Zespri - Best Tech Awards 2025 Supply Chain Management
Zespri boosts agility and precision with SAP integrated supply chain planning. Download the DocumentSAP Australia and New
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Best Tech SAP
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Agribusiness www.zespri.comGlobal Kiwifruit Marketing and
Distribution
IBP, SAC for Planning, BW/4Hana, SAP
Analytics Cloud, PAPM, S/4 Hana on
Rise Private Cloud
Zespri boosts agility and precision with SAP
integrated supply chain planning
Supply Chain Management
Zespri is the world’s largest marketer of premium-quality kiwifruit, proudly 100% owned by New Zealand growers. Operating across more than 50 countries,
Zespri connects growers and consumers through a unique industry structure that integrates global marketing, innovation, and s upply chain excellence. In the
2024/25 financial year, Zespri achieved a record NZ$5.14 billion in global operating revenue, reflecting strong demand and th e successful delivery of its largest-
ever crop.
With a steadfast commitment to sustainability, innovation, and grower value, Zespri continues to lead the horticultural secto r in delivering high-quality fruit and
long-term industry returns.
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Agribusiness www.zespri.comGlobal Kiwifruit Marketing and
Distribution
IBP, SAC for Planning, BW/4Hana, SAP
Analytics Cloud, PAPM, S/4 Hana on
Rise Private Cloud
Zespri boosts agility and precision with SAP
integrated supply chain planning
Supply Chain Management
Zespri is the world’s largest marketer of premium-quality kiwifruit, proudly 100% owned by New Zealand growers. Operating across more than 50 countries,
Zespri connects growers and consumers through a unique industry structure that integrates global marketing, innovation, and s upply chain excellence. In the
2024/25 financial year, Zespri achieved a record NZ$5.14 billion in global operating revenue, reflecting strong demand and th e successful delivery of its largest-
ever crop.
With a steadfast commitment to sustainability, innovation, and grower value, Zespri continues to lead the horticultural secto r in delivering high-quality fruit and
long-term industry returns.
Challenges
Zespri’s planning landscape was fragmented across functions, tools and geographies.
Strategic planning, demand forecasting, production planning, and financial budgeting operated in silos – often
driven by Excel and manual inputs.
This translated into misaligned assumptions, duplicated effort, and delayed insights which made it difficult to
respond to volatility in global markets and hindered our ability to align financial and operational plans for
enterprise-wide execution.
To provide some context, Zespri sells over 200m trays of Kiwifruit globally (approximately 6 billion pieces)
across more that 50 markets. As such, optimising supply and demand is crucial to achieving sustainable value
and returns for our Growers.
We needed to precisely align crop forecasts with market allocation – tracking trays supplied and sold, down to
the last one.
Zespri’s planning landscape was fragmented across functions, tools and geographies.
Strategic planning, demand forecasting, production planning, and financial budgeting operated in silos – often
driven by Excel and manual inputs.
This translated into misaligned assumptions, duplicated effort, and delayed insights which made it difficult to
respond to volatility in global markets and hindered our ability to align financial and operational plans for
enterprise-wide execution.
To provide some context, Zespri sells over 200m trays of Kiwifruit globally (approximately 6 billion pieces)
across more that 50 markets. As such, optimising supply and demand is crucial to achieving sustainable value
and returns for our Growers.
We needed to precisely align crop forecasts with market allocation – tracking trays supplied and sold, down to
the last one.
Solution
To enable connected planning and execution, we implemented an integrated suite of SAP Applications (all running on our
S/4 Hana Clean Core on RISE) encompassing:
➔ SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) – our operational planning backbone, through the S&OP and Response and
Supply modules enabling standardized demand planning, and supply optimisation, and orchestration of monthly IBP
process.
➔ SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) for Planning – delivering financial and strategic alignment across the enterprise, including
FP&A, budgeting, and seamless integration with IBP.
➔ SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) – empowering data-driven decision-making with visual dashboards, analytics, and unified
performance tracking.
➔ SAP Profitability and Performance Management (PAPM) – enabling advanced modelling and simulation of profitability
through allocations to both grower pools (fruit groups) and customer.
This connected ecosystem allows Zespri to move from fragmented spreadsheets to a collaborative, real-time planning
environment including:
➔ A single integrated plan unifying markets, finance and operations.
➔ Significant improvement in forecast accuracy and market allocation responsiveness.
➔ Optimised global inventory and service levels through data-driven planning.
➔ Scenario planning capabilities that reduce risk and increase agility.
To enable connected planning and execution, we implemented an integrated suite of SAP Applications (all running on our
S/4 Hana Clean Core on RISE) encompassing:
➔ SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) – our operational planning backbone, through the S&OP and Response and
Supply modules enabling standardized demand planning, and supply optimisation, and orchestration of monthly IBP
process.
➔ SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) for Planning – delivering financial and strategic alignment across the enterprise, including
FP&A, budgeting, and seamless integration with IBP.
➔ SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) – empowering data-driven decision-making with visual dashboards, analytics, and unified
performance tracking.
➔ SAP Profitability and Performance Management (PAPM) – enabling advanced modelling and simulation of profitability
through allocations to both grower pools (fruit groups) and customer.
This connected ecosystem allows Zespri to move from fragmented spreadsheets to a collaborative, real-time planning
environment including:
➔ A single integrated plan unifying markets, finance and operations.
➔ Significant improvement in forecast accuracy and market allocation responsiveness.
➔ Optimised global inventory and service levels through data-driven planning.
➔ Scenario planning capabilities that reduce risk and increase agility.
Impact
11% Improvement so
far
Weekly sales forecast variance to
plan has seen an 11% improvement to
82% with an ambition to reach 95%
by 2026
1.7m* Trays Diverted
Early visibility to all stakeholders of
warehouse capacity constraints – Diverted
a charter from Japan to Europe to avoid
over supply and thereby serviced other
market to maximise returns.
*approx. 50 million pieces of fruit
100+ People across 22
markets
From Executive level to the
operation are monitoring and making
decisions on the same data source
and performance metrics.
The integration of SAP IBP, SAC for Planning, PAPM and SAC Analytics has fundamentally changed how Zespri plans, forecasts an d delivers
across its global supply chain. It has removed friction, improved alignment and enabled a more confident and future-focused workforce.
Importantly, it gives Zespri a digital foundation that supports its strategic growth ambitions over the years to come.
By connecting operational, financial, and analytical planning into a single ecosystem, we've eliminated silos, improved respo nsiveness, and
empowered our teams with real-time insights. This transformation has enabled us to make faster, smarter decisions that align with both strategic
goals and market realities, delivering measurable improvements in service levels, inventory optimisation and cross-functional collaboration.
Specific benefits include:
➔ One integrated plan across markets, finance, and operations.
➔ Improved forecast accuracy and market allocation.
➔ Optimised inventory and service levels across our global network.
➔ Faster, more confident decisions through scenario planning.
➔ A scalable platform that supports our global growth and ambition.
11% Improvement so
far
Weekly sales forecast variance to
plan has seen an 11% improvement to
82% with an ambition to reach 95%
by 2026
1.7m* Trays Diverted
Early visibility to all stakeholders of
warehouse capacity constraints – Diverted
a charter from Japan to Europe to avoid
over supply and thereby serviced other
market to maximise returns.
*approx. 50 million pieces of fruit
100+ People across 22
markets
From Executive level to the
operation are monitoring and making
decisions on the same data source
and performance metrics.
The integration of SAP IBP, SAC for Planning, PAPM and SAC Analytics has fundamentally changed how Zespri plans, forecasts an d delivers
across its global supply chain. It has removed friction, improved alignment and enabled a more confident and future-focused workforce.
Importantly, it gives Zespri a digital foundation that supports its strategic growth ambitions over the years to come.
By connecting operational, financial, and analytical planning into a single ecosystem, we've eliminated silos, improved respo nsiveness, and
empowered our teams with real-time insights. This transformation has enabled us to make faster, smarter decisions that align with both strategic
goals and market realities, delivering measurable improvements in service levels, inventory optimisation and cross-functional collaboration.
Specific benefits include:
➔ One integrated plan across markets, finance, and operations.
➔ Improved forecast accuracy and market allocation.
➔ Optimised inventory and service levels across our global network.
➔ Faster, more confident decisions through scenario planning.
➔ A scalable platform that supports our global growth and ambition.
“”“SAP Integrated Business Planning coupled with SAP Analytics Cloud for forecasting
and analytics has transformed how we plan, forecast and execute across our value
chain. We now operate with a single source of truth that connects our strategy to
execution on the front line, empowering our teams to make faster and smarter
decisions around the globe”.
Jason Te Brake, Chief Executive, Zespri International
and analytics has transformed how we plan, forecast and execute across our value
chain. We now operate with a single source of truth that connects our strategy to
execution on the front line, empowering our teams to make faster and smarter
decisions around the globe”.
Jason Te Brake, Chief Executive, Zespri International