Supply chains play a central role when it comes to reliably supplying customers and growing profitably. Every decision – from planning and procurement to manufacturing and logistics to service – impacts costs, service levels and resilience.
Expectations that deliveries will be made on time and reliably remain high. Companies are confronted with rapidly changing demand, global networks are becoming more complex and cost pressure is increasing. Managing current assets becomes more difficult. That's why they're looking for ways to translate findings into concrete measures more quickly and consistently – along the entire supply chain.
For over 50 years, SAP has helped companies build smarter, more connected supply chains. We presented SAP Supply Chain Orchestration at SAP Connect in October. This created a foundation to identify problems, coordinate actions and connect execution across complex delivery networks. This vision will be further strengthened with the innovations announced at SAP SAPPHIRE. With a whole range of new AI-powered assistants and agents, we are enabling the transition from pure orchestration to an autonomous operating model – one in which planning, manufacturing, logistics and plant operations act increasingly proactively, coordinate themselves and solve problems independently, without someone having to intervene manually at every step.
AI based on real processes
AI only delivers long-term value in supply chain management when it is embedded where the real work takes place. Autonomous agents do not work independently of corporate applications. They rely on deeply integrated processes and reliable data. Accuracy, compliance and resilience stand or fall with this foundation. Without clean processes and reliable data, AI cannot scale or gain trust.
SAP sees the autonomous company as a vision of the future in which companies conduct their business more intelligently: systems work together more closely, make decisions more quickly and implement them immediately – while people remain in control. Autonomous supply chain management is a concrete step towards this vision.
Autonomous supply chain management reflects a development. The way planning, execution and operations work together is changing. People define goals and priorities, assistants orchestrate activities across domains, and agents execute the work. All of this happens within controlled, consistent processes.
At SAP SAPPHIRE we present autonomous supply chain management made possible by new Joule assistants and industry-specific AI scenarios that apply this model to daily operations in planning, manufacturing, logistics, construction and asset management. General availability begins immediately and will be implemented in phases throughout 2026.
Joule assistants along the supply chain
Instead of isolated AI tools, the following assistants are embedded directly into central SAP supply chain applications – where in-depth process knowledge, semantically rich business data and compliance with governance requirements already exist. Each assistant supports a separate area of responsibility but shares context, data and results across the entire supply chain.
- Plant and service assistant: Fundamentally changes how work orders are recognized and scheduled. Signals and anomalies are directly translated into concrete actions instead of remaining in a queue.
- Business network assistant: Ensures that coordination also works beyond the company's own boundaries – i.e. with suppliers, logistics service providers and service partners. This prevents processes from coming to a standstill just because external partners are involved.
- Logistics assistant: Keeps warehouse and transportation operations moving as conditions change. Coordinate agents instead of waiting for human handoffs at every step
- Manufacturing assistant: Connects signals from manufacturing to the broader operational context so teams can respond more quickly to disruptions.
- Planning assistant: Helps planners stay one step ahead of exceptions and bottlenecks without having to manually compile signals from across the network
- Product design assistant: Helps manufacturing and development teams work together more smoothly. It makes it clear at an early stage what effects changes have on the product – before they lead to problems, improvements or delays. This keeps all teams on the same page.
From assistants to autonomous agents
In addition to these assistants, SAP provides more than 60 specially developed agents for all supply chain processes. These agents are designed to detect events, analyze impacts, and take targeted actions within defined business guidelines. They help coordinate execution while the human always remains in control.
In manufacturing, agents such as Production Excellence Agent and Production Master Data Readiness Agent continuously monitor production, quality and machine signals. The aim is to identify problems at an early stage and ensure that work plans and work instructions comply with the overall company goals. During asset and service operations, the Asset Performance Alert Processing Agent and the Technician Briefing Agent assess the condition of assets, prioritize upcoming work, and help resolve issues the first time around. This reduces downtime and makes the entire service organization more responsive.
In addition to supply chain-specific scenarios, these assistants and agents are also integrated into SAP's cloud ERP environment, including SAP Cloud ERP Privateand thus support SAP's overarching strategy for the autonomous company. General availability will be rolled out in phases throughout 2026 and begins immediately.
Building on this foundation, SAP Industry AI adds industry-specific intelligence that complements the central assistants. Instead of siled functions, Industry AI brings together purpose-built agents, process expertise and business data to deliver measurable results. This value-driven approach helps companies use AI to address regulatory requirements, complex production models, and asset-intensive operations – accelerating the flow of information across industry value chains.
Humans remain responsible for strategy, oversight and decisions that require judgment. What is changing is how consistently extensive, time-critical coordination occurs across the entire supply chain.
Where this is in practice shows
The autonomous company is our vision. And the innovations we presented at SAPPHIRE are concrete steps that customers can build on in their existing SAP environments. They aim to address lost value caused by fragmented handoffs, delayed decisions, and manual work.
Connect new ones in the planning Functions in SAP Integrated Business Planning Business decisions directly with procurement planning. Planned promotions and pricing are linked to inventory management and replenishment to reduce stock-outs, minimize write-offs and improve planning throughout. New features include supplier-managed inventory, transportation load building, deployment optimization, and co-product and by-product planning.
In manufacturing and construction, updates for SAP Digital Manufacturing Improve compliance and traceability in regulated environments. When handing off to manufacturing, AI capabilities help teams understand the impact of design changes in downstream processes before they occur on the shop floor. Effects on parts lists, work plans, lead times and costs are made directly visible in the respective context.
In logistics New Joule agents will support operational decisions in storage and transport processes – from validating incoming goods receipts to aligning personnel capacities with the actual workload to faster reactions to changing conditions. Forward-looking personnel planning SAP Extended Warehouse Management enables operations teams to anticipate staffing needs instead of reacting to shortages.
A new solution is available for system and service management. SAP Field Service and Asset Management brings together planning, scheduling, scheduling and field service operations in a single application. By connecting to SAP Cloud ERP Work execution, parts usage and costs remain consistent across service, operations and finance.
These features will gradually become available throughout 2026. The provision will be based on the customers' existing SAP landscapes. These incremental yet important steps add up to meaningful progress toward more connected, automated, and resilient supply chain processes.
The way into the future
Supply chains don’t become autonomous overnight. The development takes place workflow by workflow. The level of automation is increased wherever it creates real added value, while control always remains with humans. As AI capabilities are integrated into operational execution, supply chain teams spend less time monitoring and resolving issues. This gives them more time to weigh decisions and compromises and build resilience.
This change goes far beyond the boundaries of individual companies. A new white paper, “Navigating the New Supply Chain Paradigm,” explores how leading companies are using AI strategically: They are moving beyond isolated pilot projects and integrating AI into their end-to-end supply chain processes. We show how this change can be achieved. This article relies on multiple sources, including analytical support from McKinsey & Company.
This is the direction we are moving in: away from reacting and towards supply chains that anticipate, absorb information and adapt. The innovations we are presenting at SAP SAPPHIRE reflect this commitment.
For more information on all the announcements made this week, check out our here SAP SAPPHIRE Innovation News Guide.
Dominik Metzger is President and Chief Product Officer, SAP Supply Chain Management
