For decades, the devices from BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, whose portfolio includes brands such as Bosch, Siemens and Gaggenau, have been found in kitchens all over the world. However, the company is currently working on a very special recipe – not for a dish, but for its processes in the financial sector. In collaboration with SAP, BSH relies entirely on the cloud for its IT landscape in order to reduce manual tasks for employees and to be able to access valuable information when making decisions.
Heiko Schletz, Head of Governance, Methods and Systems at BSH, explains how the company is transforming its finance and why moving to the cloud is a crucial factor in being successful in the AI-driven world of tomorrow.
Technology must fit the vision
BSH is represented in more than 50 countries and produces household appliances in 39 factories worldwide. The Schletz team oversees group controlling and ensures that financial data from core systems such as ERP is available at group level. His team manages how financial data is structured and integrated across business units worldwide and ensures that this data can be used effectively for company-wide reporting and decision-making.
BSH is currently working on bringing accounting and controlling together in an integrated process, supported by real-time data and analysis. This transformation focuses on one principle: the technology must fit the vision, not the other way around. As part of this transformation, BSH is also looking at new technologies to implement its goals and thus drive change.
For example, to simplify reporting, BSH is currently testing SAP Dataspherethe next generation SAP data management platform. With this solution, users can unify and control all SAP data and create a seamless connection to external data.
In the context of a current use case, balance sheets have been linked so that profit and loss data and market metrics can be controlled in SAP Datasphere and consolidated reports can be provided without spreadsheets and manual effort. “This makes clear what we want to achieve – it’s about bringing together sources and bundling them,” says Schletz.
Break down silos, promote AI
BSH’s long-term goal in the financial sector is to eliminate silos between accounting, controlling and treasury management. Schletz wants to implement a parallel ledger architecture that maps data at both the business unit and group level and enables complex analyzes such as value driver trees. By switching to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition and integrating with SAP Datasphere and SAP Analytics Cloud, BSH wants to create a central data pool for finance – from subledgers to group consolidation.
Schletz believes that a cloud-based, synchronized toolset will enable his finance team to provide up-to-date figures for decision-making even faster and with less manual consolidation effort. “The AI evolution at SAP is moving in the direction that we also want to take,” explains Schletz. “The technology is in line with our vision and is therefore a perfect fit for us.”
The company has been relying on SAP solutions for decades – from SAP R/3 to SAP S/4HANA, SAP Business Warehouse and SAP Analytics Cloud. The next milestone is the move to the cloud with RISE with SAP. “In the next two years we will be moving to the cloud,” explains Schletz. “We want a synchronized toolset that gives us a holistic view.”
In order to make optimal use of the analysis and AI functions, BSH is currently consolidating and simplifying its broad landscape of corporate applications. The company’s goal is to move from six separate ERP solutions to a global SAP S/4HANA environment that covers all subsidiaries and regions.
Switching to SAP S/4HANA requires being well prepared
Companies exploring the possibilities of RISE with SAP should clearly formulate their goals right from the start, advises Schletz: “You should not start switching to SAP S/4HANA without first having a concept that combines accounting and controlling,” he emphasizes. The finance transformation is not an isolated IT project, as coordination between logistics, sales and customer service is necessary. “The transition to SAP S/4HANA is a cross-functional undertaking,” he adds.
The transformation at BSH is not yet complete, but the direction is clear: a move to the cloud with RISE with SAP, data integration and finance that enables valuable insights and reduces manual effort. “We want the machine to do what it does best so that people can concentrate on value-adding activities,” Schletz concludes.
The post A recipe for the future: BSH brings finance into the cloud with SAP appeared first on SAP News Center.
