15,000 hours in productivity over six years, prompting the company to enter Phase 2 of its digital transformation with SAP.

⇨ The company upgraded to the SAP S/4HANA platform, focusing on clean core cloud-based ERP infrastructure, to enhance its finance and supply chain processes as part of its multi-year Horizon transformation program.

⇨ Zespri has implemented SAP Sustainability Control Tower for ESG data management and utilized AI-powered Quality Control software from Clarifruit. The latter has resulted in a 5% improvement in supply chain quality and a 25% boost in inspection productivity.

After saving NZD1 million in infrastructure costs, NZD2 million in profit and loss and 15,000 hours in productivity over six years, New Zealand-based kiwifruit marketer Zespri has embarked on Phase 2 of its digital transformation with SAP. 

The company also recently upgraded to the SAP S/4HANA platform by focusing on clean core, a cloud-based ERP infrastructure that separates core applications from custom modifications. This will help Zespri to digitally enable its finance and supply chain processes and move to the second phase of its multi-year Horizon transformation program. 

The business has also purchased SAP Sustainability Control Tower as part of its RISE with SAP implementation to record, report and take action on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data, in its business processes. 

“Our partnership with SAP has so far seen us distribute more than 193 million trays of kiwifruit across 51 countries through our digital platforms to meet growing global demand,” said David Scullin, Chief Digital Officer at Zespri.  

He added that the second phase of its digital journey will focus on “data to improve decision making, simplify operations, modernise with innovation, and provide higher returns to our grower community.” 

Zespri went live with SAP S/4HANA Cloud private edition and SAP Integrated Business Planning in 2022, within a year of embarking on its digital transformation journey. Phase 1 implementation of this project also included deploying SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP Integration Suite, the SAP Extension Suite, and SAP-endorsed partner solutions from OpenText, Tricentis, and Celonis. 

SAP Partner Clarifruit has also provided Zespri with AI-powered Quality Control software, which includes a special mobile app, and an artificial intelligence engine designed specifically for the fruit and vegetable industry. This app also includes modernised quality control processes that have helped the company attain a 5% improvement in the quality and efficiency of its supply chain and enhanced its inspection productivity by 25%. 

Learn more about SAP’s supply chain offering 

Learn more about how SAP can streamline Supply Chain and Procurement for various businesses during Mastering SAP Connect, which will be held at the Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, from November 11 to 12, 2024. The event will connect the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Supply Chain Management, and Procurement communities with SAP experts. 

Register here for the event.