Supply Chain Management Blog Posts by SAP

Transforming Digital Supply Chains with AI

Digital Supply Chains Digitization of supply chains has been happening for close to two decades. As supply chains become more complex, geographically distributed, and more susceptible to shocks, digitization is no longer sufficient – the priorities h...

How Pantone’s “Peach Fuzz” Is Shaping Global Supply Chains

Every year, Pantone's Color of the Year sets the tone for fashion, design, and marketing trends across industries. In 2024, the chosen color, Peach Fuzz, has already taken center stage and started creating a profound impact on supply chains. In the ...

When The World Runs Out Of Barbie Pink: A Supply Chain Story

By Oyku Ilgar & Zoryana Zagorodnya, SAP If you feel like you have been looking through “pink-colored spectacles” recently, you’re not alone. Since the trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie went viral everything seems to be pink. It took over the r...

5 Intentions for Supply Chain Planners in 2024

As we look ahead to 2024, the world of supply chain management continues to evolve rapidly. Richard Howells nicely summarized the emerging trends and challenges in his supply chain predictions for 2024. Clearly, supply chain planners need to stay ...

Reimagining Electronic Manufacturing Services in Southeast Asia with S/4HANA

A few weeks ago, I was on a plane back from one of the capitol cities in Southeast Asia after visiting one of the major Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) company there. I started pondering on the various engagements with EMS companies in the...

Supply Chain Predictions 2024: AI, Sustainability Top Of Mind

To paraphrase a much-attributed quote, “Making predictions is hard. Especially if they are about the future.” And the last few years have not made the challenge any easier in the topsy turvy world of global supply chain trends. Since the start of...

Putzmeister Digitalized Global Field Service Management Processes to Increase Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction

Innovation is not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of the concrete industry. But innovation and concrete go hand in hand at Putzmeister, a Germany-based global market leader of concrete pumps, machines, and vehicles that constr...

Zamora Company Is Helping Create a Better World by Reducing Packaging with SAP Responsible Design and Production

As a consumer you may not have heard of Zamora Company but it will surely ring a bell when you hear the names of some of its most popular premium spirit and wine brands such as Licor 43, Martin Miller’s Gin, Yellow Rose, Ramón Bilbao, Champagne Pomm...

Suez Crisis Escalates: Is Your Business Ready? SAP's Logistics Survival Kit

Some shipping companies are altering their shipping routes as we speak. As concerns rise over attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, we might witness a very unstable and difficult year ahead in terms of goods shipments from Asia to Europe that could go ...

A festive musical journey through the Christmas Supply Chain

Every year, Christmas creeps up on me unexpectedly. All of a sudden the scent of pine needles and roasted almonds are tantalize my senses and the panic of finding that perfect gift for my loved ones sets in. I am sure that many people around the wor...

The Secret of Santa’s Supply Chain

Happy Holidays In the far north, where the winters are long, freezing cold and dark, lies a tranquil village at the foot of a majestic mountain. Travelling there is like an adventure, as neither roads nor paths lead to this remote place. Only a few ...

Achieving Sustainability in the Life Sciences Industry: A Path Forward

Trends and challenges in the Life Sciences industry Did you know that the healthcare systems account for over 4% of global CO2 emissions on the global average basis? If you are reading this, chances are high that you are living in one of the industr...

Innovations in Decentralized Manufacturing of Advanced Therapies

The future of biopharmaceutical production is shifting from centralized manufacturing to a decentralized model, bringing production closer to the point-of-care (POC). This approach is pivotal for efficiently delivering personalized medicines and addr...

The Human Face to Sustainability

Did you know: High-income countries leave a larger environmental footprint compared to low-income countries. In fact, the material footprint per capita in high-income countries is 10 times that of low- income countries. Despite calls for a phase-...

Best Holiday Shopping Deals: Is Your Business Ready?

The holiday shopping season is bearing down upon us faster than Santa’s sleigh speeding down the autobahn. But don’t let this fast-moving, volatile time of year get in the way of spreading joy across your business. Check the latest consumer spending ...

SAP EWM Rearrangement after ABC Analysis step by step guide

I am going to introduce how to set up " Rearrangement." Less information around on Rearrangement. But Rearrangement could be a strong tool to optimize your warehouse maybe after slotting or ABC analysis. 1)What's Rearrangement – Overview of rearrang...

Halloween Supply Chain: 3 Treats To Sweeten Your Business

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 2023 Halloween spending is anticipated to reach a record $12.2 billion. That’s a scary amount of money spent on candy, costumes and decorations. There’s no doubt Halloween is a treat for many, but it...

Five Ways Business Networks Are Helping Industrial Manufacturers Be More Competitive

Joao Karg, Solution Manager, Industrial Manufacturing Industry, SAP In this turbulent business environment, industrial manufacturing companies face considerable challenges. From handling supply constraints due to geopolitical tensions to dealing ...

Why Life Sciences Companies Are Turning to Business Networks

Mandar Paralkar, Vice President for Life Sciences and Healthcare, SAP Supply chain collaboration is crucial to enable efficient operations for many companies, and collaboration technologies such as business networks are playing an increasingly impor...

Extended Planning and Analysis (xP&A) and its Role in Supply Chain Planning (1 of ?)

What is Extended Planning and Analysis Exactly? Unless you’ve been locked away in a dungeon for the past couple of years (and that is true for some of us), you have heard the term Extended Planning and Analysis or seen its acronym xP&A and wonder...

What does it mean to be “all-In” in the world of cloud – innovation, speed, and security

“All-in!”, I called during a game of poker. I was feeling confident, as I had a great hand – a full house of aces and jacks. Such hands come seldom and even when they do, being a novice poker player, I hesitate to call “all-in”. Today, many organiza...

Improve Supply Chain Transparency and Increase High Tech Competitiveness Using a Business Network

Jeff Howell, Vice President, High Tech Industry Business Unit, SAP The high tech world moves fast – and it’s getting faster. Consumer demand for the latest, innovative technologies drives ever-shorter new-product development times. Meanwhile, the p...

The Global Impact Of China’s Golden Week: Is Your Business Ready?

In October, the People's Republic of China celebrates its annual national holiday, known as Golden Week. Similar to Chinese New Year, the entire country is on holiday, resulting in business closures and a potential 14-day halt in production and trans...

Toyota Production Malfunction: Just-In-Time For Supply Chain Upgrade

When production came to a screeching halt at 14 Toyota assembly plants last month, the automobile industry took notice. A fault in the parts order management system was the reason production could no longer be procured. It’s a surprising setback give...

Netflix’s The Witcher: 3 Lessons Geralt Can Teach Us About Supply Chain Disruption

Watching Geralt of Rivia wielding his sword against fearsome creatures in the medieval dark fantasy realm of The Witcher, I couldn’t help but draw inspiration and reflection from the lessons he gained along the way. Grab your swords – or perhaps your...

How to manage the challenges during the Back-to-school Season

It feels like summer vacation have barely begun, but the back-to-school shopping season is already in full swing. Depending on the region, it lasts from July to September and is now generating record retail sales not only in the U.S. but also in...

Some friendships start in the workplace - how Finance & Supply Chain can get closer together

by Dr. David Paynter & Beatrice Hulde From Strangers... Prior to 2020, Supply Chain Management (SCM) was a niche topic to Finance Managers. It was overall not very well known or popular beyond the circle of people who worked in that area. The last th...

What India's rice export freeze means for the supply chain

When India imposes an immediate export ban on rice, it’s time to sit up and pay attention. On July 20, India announced an export ban on non-basmati white rice and broken rice, which account for about half of all Indian rice exports. Ships already lo...

Unlocking the Power of Supply Chain Resiliency with Industrial Metaverse

Technologists believe we are a long way from achieving the advanced sentient robots depicted in HBO’s science fiction series "Westworld." Even though the Westworld isn’t our reality yet, the idea of humanoid robots doesn’t seem like science fiction a...

Roche Connects Asset Data to Contextualize and Improve Every Decision

In a recent webinar Iago Accioli, Project Manager Assets at Roche discussed how pharmaceutical company Roche has been improving its asset management and maintenance processes from a broader supply chain perspective. Roche is one of the world’s l...

Managing supply chain risks: 4 ways to avoid trouble

The supply chain forms the backbone of production and trade, enabling the sale of products, management of inventories, and generation of revenue. Without it, these basic corporate functions wouldn’t be possible. But over the past few years, this bac...

Christmas In July: Amazon Prime Day Supply Chain Challenges

Since 2015, Amazon Prime Day has become a traditional online shopping event in the Howells home. Prime Day, along with the annual marathon of holiday themed films that also run in July, make Christmas in July a “thing” in my house. For the very few ...

Patterson Dental Improves Customer Experience with Streamlined Field Service Management

Patterson Dental, a division of Patterson Companies, Inc., headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota provides dentists across the United States with a large range of products from toothbrushes and gloves to digital imaging and operating room equipment...

What The Sriracha Sauce Shortage Can Teach Us About Climate Change

My son loves Sriracha hot sauce. To borrow a quote from a popular brand of hot sauce in the USA, he “puts that S#!& on everything”. Or more to the point, he did “put that S#!& on everything” until the prices started going through the roof. The onli...

4th of July: Celebrating Independence with Social and Environmental Responsibility

As the 4th of July approaches, Americans find their favorite red, white, and blue attire, displaying signs of patriotism and freedom through face-painted flags and festive headbands. Soon, picnic tables will be filled with hamburgers, potato salads,...

Bringing logistics visibility into focus

Logistics visibility has become a lot more… well, visible, since our supply chains were tested like never before during the Covid-19 global pandemic. Even now, as transportation and supply chains have begun to rebound sufficiently to feed our econo...

Increasing Supply Chain Resilience: Real-World Insights and Methods to Stay on Track

Motivation As the well-known expression “Never change a winning team!” suggests, no one likes to adjust a system once it is running smoothly. However, sometimes there are forces beyond a company’s control that make it necessary to rethink processes...

How is Nordlaks Leveraging IoT Technology and Cloud Processing to Farm Salmon in a more Sustainable Way?

When The Department of Fisheries challenged the industry in 2015 to find new solutions for farming fish in the open seas, Norway based Nordlaks Oppdrett stepped up and won the competition based upon an innovative and sustainable approach. Reinve...

Midsize Businesses Find Resilience At The Intersection Of Supply Chain Diversification And Sustainability

According to a recent IDC InfoDoc sponsored by SAP, midsize businesses expecting an average of over 10% increases in both revenue and market share growth rely on sourcing from several suppliers (71%) and source from different countries (67%). And the...

Father’s Day Wisdom: 3 Supply Chain Lessons I Learned From My Dad

According to the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to spend a record-high $22.9 billion to celebrate Father’s Day this year. And why not? Fathers play a critical role in our lives guiding us through the various obstacles thrown our w...

I-95 Collapse: What’s The Business Impact?

On Sunday June 11th, a section of Route I-95 near Philadelphia collapsed when a truck carrying gasoline crashed and caught fire underneath the highway. The highway is a major commuter and commercial route that runs the full length of the East coast ...

Restaurant supply chain: Overcoming bottlenecks for culinary success

The Michelin guides to the best restaurants and hotels in the world originated more than 100 years ago, providing addresses of gas stations, garages, restaurants and accommodations. Added in 1926, the Michelin star is coveted by restaurants as a ...

SAP named as Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SAP Transportation Management

Supply chain complexity and competition, especially in the transportation sector, are exacerbated by increasing globalization, changing consumer preferences, the need for efficient and cost-effective transportation solutions, shortages of skilled per...

Supply Chains and Mothers’ Special Bond

By nicole_smythe Many experts say that supply chain is backbone of our modern-day economy – maximizing uptime with advanced technologies, enhancing visibility, and driving sustainability efforts. Much like supply chain, Mothers are often referred...

Beyond Salary: Meeting the expectations of a New Generation in Field Service Management

This week on May 1st we celebrated Labour Day also known as the International Workers’ Day. I am thankful not to have experienced a time where it is normal to work up to 16 hours per day and 6 days per week. The 8-hour movement was a significant labo...

Your supply chain shouldn’t make headlines : 5 Tips to Future Proof Your Supply Chain

If the last 3 years have taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. We don’t know where the next surge in demand, or supply disruption is coming from. We don’t know when the next geo-political event or natural disaster will happen. What we ...

How The Evolving Supply Chain Affects Worldwide Business Models And Economies

By Oyku Ilgar, SAP Supply chains are everywhere. Everywhere you look, everything you see around got you through a supply chain. The laptop you are looking at, your morning coffee, or your favorite mug your friend got you as a present. Your car on t...

5 Supply Chain Strategies To Avoid Risk And Enable Sustainability

The supply chain has always been a balancing act. Whether it is cost and efficiency, customer service vs. profitability, or in modern times resiliency vs. risk. And now, we are increasingly seeing sustainability move into the already crowded field. I...

Four Reasons Why You Need Logistics Visibility

In this blog series, we look at the power of logistics visibility and how it is becoming a strategic priority for businesses. First, we explore the reasons why logistics visibility is such an important focus for businesses to maintain a resilient sup...

Take the Risk out of Your Supply Chain by Planning Ahead!

Risks in the supply chain can arise from various factors, such as natural disasters, geopolitical issues, supplier failures, labor disputes, cyber-attacks, or fluctuations in demand and pricing. In the recent past, supply chain practitioners have ...