Hitachi Energy: Increasing efficiency and improving agility for a more sustainable, risk-resilient supply chain
Explore Hitachi Energy’s journey with SAP
Hitachi Energy Ltd. digitalized transportation and supply chain processes with the SAP Transportation Management application and the SAP Business Network Freight Collaboration solution, part of SAP Business Network for Logistics. Integrated with SAP S/4HANA, the solutions give the logistics team far-reaching visibility, from order entry to customer delivery.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Industrial manufacturing | Zurich, Switzerland | ~40,000 employees |
freight orders handled with integrated tools since the rollout.
of confirmed carriers onboarded.
of freight orders expected to be managed through SAP solutions.
Global Process and Applications Manager – Trade, Transport, and Logistics Division, Hitachi Energy Ltd.
Enabling agility, resilience, and sustainability in the supply chain
Hitachi Energy Ltd. serves customers in the utility industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Its portfolio includes high-voltage equipment, transformers, grid automations, and grid-integration technologies. Operating in more than 90 countries, the company works with customers and partners to pioneer technologies and enable digital transformation to accelerate the energy industry’s transition toward a carbon-neutral future.
Dedicated to advancing the world’s energy systems to become more sustainable, flexible, and secure while balancing social, environmental, and economic value, Hitachi Energy champions the urgency of a clean energy transition through innovation and collaboration. To tackle this global challenge, the company nurtures diverse and passionate global teams imbued with a sense of enduring ownership.
With the combined impacts of climate disasters, ongoing geopolitical conflicts, economic downturn, and the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to test global supply chains, Hitachi Energy made the decision to digitalize its logistics processes. At the time, the company lacked standardized and centralized shipping processes, which limited its visibility and control. To enable transparency into logistics processes and faster, more-efficient transportation management practices, Hitachi Energy sought the right tools to empower its logistics team to move with agility and speed.
Global Process and Applications Manager – Trade, Transport, and Logistics Division, Hitachi Energy Ltd.
Digitalizing global logistics management for more visibility and control
Having embarked on a foundational shift to SAP S/4HANA, when it came to selecting the right software for digital transportation management, Hitachi Energy needed a solution that had smooth interconnectivity with the advanced ERP. SAP S/4HANA set the stage for the company’s dynamic digital operations, so integrating the SAP Transportation Management application, SAP Business Network for Logistics, and the SAP Business Network Freight Collaboration solution was the obvious next step.
Enabling standardized and automated processes for transportation planning, execution, and adapting to change, SAP Transportation Management forms the core of efficient and responsive logistics operations. There’s also greater visibility and control through integrated transportation management processes, helping optimize logistics and improve services in line with sustainability goals.
Having one global solution for managing its transportation operations and collaborating with its carriers gives the company comprehensive visibility into shipments while maximizing compatibility and collaboration with carriers and different applications, resulting in significant efficiencies. Carlo Noè, global process and applications manager in the trade, transport, and logistics division at Hitachi Energy, explains, “The documents saved in the application can be used for multiple purposes. For example, freight documents can be used for our custom declarations in SAP Transportation Management and to book transportations with our carrier using SAP Business Network for Logistics and SAP Business Network Freight Collaboration. This is important for us as it frees our people from manual workloads.”
Global Process and Applications Manager – Trade, Transport, and Logistics Division, Hitachi Energy Ltd.
Digitalizing stakeholder interactions for more on-time deliveries
The advanced tools offered by SAP Transportation Management, SAP Business Network for Logistics, and SAP Business Network Freight Collaboration now form the centerpiece of Hitachi Energy’s logistics operations. The company can share important shipping and transportation documents from multiple stakeholders in a single place. Connected systems monitor logistics operations, transparent processes, and digital audit trails, giving the company visibility supported by data to underpin delivery compliance. Relevant documents are available at the touch of a button.
Noè adds, “Having a single global solution for managing our transportation requirements and collaborating with our carriers gives us clearer visibility into costs and the ability to optimize track-and-trace operations. And as it’s integrated with SAP S/4HANA, there are additional benefits for stakeholders. They gain interconnected processes, from purchasing through execution and collaboration to invoicing. This means we now link our carriers and supply chain right through to accounts payable.”
From an IT perspective, native integration with SAP S/4HANA and SAP Transportation Management minimizes complexity and mitigates the need to maintain integrations across the company’s back-end landscape.
What’s more, as Hitachi Energy can gather data insights from SAP Transportation Management, it can analyze its logistics digital audit trail to measure the company’s performance and its carriers as part of its continuous improvement strategy.
Further bolstering a risk-resilient supply chain
Hitachi Energy is currently executing an aggressive plan to implement SAP Transportation Management, SAP Business Network for Logistics, and SAP Business Network Freight Collaboration in more than 90 countries. Working in close collaboration with SAP, the company is looking to improve integrations with third-party solutions for carriers and connecting carriers through APIs.