SAP Insider Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2011 Conference: Commentary Five

This is our fifth Supply Chain Matters commentary regarding the SAP Insider sponsored Logistics and Supply Chain Management conference being held in Orlando this week. Readers can review each of our previous commentaries at the following links:

One

Two

Three

Four

As the conference comes to a close, I will touch upon some summary impressions I’ve gathered from this conference.  Readers are certainly welcomed to share any of their own impressions on the comments section associated with this posting.

I’ll begin with some observations of SAP activities and direction within the logistics and supply chain management area.  It was good to note that SAP has finally acknowledged that technology needs to come in smaller, more manageable increments that can both be implemented in rather reasonable periods and deliver overall value in a more timely manner.  A previous marketing and deployment focus on end-to-end process management, such as collaborative demand and supply planning, logistics and fulfillment management was the initial SAP focus, but that is defaulting to the new Rapid Deployment Solutions (RDS) programs that are now beginning to rollout in the SCM area.

Many of the SAP speakers touched upon RDS in their presentations, but not with a lot of emphasis and conviction.  Other than the Howells/Peterson keynote, there was no overarching presentation outlining the full compliment of RDS offerings for SCM.  Richard Howells and SAP Analyst Relations did clarify the following:

The S&OP RDS (Level One) was made available at the end of 2010

Customer Collaboration (SAP SNC) and Warehouse Management will be delivered at the end of this month.

Several other RDS offerings related to Demand Planning, Global ATP, Supplier Collaboration, Transportation Management Event Management and Service Parts Planning will be delivered in the second half of 2011.

Some further observations:

The legacy of the rollout of Transportation Management continues, and hopefully, Release 8 will be the charm.  This has turned out to be the most frustrated area for SAP supply chain execution support, and hopefully Release 8.0 will be the charm.  Judging from the names I heard as part of the customer advisory council, the voice of the customer was not lacking.

I noticed at least two or three different versions of SAP Business Objects software being utilized in demos by SAP presenters.  The same for multiple user interfaces across some SCM related applications.  It might be wise to have a consistency in look and feel.

The best user-oriented presentation that I observed was the presentation on implementation of supply chain performance management at Coca Cola, which was ably delivered by John Chiang.  What impressed me was that Coke insisted on adopting standard, out-of-the box technology for implementing SAP Performance Management, and managed to do so within the existing SAP Business Warehouse environment, which also leveraged exiting IT infrastructure. Coke also adopted standard SCOR metrics and KPI methodologies which helped to springboard adoption. Also noted was that with 12 years of experience with SAP technologies, Coke was pleasantly surprised that this application worked right out-of-the-box.

Regarding end-user experience presentations, I was a bit disappointed that there were fewer in this year’s U.S. conference, but that may be a reflection of the current economy where SCM and IT professionals are rather busy.  Past Insider SCM conferences provided a balance between SAP represented and user-represented talks. I trust that will be adjusted for next year.  I noted a lot of attendance and participation in the various informal breakout sessions organized around common SAP technology topics.  The two that I sat in on were lively, interactive and informative.  I’ve noticed a trend in many conferences of late where peer learning and interactive exchange is gaining more interest and attraction for conference attendees, and this was yet reinforcement.

A tip of the hat to all of the SAP Insider staff who provided outstanding on-site services and assistance to a well-attended conference.  There were guides everywhere eager to help 1700 attendees find sessions and other venues or assist with needs. While Disney food is not what one would classify as ‘gourmet’, the on-site service was exemplary and friendly.

A final thought.  Supply Chain Matters has penned many commentaries related to the increased challenges being faced by supply chain and IT functions, and that is especially pertinent for the SAP-oriented community.  In our view, it is rather important to stay abreast of SAP direction in SCM technology and service offerings, since there are now a lot of moving parts.  The good news is that SAP is responding to needs in SCM, but the clarity is for customers to seek out.

Bob Ferrari

.

Be Sociable, Share!

•