The independent German company—set to open offices in China and India this year—is dedicated to revolutionizing investments and asset management in the renewable energy sector by focusing on intelligent technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The intellitech company’s mission is to achieve a greener future through smart solutions and to remove roadblocks to investment in the clean energy space to boost the global economy.

With ARISTOTELES, the company has leveraged the technology of SAP HANA analytics and SAP Leonardo to mobilize global investments to renewable energy at scale. The DAaaS platform is built on SAP Cloud Platform and relies on IoT, Smart Data Analytics, Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning capabilities from SAP Leonardo to:

• maximize asset and portfolio performance;
• minimize investment risks by creating the highest possible standards of transparency; and
• maximize monetary returns.

In a statement, Kaiserwetter CEO and Founder Hanno Schoklitsch said:

“We built this platform because when we thought about what was really needed to tackle climate change, the answer was capital.”

“Investors want less risk and strong returns. This platform delivers the transparency investors need to make confident decisions in renewable energies. It will foster universal access to affordable energy, which is especially needed in regions like Africa, Asia, and South America.”

The partnership between SAP and Kaiserwetter began in 2015 and culminated with the creation of ARISTOTELES in 2018 to unlock private capital investments in renewable energies, achieve the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement, drive success by creating transparency in the industry market and integrate technical and financial data in one solution.

The company utilizes SAP Hana predictive analytics in the executive-level platform to aggregate complex and unstructured technical, meteorological, and financial data from wind farms, solar parks, biomass, and hydropower stations and feed these continuously to learning algorithms. This process helps to detect energy asset failures before they occur so that operational issues can be resolved proactively, thereby allowing investors to make smarter decisions in managing the impact of reduced yields on assets and maximize return on investments.

Other Awards Received

Aside from SAP Innovation Awards, ARISTOTELES has won several other prestigious awards for its intelligent renewable energy asset management:

• Top 10 Asset Management Solution Providers USA 2019
• European CEO Awards 2019
• SAP Innovation Awards 2018
• Digital Leader Award 2018
• Best Renewable Energy Asset Manager – Germany 2018
• Top 100 Ideas of the Year

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Bengaluru-and-New Jersey-based technology consulting and services company Mindtree has been recognized by ISG, global technology research and advisory firm, as a leading provider of SAP HANA and SAP Leonardo products and services in the U.K.

In the ISG Provider Lens U.K. 2019 Report, Mindtree was given the highest ranking of “Leader” across all four quadrants, including:

• SAP S/4HANA & Business Suite on HANA Transformation
• SAP BW/4 on HANA and BW on HANA Transformation & Operations
• SAP S/4HANA & Business Suite on HANA Managed Services
• SAP Leonardo Transformation

The ISG Provider Lens study, done annually, is a comprehensive, objective analysis and evaluation of service providers. The report focuses on the global SAP HANA and Leonardo market and examines products and services available in the U.S, Germany, the U.K, Brazil, and the Nordic countries.

The Indian multinational company with a massive network across the globe was credited for its partnership-based approach, experience-based industry accelerators, and expertise in serving U.K customers. This was proven in the tremendous 400{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} growth in its U.K. client last year.

ISG also granted Mindtree the following:

• “Leader” in the Nordic countries for SAP BW/4 on HANA and BW on HANA Transformation & Operations, SAP S/4HANA & Business Suite on HANA Managed Services and SAP Leonardo Transformation
• “Rising Star” ranking for SAP BW/4 on HANA and BW on HANA Transformation & Operations in the U.S. market and SAP Cloud Platform Support Services globally

The tech research and advisory firm ISG recognized Mindtree’s overall key strengths as follows:

• Next-gen SAP Cloud Platform services: Mindtree helps clients transform business by investing in emerging technologies, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Mindtree’s AI Assured Delivery program, the company’s data-driven, real-time approach to project management powered by SAP conversational AI technologies, is the enterprise’s cornerstone.
• Industry-focused solutions: Mindtree provides business optimization and cost reduction applications for numerous industries. The Mindtree on-time and in-full (MOTIF) order fulfillment suite, one of the first certified industry accelerators on SAP Leonardo, assists consumer packaged goods companies with supply chain optimization and visibility.
• Strong partner ecosystem: Mindtree is able to expand and enhance its capabilities in the SAP Cloud Platform and its application through multiple partnerships with cloud hyperscalers and software vendors.

Arun Rangaraju, Senior Vice President and Global head of Mindtree’s Enterprise Apps business said:

“Mindtree’s differentiated expertise and skillset in SAP services, both in the U.K and globally, allows organizations to quickly scale and bring innovation across the enterprise. ISG’s continued recognition further validates our strategic focus on developing new SAP-focused service capabilities and accelerators that help our clients drive competitive advantage and run as an intelligent and data-driven enterprise.”

Recognizing Mindtree as an SAP Gold partner and a market leader in the U.K., Jan Erik Aase, Director and Global Leader of ISG Provider Lens Research shared: 

“The majority of Mindtree’s certified SAP professionals and implementations are in the U.K., and it has more contracts in the U.K. than any other service provider. Mindtree has the strength and scale to deliver SAP consulting and implementation services in the U.K., and its use of accelerators to provide quick turnaround is commendable.”

Earlier this year, Mindtree launched its Mindtree’s latest industry accelerator, QuikDeploy, an IP-driven approach to helping customers maximize their use of the SAP Solution Manager. It is tailor-made to rapidly deploy SAP S/4HANA into Microsoft Azure cloud. QuikDeploy simplifies and accelerates the deployment of SAP Solution Manager by serving as the central command console within an organization’s SAP landscape.

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Even in this day and age of automation, the logistics and supply chain process of distributing surgical kits to hospitals remain a challenge. Since medical devices are manufactured and delivered across the globe, the turnaround time of delivery and sterility of products while in transit are always at high risk, usually incurring a cost.

Tata Consultancy Services, a global leader in IT services, consulting, technology and digital solutions based in Mumbai, India, has partnered with SAP to launch an Intelligent Field Inventory Management (iFIM) solution, powered by SAP Leonardo. Medical Device manufacturers can now streamline their logistics and supply chain management of surgical kits with iFIM solution that leverages the Internet of Things and blockchain. iFIM solution will utilize IoT in the traceability of inventory and blockchain for greater visibility.

Vikram Karakoti, Head, Life Sciences Business Group, TCS, has emphasized that they have been capitalizing on their deep domain and expertise in digital technologies in their partnerships in the medical devices and life sciences industry. In a Business 4.0 environment, TCS technologies help organizations reimagine key elements of their value chain and launch innovative products that give them competitive differentiation.

“The iFIM Solution leverages SAP’s intelligent enterprise portfolio to utilize IoT and blockchain to help our customers digitally transform their loaner and consignment kit business models and deliver superior outcomes for all stakeholders in their ecosystems”, said Karakoti.

TCS’ Business 4.0 provides an integrated and holistic framework to help customers address issues and focus on growth in an agile manner. The manufacturing industry is now transformed to “Smart Factories” with Industry 4.0, utilizing the Internet of Things, cyber-physical systems, cloud computing, and cognitive computing.

Akhilesh Tiwari, Global Head, Enterprise Application Services, TCS, said:

“TCS’ iFIM solution supports our life sciences customers in accelerating their Business 4.0 digital transformation journeys.”

He added that TCS partnership with SAP would strengthen their brand as a preferred innovation partner building innovative industry-specific solutions leveraging the power of new-age technologies.

From the perspective of SAP, Carol Mackenzie, Global Vice President, Life Science Industries, SAP SE, said:

“We are excited to partner with TCS on this solution for the medical device industry. By leveraging TCS’ industry expertise and commitment to quality delivery and customer focus, we are helping life science businesses make the transformational move to an intelligent enterprise.”

One of TCS’ life science offerings is the Life Sciences Innovation Lab, a part of TCS’ Co-Innovation Network (COIN), which enables their customers to foresee emerging trends, develop proofs of concept and co-innovate on industry-leading solutions.

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Call Centre Service Statistics

Traditionally, service centres have primarily operated using telephones, and voice communication remains vital for businesses. More than email, in-person, live chat, mobile app, self-service, search engine, social media, online community, text message, or bot, the phone is the customer service channel used most in the United States.

According to Microsoft’s “State of Global Customer Service Report” report, 74 percent of respondents have contacted customer service by phone. Email is the next most popular channel at 62 percent. About as many people begin a customer service interaction over the phone as start their search online. The phone has the widest reach of any channel. Age often determines preferences, and there is growing evidence that using the phone to contact a human agent is not necessarily the first choice for many consumers. For millennials who have grown up with social media, messaging appears preferable.

Messaging and Bots

Messaging apps are at the heart of the mobile experience. Half of US consumers say they prefer to use some form of messaging for customer service, reports Aspect. Messaging is a new service channel that is a natural medium for bots. Many businesses are introducing a bot into their customer service mix. According to Jack Kent of IHS Technology, the popularity of messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat, makes them a logical medium for business.

Most businesses choose to introduce bots to provide a specific customer service. The quality of these bots varies depending on the provider’s objectives. Many bots are limited in scope and capability because their primary purpose is to test new technology, business process adoption, and user experience.

Bots can resolve customer problems without human intervention. Unlike humans:

• There are no queues or waiting times. Bots can scale to handle as many calls as required.
• They are available 24/7 – day or night and on the weekends..

Combining bots with technologies like blockchain and Big Data, the customer service industry can delight customers and lower costs at the same time.

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The Industry Accelerator for SAP Leonardo will enable companies in the consumer packaged goods and manufacturing sectors to deliver on-time and in-full order fulfilment.

The OTIF Accelerator, which will be demonstrated at next week’s SAPPHIRE NOW event in Orlando, uses a set of algorithms and analytics to provide companies with greater insights into issues within the supply chain and uses machine learning to identify activities that could impact the company’s ability to meet future obligations. Powered by the SAP Cloud Platform, it can typically be customised to fit specific customers’ needs.

The package has been created by Relational Solutions, Mindtree’s demand signal repository experts, and Bluefin, its SAP solution practice, with input from the company’s ideation centres in New Jersey, Munich and Bangalore.

“The pressure on IT to move at the speed of business continues to increase, requiring a continuous innovation to stay relevant,” said Brenton O’Callaghan, global head of SAP Leonardo, Mindtree. “If you run SAP software and are looking to innovate, you need SAP Leonardo. Our design thinking services and expertise in emerging technologies are well-poised to help our clients jump-start their journey.”

Mindtree has dual headquarters in New Jersey, United States, and Bangalore, India, and operates in 17 countries.

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The new centre builds on SAP’s existing innovation footprint in the Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region, adding to the three Innovation Centers and four SAP Labs already established there.

The Leonardo Centers are designed to foster digital innovation journeys for businesses, start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises, using the capabilities of Design Thinking and SAP Leonardo – covering the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, blockchain, big data, analytics and data intelligence on SAP Cloud Platform.

According to the World Economic Forum, Singapore is the most competitive economy in Asia-Pacific and third globally.

Scott Russell, president, SAP APJ, who opened the centre, said, “The SAP Leonardo Center in Singapore will showcase the art of the possible in digital innovation and help our customers scale quickly, easily and effectively,” said Scott Russell, president, SAP APJ.

“Together with our customers and partners, we aim to leverage the SAP Leonardo Center Singapore as a think tank to drive purpose-led innovation that will ultimately improve the lives of one billion people and deliver the Intelligent Enterprise for over 70,000 customers in APJ by 2022. The SAP Leonardo Center in Singapore will play a key role in realising our growth strategy and drive customer success in the new intelligence era.”

The centre will also serve as a hub for SAP’s broader digital technology ecosystem including universities, startups, tech communities and accelerators.

One of the first SAP APJ Leonardo customers in Korea is Hanon Systems, a global leader in automotive thermal and energy management solutions. The company chose to pilot the Leonardo platform at one of its plants in Europe, after it identified manufacturing performance and equipment health as areas it wished to measure.

Robert Oh, chief information officer and business transformation executive, Hanon Systems, believes a supplier’s ability to compete in today’s automotive market is no longer measured by just its product offering.

“At Hanon Systems, we believe our digital transformation can change the way we manufacture in a positive way to improve our productivity, increase our overall efficiency and further strengthen our customer relationships.”

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The company will also implement SAP Cloud Platform, SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Edge Services, with its initial milestones including transformation of its salesforce effectiveness, supply chain efficiency and manufacturing robustness. SAP deployment methodology and industry accelerators will increase the speed of innovation.

“The arrival of new-age technologies has given rise to an urgent need for digital innovation in the industry,” said Jason Gonsalves, VP – corporate planning, IT, HR and materials, KNPL. “We are aiming to boost our digital quotient with SAP. By being able to rapidly incorporate the next-generation technologies, we will be able to catalyse process innovation at every level of our organisation.”

“With SAP Leonardo, KNPL will be able to automate and augment existing processes while building a smarter business model,” said Subramanian Ananthapadmanabhan, vice president, enterprise business, SAP Indian Subcontinent. “As an early adopter of this revolutionary technology, KNPL is paving the way for the industry to go digital.”

KNPL has been a long-term SAP customer, and back in 2012, was the first company in India to enable greenhouse gas calculation through SAP ERP, following its implementation of the SAP Environment, Health and Safety solution.

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The new partners charged with delivering express innovation services include Accenture, Bristlecone, Capgemini, CSTI Corp, Deloitte Consulting, Exed Consulting, Fujitsu, GoSCM, HCL Technologies, IntechPro, Intrigo Systems, KPIT Technologies, Movilitas, Process Technologies, Rocket Consulting, Tech Mahindra, Vesta Partners and Westernacher Consulting.

With these partners, SAP will support deployments of 10 IoT-focused accelerators, including packages for the SAP Predictive Maintenance and Service solution, SAP Asset Intelligence Network, SAP Connected Goods software, SAP Vehicle Insights application, SAP Global Track and Trace solution, and SAP Leonardo IoT Foundation and SAP Edge Services.

Each accelerator follows a fixed-scope engagement with explore, design and deliver phases completed in less than 10 weeks.

“Smart devices and digital technologies are transforming the way we live and work in industries and geographies around the world,” said Dr Tanja Rueckert, president of IoT and digital supply chain, SAP.

“Together, SAP and its partners are removing barriers to entry and making IoT-driven digital innovation rapidly achievable for our customers around the world.”

Protective packaging material provider Pregis worked with Indian IT consultancy KPIT Technologies to implement a number of the IoT accelerators.

“In just a matter of weeks, we were able to pilot an demonstrate tangible value with SAP Leonardo IoT accelerator packages,” said Jeff Mueller, chief information officer, Pregis LLC. “SAP Connected Goods and SAP Edge Services allow us to enhance customer solutions and achieve greater productivity for improved customer satisfaction.”

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At IBM, Teerlink was chief business strategist for IBM Watson, driving and overseeing the new offerings portfolio for the Watson Platform. In his new role at SAP, he will assist with strategy and vision for the SAP Leonardo digital innovation system, reporting to Mike Flanagan, SVP of SAP Leonardo and SAP Analytics and based in Washington DC.

“[Marc] is an innovative business strategist whose experience and vision will help create more value for our customers from SAP Leonardo. I am confident that we will meld broad thinking and passion in his approach to help our customers transform their businesses with the SAP Leonardo technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning,” said Flannagan.

Elsewhere at SAP, the company has announced that the division formerly known as SAP Custom Development will now operate as SAP Innovative Business Solutions, in tandem with an expanded business model.

With 2000 development professionals and 38,000 R&D and services experts on the books, the organisation will work with clients in an end-to-end innovation process, covering exploration workshops, innovation sprints and projects and continuous support, to discover, design, develop and run tailored solutions in the cloud, on premise or in hybrid scenarios.

In its previous iteration, SAP Custom Development delivered 4000 individualised solutions to 1500 clients.

“How they innovate and who they partner with is a very personal decision for modern companies as they navigate the digital economy, and it is fuelling the need for high-value application development services,” said Klaus Weber, executive vice president and general manager, SAP Innovative Business Services, SAP.

“Organisations are being forced to transform much more rapidly and more often, knowing that their customers, partners and employees are demanding simpler and faster interactions delivered with a personalised experience, accessible anywhere and on any device.”

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The center is the fourth globally, with others located in New York, Paris and Sao Leopoldo, Brazil. They offer businesses access to SAP’s industry knowledge and technology capabilities across 25 industries.

“As SAP’s largest Research and Development Center outside its headquarters in Germany and a part of a connected lab network of 20 labs in 17 countries, the launch of SAP Leonardo Center at SAP Labs Bangalore campus was a natural choice. SAP Labs India is an innovation center making significant contributions to SAP’s flagship products. It combines a high concentration of customers and partners with one of SAP’s largest market units,” said Dilipkumar Khandelwal, president, SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud and managing director, SAP Labs India.

The Bangalore campus will showcase digital transformation elements including Internet of Things, blockchain, analytics, machine learning, big data, data intelligence and SAP Cloud Platform.

“In today’s digital economy, technology empowers organizations to drive competitive differentiation, transform customer experiences, create innovative business models and achieve breakthrough business results,” said Bernd Leukert, member of the SAP Executive Board, products and innovation.

“Using design thinking and the capabilities of SAP Leonardo, our SAP Leonardo Centers provide a space for joint innovation.”

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