SUPPLY CHAIN
T he changing shape of supply chain means that networks are now more important than ever . Supply is far less linear than it once was , now being more of a network of suppliers , plants , transportation companies and micro-fulfilment specialists .
Such networks are greater than the sum of the participating businesses ; they enable organisations to collaborate with trading partners to streamline processes , create value in real time , and solve problems quickly , as they arise .
And it is digital ecosystems that connect the dots in such networks . Ecosystems such as SAP Business Network , which is designed to power transparency , resilience , and sustainability , by connecting people , processes , and systems across multiple enterprises , to digitise transactions and create transparent , resilient , and sustainable supply chains .
“When organisations collaborate in real time and work in parallel , the customer benefits ”
TONY HARRIS CHIEF MARKETING & SOLUTIONS OFFICER SAP
At SAP Spend Connect Live , held in Vienna , Austria , in October , SAP Chief Marketing & Solutions Officer Tony Harris spoke to our sister publication , Procurement Magazine , about the massive growth of SAP Business Network ( BN ).
Harris revealed that SAP Business Network involves a total of US $ 4.9tn in spend annually , and that it has seen a 14 % growth in transactional relationships over the past year . He also discussed the focus on innovation , particularly in the area of generative AI .
“ The figure on spend is not cumulative ,” he pointed out . “ This is what we do every year , and that number is generally only going up .”
He added : “ The other thing is the innovation around supplier onboarding . A network is only a network when you ’ ve got both buyers and suppliers , and we have millions and millions of suppliers , and this only continues to grow .”
SAP ’ s overall vision with BN is to help companies to leverage intelligence that allows them to be more resilient , by being part of a network . Such ecosystems also help organisations work together to achieve sustainability goals .
“ SAP transformed the world of business applications 50 years ago with the introduction of enterprise resource planning ,” Harris says , being interviewed for an in-house SAP video entitled ‘ Explore
38 January 2024