The traditional appointment was back in Madrid at the end of May, divided for the occasion by regional areas and characterized by a decadent menu, including the agreement with Ducati.
Late spring. Traditionally, this is also when Sapphire, SAP’s annual event, is held, which has taken place in a virtual edition in the last two years. But this year, the desire for normality has rightly taken over, and SAP has also decided to start hosting live events again. For the occasion, Sapphire was specifically declined by geographical areas, and at the end of May, the edition for the Emea Sud region was staged in Madrid, which includes 43 countries.
Table of Contents
Continuous Transformation
Doing the honors were Emmanuel “Manos” Raptopoulos, President of EMEA South SAP, who gave the keynote conductor of a hectic day, and Scott Russell, Member of the Executive Committee and head of the Customer Success area of SAP worldwide, who inaugurated the morning work by underlining that ” even today the word we will hear the most is ”transformation” of the business, because changes and disruptions take place continuously, in a scenario in which standing still and doing nothing is not an option “.
But above all, “not even a radical ”lift & shift” approach is an option because what is needed in the new post-pandemic scenario is to transform and to be able to do it in the best way, you need to take advantage of the ability to innovate typically of technologies continuously “, continued Scott Russell, explaining that we need to look at some key elements, such as the”customer lifetime value “.
Or the ” “matter that we can create for the customer, followed by the results that are obtained, and which it is essential to measure continuously, and by the experience that customers have in interacting with our partners or with us, and finally by the speed with which we can create technology and offer all our services because it is not only necessary to be able to transform, but also to do it quickly with a view to constant time to value “.
Three Business Challenges
The theme was then further developed by Manos Raptopoulos, who began his keynote by underlining that “in today’s scenario, there are three main business challenges we face: the business transformation accelerated by the pandemic, the disruption in the supply chains, which is no longer just temporary but is here to stay and is aggravated by the geopolitical situation, and finally sustainability, which is not just a buzzword but a very concrete issue that is guiding many of our decisions “.
Responding to these challenges means for SAP” to focus more and more on process integration, which has been in SAP’s DNA for 50 years, to make every company intelligent and sustainable, also by accelerating investments in areas such as customer experience or the management of human capital “, continued Raptopoulos, telling how SAP” has the most influential business network in the world to unite suppliers and customers, is investing more and more in the Business Technology Platform and is accelerating efforts on autonomous ERP, which represents the new frontier of the future “.
An Excellence
Among the testimonies of SAP customers who spoke live at Sapphire Madrid, the most relevant was that of Ducati. For the occasion, CEO Claudio Domenicali took the stage with Manos Raptopoulos to illustrate in detail a new global collaboration agreement that sees the motorcycle manufacturer choose Rise with SAP to undertake a substantial business transformation involving all the main business processes.
Ducati, which has already been using SAP solutions since 2008, will also adopt SAP Commerce Cloud to manage Ducati’s online business and SAP Integrated Business Planning(IBP) for agile planning of the supply chain, which in the intention will lead to an extended and integrated digital supply chain, also to face possible disruptions.
Strategic collaboration, underlined, is based not only on technology and processes but also on a shared desire to improve and enrich the experiences of passionate customers through excellent and cutting-edge products and services. The collaboration between the two companies also extends to the world of Racing: SAP becomes part of the Official Partners of the Ducati Lenovo Team in MotoGP for the 2022 season.
Look At An Enterprise Value
“Our passionate customers have always been at the center of the company strategy, and we try to offer them the best possible experience in the world of two wheels. We focus a lot on innovation and technology to be at the forefront of our business processes, as we are in product development “, Claudio Domenicali stressed, also explaining that”we are focused on growth because size matters in this sector. However, we do not want to grow as much in volumes as in terms of enterprise value, looking above all at the ”Ducatista” who is a type of customer that can be assimilated to the customer in the fashion sector “.
“The Ducati brand is synonymous with excellence and is known worldwide for the quality of its products and for the competitiveness it expresses in every race. Ducati has very high standards for its Customer Experience and manages a sophisticated supply chain, where the integration of end-to-end processes and high availability are essential elements “, added Manos Raptopoulos, explaining that” by combining our strengths with Ducati and bringing all our innovative know-how with CX, Supply Chain and Rise with SAP, we could not be more proud to undertake this business transformation process together “.
Towards The Innovation Journey
Speaking instead of the reasons for the success of the SAP cloud, these are to be found in the fact that “it is our customers who increasingly ask us for the cloud to continue their business transformation with solutions that keep up with the times, and in this sense, the cloud represents the best answer, especially with the Rise with SAP offer”. In detail,“” the choice of the cloud is the one that gives tangible benefits in the shortest possible time, with a well measurable business outcome, which is what customers are looking for today.
Many resistances towards the cloud are now outdated, also in light of the latest events, such as the multiplying cyberattacks, which have made the cloud perceived as safer. Not only that: having a supply chain on the cloud today also represents a guarantee because, in the event of a disruption, our SAP Business Network helps us “. Finally, in a scenario in which BPI solutions, or Business Process Improvement, in which there is a powerful component of innovation but also continuous transformation, are increasingly taking hold, the cloud has an advantage because it allows for a constant updating: it is also in this sense that perhaps it is no longer the case to talk about the cloud journey but about a real innovation journey.
Also Read: SAP Training As A Career Springboard? Data And Facts At A Glance
