SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) recently announced that technology company GEA has entered a strategic partnership with SAP, with the aim of driving enterprise-wide digital transformation.
For its part, SAP will accelerate the development of its products for technology, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing companies through this close collaboration. With this step, the two companies are intensifying their long-standing relationship. The partnership will give GEA access to SAP’s full product portfolio.
The partnership will focus on implementing a global ERP system based on SAP S/4HANA, with which GEA plans to capture the full potential of the intelligent use of data within a company. In turn, full data transparency is the foundation for simplifying processes and establishing new business models. The GEA Group, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, has more than 200 operating subsidiaries worldwide, with some 18,500 employees, and generates revenues of nearly €5 billion per year. Among its many benefits, SAP S/4HANA gives GEA the ability to make better, more-informed decisions quickly. The software is also highly scalable and includes cloud and on-premise versions.
“With SAP’s solutions for digital transformation, we are supporting GEA on its way to becoming an even more intelligent enterprise,” said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE for SAP Product Engineering. “We are teaming up to design a process landscape with cloud-based applications based on modern, digital technologies. For companies, the switch to SAP S/4HANA is far more than just a technological innovation. This move also gives customers the opportunity to redesign their business processes, to both simplify process flows for customers and employees and establish new business models.”
Marcus A. Ketter, CFO of GEA Group AG, said: “SAP S/4HANA gives us a competitive advantage: every decision-maker always has the data they need, when they need it, and can act quickly. But our machines and systems have to get smarter, too. That’s why our target is a twofold transformation: we not only plan to harmonize and system landscapes in the shortest possible time; at the same time, we also aim to capture new business areas through digital innovation. To achieve this, we have partnered with a leading vendor to develop digital best-in-class solutions for our core business.” These experiences will also help SAP with its product development, generating benefits for both companies.
