About the Awards

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The Excellence in Automotive Awards honor organizations that have shown commitment to excellence in technology, operations and business process. Through public nominations, the SAP automotive community selected their peers, colleagues and leaders to be recognized in the following categories. The nominations were carefully considered by our expert panel of judges then the winners were announced at the fourth annual Best Practices for Automotive conference in September 2018.

Digital Disruptor:

General Motors

General Motors is automating their financial systems and processes to allow for real-time information to support critical business decisions. The company is in the final stages of implementing the SAP S/4 HANA Central Finance solution. This solution will coordinate (i.e. digitize) financial (GL) information from multiple sources to support accounting processes and real-time information. The digitization and harmonization of financial data will be a corporate asset leveraged globally. Their project embodies the essence of a Digital Disruptor who is embracing innovative technologies to enable business success.

Excellence in Operational Performance:

BorgWarner

BorgWarner's Business Unit was in heavy growth and struggling to manage the output in an economic manner. They were experiencing challenges like inventory growth, special freights, low quality planning for suppliers, demand/capacity planning, SAP system utilization and poor data quality. Therefore they executed an Excellence Program – an education and business change program to help fully utilize the SAP ERP standard production and material planning functionality within SAP ERP. The results enabled significant reductions of inventory and dead stock, less overtime and premium freight, and overall higher data quality and smoother production flows. BorgWarner proves that tech and innovation aren't just relegated to the back office.

Breaking the Mold:

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Group of America was challenged with significantly increased call volumes through their American Call Center due to business growth. They had to offer quicker response times in a way that was less intrusive to their dealers. With additional digital communications options, they were able to take on a higher volume of calls without the need to increase resources. This played an integral role in helping Volkswagen earn top rankings in the Carlisle Survey – assesses topics such as customer attitudes, satisfaction, purchase loyalty and price perceptions for global automotive companies. They were, and continue to be, the first OEM to implement this supporting Parts After Sales ordering support. Volkswagen truly Broke the Mold by rethinking traditional business process.

Thomas Madonna leads the Manufacturing SAP practice at Infosys which includes growing talent, establishing consulting business and overseeing program execution activities in key business offerings. He has led process transformation programs within finance, supply chain, manufacturing, aftermarket and warranty areas for OEM, Suppliers, and Aftermarket organizations. Thomas has published multiple white papers within the User Group communities for both SAP and Oracle, as well as presented on topic business and technical topics. With over 30 years of experience, Thomas has managed over 400 full life cycle projects/programs within package and custom area, as well as leading aftermarket and warranty programs at two of the largest OEMs in the world.

As Program Director of Service Innovation & Connected Products, Aly Pinder Jr leads IDC research and analysis of the service and customer support market for the manufacturer, which includes topics such as field service, warranty operations, service parts management, and how these service areas impact the overall customer experience. Aly is responsible for research which aids manufacturers as they evaluate innovative technologies like 3D printing for service operations, augmented and virtual reality in field support, and the use of IoT and advanced analytics for remotely monitoring and managing assets. He establishes a roadmap for the manufacturer to better understand how technology can transform service and support functions to drive exceptional customer experiences and customer value, profitable revenue growth, and improved efficiency in the field.

Uli Muench serves as Global Vice President of SAP’s Automotive Industry Business Unit. During his 20+ year career he has held direct P&L leadership positions spanning key roles at Deloitte, IBM and SAP in Europe, North America and Asia. Uli has an extensive record of advising automotive OEMs and suppliers - from developing strategic roadmaps to planning and performing global software implementations and business transformation programs. At SAP he leads a global team of highly experienced SAP Solution Managers supporting the automotive ecosystem in leveraging SAP technology and driving new, innovative solutions to market. Uli holds an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a M.S. in Engineering Management from the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences in Mannheim, Germany. He is an avid cyclist and runner. He lives in the greater Philadelphia region.

SAP's Excellence in Automotive Awards

About the Awards

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2018 Winners

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Digital Disruptor:

General Motors

Excellence in Operational Performance:

BorgWarner

Breaking the Mold:

Volkswagen

Nomination Form

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2018 Judges Panel

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Thomas Madonna

Americas SAP Manufacturing, Retail, Consumer Products & Logistics Lead Partner, Infosys

Aly Pinder Jr

Program Director, Service Innovation & Connected Products, IDC Insights

Uli Muench

Global Vice President, Industry Business Unit Automotive, SAP

Conference Venue