SAP S/4HANA® Quick Supplier Portal

In recent years, global companies at the forefront of spending optimization have been using AI and the latest cloud solutions to transform purchasing for groupwide corporate transformation, thereby improving productivity and reducing costs. In the process from purchase to payment, suppliers need to be linked up with a variety of transaction information. With offline interactions still commonplace, however, this seen as the area in the supply chain where digitalization lags farthest behind. Even among companies that implement ERP, it is common to put off supplier collaboration functions for reasons such as return on investment and scheduling.

Companies that have implemented ERP have made great strides in standardization and efficiency of internal business processes. On the other hand, there is still plenty of room for improvement in the efficiency of working with suppliers, given that so many of these transactions are still handled through such offline means as postal mail, telephone, and fax. Even companies that are improving their efficiency are under pressure to renew their existing EDI systems due to obsolescence, and are facing the challenge of building supplier portals.

For processes from order placement to payment, there is a growing need to be able to easily connect and transact with suppliers through the buyer's core system (e.g., ERP) and the Internet. In doing so, the following three points are crucial.

ABeam Consulting offers the SAP Ariba SNAP Automation implementation package for quick supplier portal creation. Its scope encompasses purchase orders sent from the buyer company to the supplier, as well as invoices sent from supplier to buyer. Web-based electronic communication with suppliers improves productivity by enabling paperless order placement, order confirmation and invoice matching.

For SAP S/4HANA adopters in particular, the system can be implemented with only simple customization. This makes it possible to quickly implement a supplier portal with lower initial costs compared to building a conventional supplier portal. The annual user fee is fixed for buyers, with no limit on the volume of transactions, number of users, or number of suppliers. Use is free for suppliers with Standard Accounts.

Implementation can be completed within 12-16 weeks using the SAP S/4HANA Quick Supplier Portal. This is a rough estimate of the implementation time required to set up the standard functions for deployment with a maximum of 30 suppliers. Actual implementation periods may vary depending on individual requirements (e.g., country-specific requirements).

We envision optimal business scenarios based on our extensive implementation experience and know-how, then help improve productivity by moving forward with supply chain digitalization.