Sun Chemical is the world’s leading producer of inks and employs more than 20,000 people in 63 countries. When we first met them in 2018, they were looking at ways to accelerate and digitize their business processes. Having already started their Fiori journey, they needed a solution that could be used on their SAP ECC system and migrated to S/4. To support their agile approach to development, they wanted a Low Code rapid development tool allowing them to create Fiori apps at pace and scale with minimal investment and without having to learn new skills. Fiori AppBuilder ticked all the boxes for them.
We started with a tough one: The notorious PA40 and PA30 transactions in SAP – new hires, separations, LOA’s, rehires, and so on. Some HR processes required their staff to complete 13 actions in the SAP GUI. That’s a lot of screens to go through, and if there was one piece of information they didn’t have, they needed to start over. It was a classic example of how complex, time consuming and inefficient the SAP GUI can be.
We began with a design thinking workshop to create a prototype, then we trained their team so they could work with us to create the app. Standard Fiori development requires the coders to use HTML, CSS3, JavaScript, JQuery, SAPUI5, OData Services as well as ABAP. With our technology, the only development skills they needed were ABAP and a bit of JavaScript. The Fiori AppBuilder solution instantly turns ABAP developers into Fiori developers! It includes many accelerators allowing Fiori apps to be created 4 to 5 times faster, eliminating tedious and repetitive coding tasks.
Together, we created a Hires and Separations process that was accessible from the Fiori Launch Pad. The Fiori app that was created is responsive, allowing the users to perform their duties from any device, and intuitive, requiring no training for the users. Some of the key features are the ability to easily attach all supporting documentation to the app, a full audit trail, the ability to save a draft version for later completion, full searchability and improved validation on all fields. Although adding a visual workflow to any Fiori app using the Fiori AppBuilder solution is easy, that was not required in this version of the app.
The solution sped up the process of onboarding new employees tremendously. This is a fantastic example of how a business process can be accelerated and improved through Digital Transformation using SAP Fiori. The new process had an immediate positive impact on the IT team, the end users as well as the business.
The ability to rapidly create Fiori apps that focus on a complete business process, rather than simply replacing an SAP transaction and developing those apps using the existing skillset of their ABAP team, allows Sun to maximize their investment in SAP and their SAP team. The cost savings of empowering their existing ABAP team instead of hiring specialized Fiori developers is significant.
The end users can complete the onboarding and separation process quickly and easily, allowing them to focus on the business rather than the supporting technology. The business benefits from the ability to bring new employees onboard quickly and spend less time on tedious administration.
Similar Digital Transformations can take place in any business process: CAPEX, procurement, order management, and many others. In this case, Sun achieved a result that’s faster, easier and more efficient for HR employees. The result: delighted users.
