Industry Insights by SAP

Christophe and Johannes explain how the global war for talent and the great resignation is affecting the manufacturing sector with many businesses struggling to attract and retain skilled workers. Digital signage is one way to help inform and engage workers on the shop floor who don’t have traditional access to email or laptops. With over 50,000 licenses in over 50 countries, Telelogos share examples of how some of their customers have been using digital signage to support their workforce.

Alex and Justin talk to Tom about the global education crisis that is affecting many of our young people, globally. We are currently experiencing the largest refugee population since WW2, including over 5m displaced Ukrainian children. It’s predicted that by 2030 50% of the world’s youth will not have the skills needed for gainful employment. Against the backdrop of the skills shortage and the resulting impact on GDP, its time that governments and businesses take action.

With omnichannel retail here to stay this is a problem that retailers really need to fix. Returns and particularly bracketing (where consumers order multiple sizes in order to find the best fit) is costing retailers huge sums of money, not to mention the impact on sustainability. Shefali discusses her idea for a “digital dressing room” where consumers can see how they look in a item, whether that be in a smart mirror in store, or at home on their digital devices.

Florian and Tom discuss how new legal requirements across the EU and beyond are also requiring manufacturers to have full visibility of their supply chains to ensure compliance with labor laws and fair pay in addition to the need to be able to calculate the carbon footprint of their products. Florian shares how manufacturers can mitigate risks by collaborating with suppliers earlier in their design processes and also explains how risks can be identified and flagged early to avoid disruption.

During the discussion Tom finds out more about how a digital sizing approach will help customers find the right fit for their favorite brands. Buying shoes online is never going to be easy, but by using Footprint to take a scan of their feet, the customer can order accurate sizes, and in turn avoid contributing to the mountain of returned goods that end up in a landfill each year. Tune in!

Themes such as hyper personalization driven by a single view of the customer and delivered across multiple platforms are not new but it’s become ever more important with the addition of new channels such as TikTok. The Metaverse presents an incredible opportunity for retailers that can harness the technology to showcase their products in a virtual world. The key is simply making customers feel special no matter how they choose to interact. Tune in to this fascinating discussion about the future of retail experience.

During the discussion Tom finds out more about how digitization is impacting the Life Sciences industry. Pharmaceutical companies have been primarily paper-based and digitization can potentially speed up drug creation. By connecting all the various systems like digital threads, the entire process will be more conducive to streamlining clinical phases.

During the discussion Tom finds out more about how Inspectorio was founded, where its going and how brands and retailers can benefit. David tells Tom that Inspectorio now have over 8000 customers and are now helping some of the world’s largest retailers, giving them actionable insights into quality, compliance and production. During these uncertain times, these insights have been invaluable, allowing brands and retailers to focus only on current or predicted risks, keeping production on track.

In this fascinating podcast, Sindhu explains that it’s easy to change technology, but much harder to bring people on the journey with you. Empowered users can be the key to success for any digital transformation project and ultimately no project can be successful if end users find it difficult to adopt. Sindhu shares with Tom some key strategies and tools organizations can adopt to help address gaps and support users where they are in their journey.

Stuart explains that many organizations are now looking to adopt science-based targets, linked to the reduction in total carbon emissions required to limit global warming to 1.5c. There are many strategies businesses can employ to help limit their emissions, from waste, to building management to sourcing and distribution. Ultimately businesses and governments need to adopt a societal approach, ensuring equity and carbon reductions go hand in hand. Listen today.

CPG companies are being hit by increased costs of ingredients, labor, energy, and the cost of transforming operations to become more sustainable. Whilst many companies will have fixed prices for some of their costs, there may be no better time than now to increase prices. Gabe and Andreas share with Tom how the sector is starting to digitally transform to better understand and predict consumer preferences, helping to inform promotions and respond more flexibly to changing market conditions

Samer explains how Telus has a strong focus on connecting people to drive meaningful change. With the advent of 5G, Telus have been able to connect ambulances out in the field with doctors and technicians back in the hospital, providing invaluable support in critical life-saving situations. They have also been able to provide vulnerable citizens with connected devices that allow them to stay in touch with family and friends via 5G, regardless of location and wifi connection.

This week Tom Raftery speaks with Gavin Starks, Founder and CEO of Icebreaker One. One of the most interesting companies in the Climate space Icebreaker One is working across industries and governments to create a web of open net-zero data connecting financial, engineering and environmental data to help inform net-zero decisions. We had a fascinating conversation covering how Gavin’s previous experience in has delivered cross-industry open data sharing projects previously, the challenges facing this one, and the consequences of not getting it right.

Tom Raftery speaks with Elena Philipova, Director, Sustainable Finance, London Stock Exchange Group and Betty Moon, SAP Financial Services to discuss how the financial community is embracing Environment, Social and Governance measures (ESG). ESG is becoming prominent in financial services to help institutions and investors understand the impact of their investment decisions which in turn is starting to drive real change in global businesses hoping to attract investment.

This week Tom Raftery speaks with Nancy Varghese, Global Director, Higher Education at SAP about how the great resignation is affecting higher education. As essential workers, educators have been under incredible pressure during the pandemic and students have begun to question the value of higher education in light of alternative options. Nancy and Tom discuss how the sector can respond to attract, retain, and reward the essential workers in this sector and demonstrate value to students.

This week Tom Raftery speaks with Dan Wellers and Connor Gaspar from SAP Insights about the findings of their global sustainability research. They reveal that businesses are taking action, some faster than others. They found that businesses are most invested in creating new circular business models and there is one industry that stands out as a leader. Listen now!

This week, in celebration of International Women’s Day, Lisa Skeete Tatum, Founder and CEO of Landit, speaks with Tom Raftery about her vision for a one-size-fits-one approach to growth in the workspace. Landit supports women and diverse groups at all stages of their career with personalized pathways and coaching.

This week, Ross Dawson, Futurist and Matt Emmert, Solution Director, SAP talk with Tom Raftery about how the professional services industry has changed due to the changing market conditions and evolving client demands. To compete, they must focus attracting and retaining talent, and on delivering new digital XaaS delivery models, based on outcomes rather than hourly or daily rates.

In this fascinating podcast Stefan and Senta explain how workers are very isolated and spend months aboard ships with only a few crew members. Most of us don’t tend think about the humans involved in our global supply chains and in the choices, we make when we “consume”, but we are all connected. They go on to discuss how the shipping industry is looking at bringing in new initiatives to improve sustainability such as green shipping corridors and electric powered cargo ships.

In this week’s episode Tom meets with Natasha Oka, Bizbrain Technologies and Matt Reymann, SAP to discuss how the chemicals industry is the basis of thousands of products that we use in our daily lives. This reliance can result in severe supply shocks such as when Australia recently suffered a severe shortage of AdBlue and the recent global shortage of chlorine. They also discuss how the industry is now evolving to prevent future supply shocks.