How SAP supports the automotive industry through its solutions

The automotive industry is one of the largest sectors in the world, including in terms of supply chain, and has a supply chain that has been enriched with specificities over the years. The new challenges introduced by Industry 4.0 and the increasingly sudden changes in the market require companies operating in it to have an unprecedented ability to adapt. SAP solutions for Automotive help companies in the industry run their operations more efficiently and meet the needs of their customers.

SAP and automotive: advanced supply chain management

A major challenge for companies in the automotive industry is supply chain management, which includes manufacturing, raw material procurement, inventory management, distribution, and logistics. These are all areas where SAP has been providing dedicated solutions for many years, enabling companies to monitor and manage all related processes in real time, improving visibility and transparency along the entire supply chain. With SAP’s automotive software, companies can reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve customer service. Aware of the specific characteristics of automotive manufacturing, SAP offers vertical solutions such as the Sap Industry Network for automotive, which is developed by enabling global supply chain management, improving scalability and responsiveness of the company, natively integrating all the processes required for next-generation vehicle production, but also the analytical tools needed, for example, to implement sustainability and circular economy solutions, in a sector that is often in the spotlight and subject to the attentions of customers and stakeholders who are particularly attentive to these issues.

SAP’s automotive market solutions also support the automotive industry in production management. SAP offers solutions for production planning and execution, which enable companies to plan and manage the entire product life cycle, from design to production and distribution. In this way, companies can increase product quality. This allows them to increase product quality, improve customer satisfaction, reduce production time, and increase profitability.

In fact, SAP is increasingly investing in emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to offer even more advanced solutions to automotive companies.

For example, the use of industrial IoT (IIoT) enables companies to monitor vehicle performance in real time, providing useful information for preventive maintenance and improving vehicle safety. AI and ML can be used for data analysis and trend prediction to improve planning and strategic decisions.

For example, on two opposite sides of the supply chain spectrum, we find products for customer management and advanced mobility services. In the former field, the certified Experience Management solutions implemented by partner Qualtrics allow the relationship with the end customer to be elevated to a new level, through specific loyalty tools ranging from test drive management to delivery of the ordered vehicle. In sustainable mobility, the SAP E-mobility solution enables the creation, monitoring and management of charging networks for electric vehicles, with the ability to offer end customers a cloud platform to charge their vehicles more efficiently and intelligently.

SAP and automotive: a perfect match

As we have seen, AP confirms itself as a strategic partner for the automotive industry, supporting it through its products and technologies. Working with companies in the industry also enables it to create customized solutions that meet their specific needs. SAP solutions enable companies to manage supply chain, production, sales and after-sales processes, as well as analyze data and improve planning and strategic decisions. In addition, SAP is increasing investments toward emerging technologies such as IoT, AI and ML to offer even more advanced solutions to automotive companies, while supporting the transition to low-impact technologies. SAP partners such as Regesta Italia offer consulting and implementation services to help companies in the industry make the best use of these solutions in order to improve performance and competitiveness in their respective markets.

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