In 2019, Amer Sports initiated the implementation of the SAP Ariba solution, extending its deployment to an additional twenty entities during the subsequent two years. The establishment of the Global Indirect Procurement team towards the end of 2021 marked a strategic move to refine procurement policies and reassess the system's configuration, with a particular emphasis on leveraging the SAP Ariba Guided Buying solution.
In a notable step toward system and process improvement, 2023 marked the beginning of a collaborative optimization project between LeverX and Amer Sports. This initiative aimed to enhance the system's user experience and ensure its alignment with updated procedures and policies. In October 2023, the enhanced solution was successfully launched. Simultaneously, efforts were initiated to expand the tool's utilization to an additional ten entities across Europe and North America.
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The project is divided into several workstreams:
Business Process Management
The team is dedicated to aligning the business processes with the system's capabilities, ensuring that SAP Ariba effectively supports Amer Sports’ operational requirements.
Technical Implementation
This team oversees the SAP Ariba optimization, further rollouts, and migration from CI9 to CIG, and conducts impact analyses during the optimization process.
Content Management and Supplier Enablement
Tasked with enabling suppliers into the Business Network and enhancing catalog enablement and user interface visualization.
Change Management
The team facilitates effective communication, engagement, and motivation among Amer Sports’ group functions, brands, and entities, ensuring smooth adoption of the changes.
Change Management stands out as the backbone of Amer Sports project success.
The real power of Change Management is how it ensures everyone is ready and able to use all the new features of SAP Ariba. It's about making sure the technology change is smooth and everyone can be onboarded easily. This approach helps us make the most of what SAP Ariba offers, making the change as much about the people as it is about the tech.
From a Change Management perspective, the launch of SAP Ariba at Amer Sports was an exercise in precision, focusing on people as much as process. Recognizing that high user acceptance stems from inclusion, we ensured that communication was both targeted and comprehensive, which is vital for maintaining cost and quality within scope.
This was achieved through a strategic communication component, ensuring that each message was crafted with the audience in mind. An internal Change Management liaison became integral, leveraging intimate knowledge of Amer Sports' culture and communication channels to effectively disseminate information.
We committed early to audience-specific communication, pinpointing stakeholders through careful analysis. Our plan delivered tailored information packages via the channels most likely to reach and engage each group, a method proven more effective than the standard email barrage.
The project team went beyond emails, using the Intranet for active project marketing to frame the initiative in a fresh, positive light. Amer Sports' openness to innovation led to a series of interviews featuring a diverse group of stakeholders, from the project sponsor to key users. This approach not only placed current topics at the
forefront but also humanized the project, driving its success as a communication channel.
In terms of participation, we designed events allowing comprehensive project understanding and dialogue, preemptively addressing concerns. Motivation, often overlooked, was also a cornerstone of our strategy. Recognizing its importance, we took advantage of the holiday season to spread cheer—and information— globally, with treats and personalized sponsor letters acknowledging exceptional contributions.
Change Management, while sometimes operating silently, is never to be taken for granted. It’s a deliberate investment in the project's social fabric. Our weekly Change Management meetings allowed for a dedicated space to craft, debate, and refine our strategies, setting a standard for project collaboration that ensured efficiency and success.
In summary, Change Management at Amer Sports was a testament to the value of thoughtful, well-executed strategy and its ability to shape the course of a project positively.
As we move forward with the rollout of SAP Ariba Guided Buying in APAC and Canada, we remain mindful of the challenges encountered in past implementations, leveraging our experiences to navigate future initiatives with greater insight and efficiency.
Besides the technical complexities, we faced some challenges and worked on their mitigation strategies
Resistance from the brands and entities
Addressed through comprehensive change management initiatives, including clear communication about SAP Ariba's benefits, stakeholder training, and involvement of key influencers in decision-making.
Competing priorities on the project's engagement from the Customer project team
Mitigated with a project governance structure, regular communication to ensure alignment and resolve conflicts, and dedicated project management resources for coordination.
Challenges in automated invoice processing
Mitigation involved robust testing and pilot phases, close collaboration with stakeholders for customization, and ensuring compliance with regulations and internal policies.
Lack of understanding of the processes in other group departments, brands, and entities
Addressed with a comprehensive communication plan, sharing best practices, cross-functional workshops, appointing process champions, and establishing support and feedback mechanisms for continuous improvement.
The implementation of SAP Ariba at Amer Sports brought significant benefits, enhancing their procurement processes and driving tangible value across the organization:
Mitigated procurement risks
SAP Ariba helped mitigate procurement risks by providing greater visibility into procurement processes, ensuring compliance with regulations and policies, and facilitating better decision-making through data-driven insights.
Improved approval flows, transparency, and governance
SAP Ariba enhanced approval workflows by automating approval processes, increasing transparency into procurement activities, and strengthening governance mechanisms to ensure adherence to policies and regulations.
Avoided payment delays
By automating and streamlining invoicing and payment processes, SAP Ariba helps Amer Sports avoid payment delays, ensuring timely payments to suppliers and fostering positive relationships with them.
Created efficiency and savings
SAP Ariba helped Amer Sports achieve greater operational efficiency and realized cost savings by streamlining procurement processes, reducing manual tasks, and optimizing supplier relationships.
Increased compliance with procurement policies
SAP Ariba enforced procurement policies and procedures, ensuring that purchasing activities aligned with organizational objectives, regulatory requirements, and industry standards, thereby reducing the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties.
clients offices 9 countries employees successful projects years of close collaboration with SAP
“Helping companies leverage investments in SAP solutions”.
We have extensive knowledge and expertise in business solutions and technologies as well as comprehensive understanding of industryspecific requirements.
Unlike most companies, we distinguish ourselves by introducing and maintaining a team of LeverX employees rather than hiring independent consultants. This approach ensures alignment with our methodologies and values, providing you with a cohesive and dedicated team throughout the implementation process.
The relationship with SAP is crucial during SAP Ariba implementations, and our deep connection with SAP was solidified when LeverX became an SAP Global Strategic Supplier for Technical Services in 2020. Our multiple projects worldwide, including developing SAP Ariba standard functionalities and integrations, showcase our capabilities. Our Architecture Community can provide support and advice in case of any questions regarding standard solutions and customizations that are available.
We possess a comprehensive understanding of business processes and industry-specific requirements.
Energy and Natural Resources:
• Building Products;
• Chemicals;
• Mill Products;
• Mining;
• Oil and Gas;
• Utilities.
Service Industries:
• Cargo Transportation and Logistics;
• Engineering, Construction, and Operations Media;
• Passenger Travel and Leisure;
• Professional Services;
• Sports & Entertainment;
• Defense and Security;
• Future Cities;
• Healthcare;
• Higher Education and Research;
• Public Sector.
Discrete Industries: Public Services:
• Aerospace and Defense;
• Automotive;
• High Tech;
• Industrial Machinery and Components.
Financial Industries:
• Banking, Insurance.
• Telecommunications.
Consumer Industries:
• Agribusiness;
• Consumer Products;
• Fashionation;
• Life Sciences;
• Retail;
• Wholesale Distribution.