Hanover, Germany — April 22, 2024 — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announces new AI capabilities in its supply chain solutions that can fundamentally transform productivity, efficiency and precision in manufacturing. AI-powered intelligence from real-time data will help companies use proprietary data to make better decisions across the supply chain, optimize product development, and increase manufacturing efficiency.
“Companies today face challenges ranging from disrupted supply chains to labor shortages to geopolitical uncertainties,” said Muhammad Alam, SAP SE Board Member, SAP Product Engineering. “SAP sees the growing need for high levels of flexibility and business insight and is driving innovation with AI-powered solutions to optimize supply chain and manufacturing processes. Companies can increase operational efficiency and minimize risk while delighting customers with world-class service, paving the way for sustainable growth and competitiveness.”
Real-time, accurate and relevant information helps minimize the impact of disrupted supply chains on suppliers, manufacturers and retailers worldwide. SMA Solar Technology AG and other customers have already benefited from the advantages of SAP solutions. The productivity of employees in the supply chain was increased by approximately 15 percent, the total costs for planning the supply chain were reduced by 10 percent and the costs for warehousing and inventory turnover were reduced by 10 percent.
“SMA Solar is modernizing its manufacturing execution systems to support sustainable, risk-resistant production processes with the capabilities of AI-supported visual inspection in SAP Digital Manufacturing,” says Heiko Kehm, Head of IT Order to Cash at SMA Solar.
63 percent of supply chain management executives and 52 percent of operations executives have an AI strategy that is tied to business goals, according to “The Importance of AI in Supply Chain and Operations,” a 2024 global IDC InfoBrief*. which was sponsored by SAP. Fifty-one percent of the 2,000 respondents are integrating AI into supply chain planning business processes and key real-time decision-making applications. Another 58 percent are using AI to increase operational efficiency and employee productivity.
Key enhancements to SAP’s supply chain solutions that support customers’ AI-centric strategy include:
- Optimizing decisions across the supply chain through AI-driven information: Companies can now leverage greater amounts of machine data and integrate AI-driven computer visual inspections into their production processes, enabling remarkable quality improvements through automation.
- Streamlining product development: Product developers can now use SAP’s AI copilot Joule to quickly and effectively capture and improve new product ideas using natural language queries. Joule also helps link product designs to business data, visually contextualizing business-critical information.
- Detecting plant anomalies: Using AI, plant operators can proactively respond to potential failures based on sensor data collected from smart devices and edge gateways. This new feature leverages Software AG’s cutting-edge Cumulocity IoT platform, which is scheduled to be integrated into the SAP Asset Performance Management application in the third quarter.
- Improved on-site responsiveness: With integrated real-time traffic data and machine learning-trained models, customers can optimize their driving routes and assign jobs efficiently so that the right field technicians reach their destinations on time.
*IDC InfoBrief, gesponsert von SAP, The Importance of AI in Supply Chain and Operations, Dokument #US52042224, April 2024.
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