SAP Streamlines Core Business Processes

By Ricardo A. Bartra, SVP & CIO, DHL Global Forwarding

Ricardo A. Bartra, SVP & CIO, DHL Global Forwarding

Implementing SAP, is committing to a business transformation program that redefines and streamlines core business processes, bringing new disciplines in standardization of transactional and master data management, and operational level procedures. By definition, it sets forward a new integrated business operating technology platform that achieves business goals faster, with more flexibility and greater effectiveness at the country, regional and global level of a corporate enterprise.

This newly gained business technology capability platform drives business transformation when implemented “correctly” through gains in productivity, cycle times, operational efficiencies, standardization, data integration, data quality, reporting and information compliance. In business terms this creates value, business differentiation and competitive advantage.

Further more, if we analyze the key to maximizing the new paradigms on business capabilities in cloud based solutions as the new point of synchronization for the enterprise, this requires a solid business technology Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform that in turn allows the enterprise to render and consume information in a fit-for-purpose solution set.

This caters to the new customer, and the new end-user experience paradigms like “Mobility” but it is implemented through a cohesive and well-architected information strategy for interoperability across the full spectrum in the information value chain of an organization.

The key to maximize the new paradigms on business capabilities in a cloud-based solution requires an ERP platform, which in turn allows the enterprise to render and consume information

DHL Global Forwarding is focused on providing Global Solutions Expertise to our customers and overall business and a cohesive ERP technology platform is an integral part of our global technology capabilities.

Complexities in Pre-SAP Era and its Resolution in Post-SAP Phase

The pain points vary in complexity depending on the scale and size of the company, the maturity and standardization on their business processes and overall IT Enterprise and Solutions Architecture. Typically a company has to do an in-depth review when implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system like SAP. Consequently, some of the typical challenges pre-SAP may include:

• A more complex, heterogeneous IT solution serving local country and functional requirements in a silo non integrated approach, creating redundancy on IT application and complexity on core business processes in the enterprise. Observed both in IT and business processes.

• More complex master data quality and integration controls due to dislocated data management disciplines, creating inconsistencies in transactional data systems, business reporting and business analytics across the enterprise. A classical example of this is a company’s manual transformation of data by supporting business functions to deliver consolidated reports derived from multiple disparate systems or inconsistency on customer data and subsequently customer service, due to disconnected systems on the CRM space.

By definition this complexity (pre-ERP), especially for large global enterprise businesses, creates cost of non quality, ineffective focus on core business due to the simple fact that supporting functions systems remain complex, inconsistent and in efficient in adapting to the growth requirements or new go-to market strategies.