Bringing the industrial manufacturing ecosystem together on connected platform
In industrial manufacturing, every company is interconnected. Learn how SAP Business Network enables businesses to effectively collaborate and automate business processes across every point of the supply chain. Document downloaden
SAP Business Network for
Industrial Manufacturing
Bringing the industrial manufacturing ecosystem
together on a connected network
Building a strong supply chain in the
industrial manufacturing industry
In industrial manufacturing, collaboration is
essential to success—it’s the driving force behind
faster innovation and operational excellence.
No company operates in isolation; every
manufacturer depends on its network of suppliers,
subcontractors, carriers, and OEMs to keep
business running smoothly. Strong, connected
partnerships enable seamless data exchange,
ensure regulatory compliance, and support
efficient daily operations—all while delivering
high-quality products to customers on time.
Keys to collaboration
Effective collaboration hinges on the ability to
exchange information, automate and interconnect
business processes, and track and report joint
business outcomes. But many manufacturers are
still connecting with their value chain in ad hoc and
unstructured ways, resulting in inefficiency and
ineffectiveness. Moreover, many OEMs outsource
parts of their manufacturing processes, which can
make manual communication more challenging.
When industrial manufacturing companies depend
on manual or outdated methods of connecting with
their ecosystem, inefficiencies and data inaccuracies
inevitably arise. This limits the visibility across the
value chain and increases the complexity of main-
taining operational integrity and compliance in an
increasingly regulated and competitive environment.
Industrial manufacturing companies must find
a way to overcome obstacles such as:
• Breakpoints in business processes
• Inefficient manual communication methods
• One-to-one transactions with limited visibility
State of collaboration in the
industrial manufacturing industry*
About 91%
of surveyed firms rely extensively
on legacy methods (e-mail, fax,
and phone) to transmit and
receive documents
About 56%
say poor collaboration reduces
revenue growth, primarily due to
its negative effect on customer
satisfaction
About 41%
cite that a lack of integration
between newer and legacy IT
applications reduces their ability
to respond to disruptions
*Source: IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by SAP, Accelerating Supply Chain
Collaboration Maturity with a Business Network, #US53179225, April 2025
Industrial Manufacturing
Bringing the industrial manufacturing ecosystem
together on a connected network
Building a strong supply chain in the
industrial manufacturing industry
In industrial manufacturing, collaboration is
essential to success—it’s the driving force behind
faster innovation and operational excellence.
No company operates in isolation; every
manufacturer depends on its network of suppliers,
subcontractors, carriers, and OEMs to keep
business running smoothly. Strong, connected
partnerships enable seamless data exchange,
ensure regulatory compliance, and support
efficient daily operations—all while delivering
high-quality products to customers on time.
Keys to collaboration
Effective collaboration hinges on the ability to
exchange information, automate and interconnect
business processes, and track and report joint
business outcomes. But many manufacturers are
still connecting with their value chain in ad hoc and
unstructured ways, resulting in inefficiency and
ineffectiveness. Moreover, many OEMs outsource
parts of their manufacturing processes, which can
make manual communication more challenging.
When industrial manufacturing companies depend
on manual or outdated methods of connecting with
their ecosystem, inefficiencies and data inaccuracies
inevitably arise. This limits the visibility across the
value chain and increases the complexity of main-
taining operational integrity and compliance in an
increasingly regulated and competitive environment.
Industrial manufacturing companies must find
a way to overcome obstacles such as:
• Breakpoints in business processes
• Inefficient manual communication methods
• One-to-one transactions with limited visibility
State of collaboration in the
industrial manufacturing industry*
About 91%
of surveyed firms rely extensively
on legacy methods (e-mail, fax,
and phone) to transmit and
receive documents
About 56%
say poor collaboration reduces
revenue growth, primarily due to
its negative effect on customer
satisfaction
About 41%
cite that a lack of integration
between newer and legacy IT
applications reduces their ability
to respond to disruptions
*Source: IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by SAP, Accelerating Supply Chain
Collaboration Maturity with a Business Network, #US53179225, April 2025
SAP Business Network for Industrial Manufacturing
Collaborate and automate across each point
of your supply chain
As a recognized market leader with a significant
footprint in the industrial manufacturing value
chain, SAP offers SAP Business Network as a
single network that spans a wide variety of
business processes, and our coverage continues
to expand. We help you extend your critical
business processes across your suppliers
through integration with your back-end systems—
both SAP and third-party—increasing the value
of your existing ERP landscape.
The benefits of unifying from end to end
By working closely with suppliers to share
forecasts and production plans, industrial
manufacturers can anticipate supply constraints,
optimize scheduling, and deliver reliable
commitments to customers. At the same time,
end-to-end material traceability enables them
to meet stringent regulatory standards, ensure
quality, and uphold ethical sourcing practices.
As sustainability expectations rise, consistent
carbon tracking across all tiers of the supply
chain becomes critical—both to satisfy emerging
regulations and to demonstrate genuine
environmental accountability. Finally, advanced
asset management and real-time monitoring
empower OEMs to optimize equipment
performance, predict maintenance needs,
and offer innovative service models. Together,
these capabilities enable industrial manufacturers
to strengthen operational efficiency, protect their
brand, and drive sustainable growth.
SAP Business Network helps industrial
manufacturing companies gain visibility into
procurement, supply chain, logistics, and asset
management processes so that you can:
• Respond more quickly to changing
circumstances
• Avoid or withstand disruption
• Operate more efficiently
• Comply with internal and external policies
and regulations
SAP Business Network for Industrial Manufacturing
Build stronger supply chains so that you can deliver on
your customer promise.
Learn more
88414enUS (25/11) © 2025 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. See Legal Notice on www.sap.com/legal-notice for use terms, disclaimers, disclosures, or restrictions related to this material.
Collaborate and automate across each point
of your supply chain
As a recognized market leader with a significant
footprint in the industrial manufacturing value
chain, SAP offers SAP Business Network as a
single network that spans a wide variety of
business processes, and our coverage continues
to expand. We help you extend your critical
business processes across your suppliers
through integration with your back-end systems—
both SAP and third-party—increasing the value
of your existing ERP landscape.
The benefits of unifying from end to end
By working closely with suppliers to share
forecasts and production plans, industrial
manufacturers can anticipate supply constraints,
optimize scheduling, and deliver reliable
commitments to customers. At the same time,
end-to-end material traceability enables them
to meet stringent regulatory standards, ensure
quality, and uphold ethical sourcing practices.
As sustainability expectations rise, consistent
carbon tracking across all tiers of the supply
chain becomes critical—both to satisfy emerging
regulations and to demonstrate genuine
environmental accountability. Finally, advanced
asset management and real-time monitoring
empower OEMs to optimize equipment
performance, predict maintenance needs,
and offer innovative service models. Together,
these capabilities enable industrial manufacturers
to strengthen operational efficiency, protect their
brand, and drive sustainable growth.
SAP Business Network helps industrial
manufacturing companies gain visibility into
procurement, supply chain, logistics, and asset
management processes so that you can:
• Respond more quickly to changing
circumstances
• Avoid or withstand disruption
• Operate more efficiently
• Comply with internal and external policies
and regulations
SAP Business Network for Industrial Manufacturing
Build stronger supply chains so that you can deliver on
your customer promise.
Learn more
88414enUS (25/11) © 2025 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved. See Legal Notice on www.sap.com/legal-notice for use terms, disclaimers, disclosures, or restrictions related to this material.