SAP as a Transaction Activity

Walter Curd, VP & CIO, Maxim Integrated

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Walter Curd, VP & CIO, Maxim Integrated

SAP for added Supply Chain Performance
SAP is primarily used for transaction activity and we have measured substantial reductions in order entry and shipping as well as productivity improvements in customer service, accounting and shipping. Ou r supply chain performance has also improved significantly.

"SAP is great software but the user interface is twenty years old now and they have finally taken steps to modernize the look and feel of that"

Old versus New
The big pain points for us were the technical and people challenges of supporting twenty year old legacy systems. Those have been resolved. The big surprise is how resistant organizations are to the changes that this imposes on them.SAP is the discipline and accountability system and it is great software but the user interface is twenty years old now. They have finally taken steps to modernize the look and feel of that.

Quick Pointers for SAP success
Do a detailed Process Reengineering first. Ensure that it is a CEO level project.

Deployment of Systems for SAP Innovation
We have deployed a BI system fed by SAP Data Services that provides users with access to a vast amount of data that they can analyze quickly. We deployed a system that integrates to our shipment companies like (FedEx/UPS/DHL) that enables our customers to track their shipments.

Know your Goal for Implementation
Many companies think that they will automatically get a business benefit through implementation. The key, especially with transaction systems, is to know one’s as-is process and metrics as well as your goal for the implementation. That will vastly improve the odds that you will achieve improvements.

Wait for HANA to Drop Price
HANA is a back end database. Wait until it matures more and the price drops. It is very trendy but unless you have a business case with a huge ROI it is better to wait. The mobile solution should come with any client BI access tool that a company purchases.