SAP users improve business innovation with Enterprise SOA

Each says it has created a flexible IT landscape that enables new business processes across system and company boundaries – and thus a more rapid response to changing business requirements. It’s all about what SAP terms a business-driven approach to SOA (services orientated architecture), based on ready-to-run web services co-defined by SAP’s partners and implemented by SAP. Dairy giant Arla, for example, says it has been able to transform its legacy of disparate systems, caused by an aggressive acquisition strategy, by enabling integration of third-party solutions to handle supply chain and manufacturing data. Using SAP NetWeaver, Arla Foods – Europe’s second largest dairy company – was able to improve operational efficiencies and harmonise business data across regions and plants – and is now able to respond in real time to fluctuations in customer demand. It’s a far cry from the supply chain lag-times and inconsistencies in data that had been resulting in reduced abilities to adequately budget and plan for projects or investments. “With more than 70 plants in 10 countries, it is vital that our manufacturing and operations sites all have access to the same data, in real time,” says Jesper Erichson, CIO of Arla Foods. “Enterprise SOA and SAP NetWeaver enabled us to quickly integrate our disparate systems with third-party solutions and into SAP ERP to deliver data in a timely, consistent manner throughout the organization. As a result, we are making smarter, faster decisions for production and delivering our products where they are needed, in line with the demand of our customers.