The Need for an Intelligent ERP System in the Utilities Industry

A radical change in the utility industry is occurring at a rapid pace. Changes in technologies, business models, standards, and the makeup of utility companies themselves require constant adaptation. Utilities must be able to respond to rapidly changing conditions, yet still comply with all standards. How does a digital core with a true single source of truth help?

Agility
A digital core is an IT architecture that offers stability and long-term reliability for core enterprise processes, yet also provides the flexibility to adapt quickly to new opportunities, challenges, and regulations. This solid foundation gives you a single source of truth, which in turn enables flexibility for innovation to accommodate things like new business models, new regulations, and business events, such as mergers or acquisitions.

Managing Big Data
Every utility company needs the computing capability to carry out complex algorithms with large data sets to support timely, real-time analysis. Everyone in the company must have access to data they need, whenever and wherever they need it. This is also true for the rest of the utility ecosystem so that suppliers can stay up to date with a company’s orders; customer service
agents can see customer history for billing, service, and consumption information; and maintenance teams can accurately monitor asset performance.

Innovation
Utilities must transform to grow profits and reduce costs by simplifying their operations. The value of the digital economy is based on how the consumer or “prosumer” (producer and consumer of energy) is served. Value creation often comes from edge solutions that are based on and coordinated by digital core solutions. It is the framework for innovation and business process optimization, connecting the workforce, suppliers, customers, assets, and the supply network.

Analysis
It is crucial to get the right information at the right time on the right device. Plant processes are supported or controlled by predictive and self-learning systems that interact with machines and business processes. Predictive analytics and machine learning (ML) accelerate the delegation of business processes and decisions from people to machines. People who need the knowledge have digital access on demand and in real time, regardless of whether they are part of the core or the extended workforce.

Stand apart in a world that never stands still – with SAP S/4HANA powered by Approyo
Your business isn't generic. Your ERP shouldn't be either. SAP S/4HANA powered by Approyo provides utility companies with industry best practices built from decades of experience – and allows them to bring cutting-edge innovation in the cloud to their core processes, be it customer engagement, predictive maintenance, or usage-based billing. So they can attain the operational excellence they need to deliver the ultimate customer experience.

• Industry Insight - A world of rapid technological change – distributed energy resources, microgeneration, batteries, microgrids, and electrical mobility – and social media adoption is forcing providers of electricity to rethink how they work, the services they provide, and their business models. The most successful companies will flexibly manage demand, enabled by insights garnered from smart technologies.
• Customer Success - SAP S/4HANA provides re-engineered and simplified business activities transforming the execution from multistep, batch-driven processes with latency in terms of key performance indicators to real-time processes with actionable insights to accelerate invoice processing, increase cash flow, and protect revenue assurance.
• Productivity Improvement - SAP S/4HANA empowers call-center agents and field workers with an end-user centric, consumer-grade experience because, for utilities, it's the call-center agents that add value to customer engagements and field workers who deliver operational excellence.
• Cost Savings - SAP S/4HANA powered by Approyo allows for real-time monitoring of asset health and can predict failure before it happens. Maintenance orders are triggered just in time, avoiding unnecessary inspections and decreasing the cost and risk of unplanned failure.

Start your path to the Intelligent Enterprise with Approyo
Bringing SAP S/4HANA and SAP Leonardo technologies together as a digital core results in a more flexible and intelligent enterprise. Approyo provides full SAP service technology with extensive capabilities in consulting, solutions architecture, hosting and managed services, in order to develop the right solution for our customers. Get started today...

Employee Spotlight: Alexandra Goudy

This is the first of many #ApproyoLife employee spotlights. Each month we will highlight a member of our team and introduce them. We want you all to be able to meet the people here at Approyo, who we are and what we do. The people behind Approyo are the foundation of this company, so we’d like to give you an eye into our world. I thought I’d go first since you know... I’ll be making the videos from here on out. So let my introduce myself!

Hello everyone! My name is Alexandra Goudy and I am one of the newest hires here at Approyo. A little bit about me, I am 23 years old, from Franklin, WI. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh back in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Advertising. While I was there, I was a part of: Art Club, Advertising Club and Photo Club. Throughout highschool I was a part of the Whitnall softball and volleyball teams and have always enjoyed being a part of a team environment. I enjoy art, photography, movies, traveling, trying new restaurants and hanging out with friends. My friends would probably describe me as laidback and funny (not to brag or anything).

I never knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. When I was in 1st grade, I wanted to be a veterinarian. In 5th grade, I wanted to be a marine biologist. And In high school I thought I would become a nurse. So why did I think that college would be any different? I had NO idea what I was doing.

At UWO is where I found my passion. The funny thing is that I went into college having absolutely no clue what I wanted to do with my life. Eventually, I decided to major in Radiologic science....which clearly didn’t work out. I had forgotten what I was actually good at, which I can tell you were NOT science and math. I’ve always enjoyed writing and art, but I went into something that I thought would be good pay vs what I’m actually good at.

My second semester of junior year, I decided to jump blindly into the Journalism major. Even then, I wasn’t sure which emphasis I wanted to take under the major. It wasn’t until my last year when I took and advertising campaigns class and participated in the National Student Advertising Competition that I realized the field of Marketing and Advertising is definitely where I wanted to be.

During my last semester, I worked with a team for hundreds of hours to complete an advertising campaign to present at the competition in Minneapolis. I ended up taking on a large leadership role and held the responsibility of putting together and editing the plans book and presentation. We ended up taking 2nd place in our district, which was a huge accomplishment after all of the work we put into it. This experience led me to realize that I truly wanted to work in this field. It’s crazy how one class can solidify your future for you, especially after years of feeling lost.

After graduation, I moved back home, where I served as a waitress every day. For five months I was desperately looking for a job when the opportunity at Approyo arose.  The CEO, Christopher Carter had seen my post about NSAC on LinkedIn and asked me to come in for an interview. He gave me a tour of the office, introduced me to everyone and offered me the position. Not only do I get to use my degree by marketing the company, but I also get to learn more about SAP and technology as I go.

I’ve only been here for a short while, but I’m already learning so much. Although I work with the VP of Marketing, Kyle Ackerman as well as Alison Maloni who specializes in Public Relations, I am the only one who holds a marketing position within our headquarters at the Brookfield office. It’s great to be able to work with other creatives, while being independent with my own responsibilities and tasks.

My daily work includes: video, photos, audio, graphics, PR and all types of social media content and platforms. So most of the content that you see involving any pictures or videos will have most likely come from me! The office has plenty of perks, one of them being that I have my own studio! I am so grateful to be a part of an amazing team in such a relaxed yet driven atmosphere at work and I can’t wait to see where Approyo takes me!

With all of that being said, we are still looking to expand our team! We are hiring! Check out the career page on our Website for more information and make sure to  tune in next month for our next #ApproyoLife employee spotlight! #ApproyoLife

The Industry 4.0 Revolution powered by the SAP Intelligent Enterprise

Today customers are connected, informed and always on. They demand high-quality individualized products and delivery within shorter timeframes. To meet these market requirements, customers need to synchronize their demand chain with their supply chain.

Companies need to recognize that a great customer experience hinges on a delightful product experience. The traditional boundaries between R&D, Manufacturing,  Logistics and Operations are dissolving within the enterprise and across the supply chain.

With Industry 4.0, companies look to break silos in their processes, gain visibility, and drive customer centricity to achieve much higher levels of efficiency, optimization, and ultimately deliver on new business models. As a result. many organizations are on a journey to digitally transform their manufacturing processes.

Developing smart connected factories with advanced automation and integration of shop floor processes that optimize performance  and ensure compliance. Operational excellence in manufacturing and the supply chain becomes a key differentiator for companies, allowing them to address complexity, risk, and cost challenges across the extended supply chain.

SAP is uniquely positioned to provide operational excellence by eliminating the black box, siloed nature of shop floor solutions. Manufacturing has become a integral part of the extended supply chain with real-time insight into work in process status, financials, supply chain, logistics, and change impact analysis.

The rise of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology, blockchain, and machine learning infused in business applications builds on much higher computing and processing power; it also precipitates the rise of a fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

Digital Supply Chain Design to Operate
The Digital Supply Chain that is integrated from design to operate acts more like a network.  Visibility, communication, planning, analysis, and execution are all orchestrated across critical operational phases based on real-time inputs and requirements.

Connecting Digitally is enabled through leveraging Innovative Technologies

• Blockchain, IOT, Big Data, Machine Learning, Blockchain, AI, Analytics (all SAP Leonardo), sentiment analysis and 3D printing
• IOT and unstructured data such as sentiment analysis are generating previously unimaginable levels of Supply Chain Big Data.  
• This Big Data is leveraged to drive smart assets and products with Machine Learning, and AI, and improve the end user experience and ability with Predictive Analytics.
• Blockchain can increase data security and trust with increased transparency, auditability, and regulatory compliance
• 3D printing has great potential across digital supply chain from rapid prototyping of designs, through additive manufacturing and in the rethinking of after sales services spare parts inventory through reduce inventory costs, increased flexibility and responsiveness and printing on demand services

Perfecting Reality - Requires the operational visibility and customer intelligence to manage your entire supply chain digitally and execute flawlessly today, while transforming your business for the future.

Leveraging technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, and predictive maintenance embedded into your end to end business processes from:

• The Design of new smart products and assets
• To the handover to Manufacturing (MAKE)  
• Through the delivery via multi-model and omni-channel logistics processes.
• And including the after sales maintenance and service (OPERATE) of the operational assets in the field
• At all times, having integrated business planning processes (PLAN) across the end-to-end supply chain 

The SAP Digital Supply Chain helps companies fully deliver on their Industry 4.0 aspirations. Spanning design, manufacturing, logistics and asset management, SAP’s Digital Supply Chain plays a critical role in ensuring positive customer experiences. But to get there, leading organizations are integrating across traditionally siloed business areas that include R&D, manufacturing, supply chain planning, logistics, and after sales service and maintenance.

The goal is to connect everything digitally to perfect operational reality as much possible.

Design with the customer in mind
In the design phase, organizations need this level of connection to monitor trends and innovate in the direction customers want. Increasingly, organizations want to design smarter, Industry 4.0-enabled products and assets that have built-in sensors to capture real-time data once they are in use in a live environment. It’s also important to think in terms of compliant product lifecycle management – which requires product development to be integrated into the supply chain from the beginning.

Plan with visibility across silos
To be more responsive and reduce the time of planning cycles, organizations need to connect across departmental silos for a unified view of real-time supply and demand that helps balance inventory and service levels. To speed planning cycles and react faster to change, planners want synchronized planning processes that break down silos and tools to quickly run simulations for better decision-making.

Manufacture with flexibility, speed, and efficiency
When it comes to manufacturing, sophisticated digital supply chain capabilities and greater connectedness can help organizations increase shop floor visibility, identify process bottlenecks, and manage operations with greater agility. This, in turn, facilitates smart factory capabilities where rigid production lines are transformed into flexible manufacturing cells – making it possible to shift from mass production to mass customization.

Deliver on time
The delivery phase is a critical aspect of the supply chain that can make or break the customer experience. With Industry 4.0 capabilities, organizations can streamline logistics and ensure better delivery experiences. Connected vehicles, for example, can optimize delivery routes based on real-time weather and traffic conditions, support real-time tracking, and monitor conditions such as the temperature in freezer compartments. Next-generation warehouse technology, meanwhile, can leverage robots and augmented reality to assist staff, increase productivity, and get the goods to customers faster.

Operate with new business models
Finally, many organizations are transforming the operating phase with IoT-connected assets that plug directly into the digital supply chain. This helps drive new business models where the manufacturer owns the asset and charges the customer for usage, uptime, or some other metric. With such a model, the onus is on the manufacturer to provide the most-cost efficient maintenance – which is now possible with advanced analytics that help companies monitor asset health, predict issues, and respond proactively.

The Digital Supply Chain that is integrated from design to operate acts more like a network.  Visibility, communication, planning, analysis, and execution are all orchestrated across critical operational phases based on real-time inputs and requirements. Work and data flows span functional silos – leading to greater flexibility and consistency. Benefits include reduced financial and operational risk through early detection and greater customer satisfaction through quicker resolution of issues.

Read the full blog post on www.approyo.com

Approyo Announces Expansion of Company’s Staffing Numbers and Global Reach Strategy

Approyo is excited to announce two new hires to our growing team. The first is Alexandra Goudy as the firm’s new Marketing and Advertising Coordinator. Her responsibilities will range over video, audio, graphics and events. Alexandra holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Advertising from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and will be deeply involved in the strategy of selecting platforms and creating Approyo’s advertising campaign.

On the sales and technology side, Approyo is onboarding  Lance Kucifer as the new SAP Sales manager for the western region. Lance brings 10 years of sales experience to Approyo and will be working with companies to assist them in their journey on implementing and using SAP to further their business processes and growth.

“As Approyo expands we will be adding human resources across the globe in order to provide a ‘follow the sun’ system of support which is the natural evolution of growth in the support vertical. I am excited about what the future holds and we continue to see that the team members that we are bringing into the fold are outstanding and second to none. We will continue to strive to expand our reach,” said Christopher Carter CEO of Approyo. “We are currently at 27 staff members and look forward to adding more talent depth as we grow the firm.”

Carter further stated, “Finding rising stars is key in our strategy to have the best and brightest employed at Approyo, and we are proud to also announce a job fair which will be held at our corporate headquarters in Brookfield, Wisconsin in the next few months. We are excited to be inviting several of the major universities in and around the area so we can find those star players right in our own backyard.”our own backyard.”

On-Demand: A Real-Life Journey on the Upgrade to SAP S/4HANA

Did you miss SAP TechEd in Las Vegas? Our CEO Christopher Carter delivered a popular session at the event, A Real-Life Journey on the Upgrade to SAP S/4HANA 1809/1909, to a standing room only crowd.
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Now is your chance to learn and discuss the pitfalls, the success, and the overall upgrade to SAP S/4HANA. We will not dig into the details on failed activities but will give everyone a sense of the timing and skill set needed to be able to accomplish such a herculean task. The Approyo team has moved many different companies to S/4HANA and now is your chance to learn about real-life situations and scenarios for moving to SAP S/4HANA 1809/1909 in this SAP TechEd bonus webinar.
​
View this webinar and learn more about:

• Why now is the time to migrate to S/4HANA
• S/4HANA migrations methodology and process
• Common pitfalls and successes
• Creating a successful project plan

Register to watch this recording on-demand

On-Demand: A Real-Life Journey on the Upgrade to SAP S/4HANA

Did you miss SAP TechEd in Las Vegas? Our CEO Christopher Carter delivered a popular session at the event, A Real-Life Journey on the Upgrade to SAP S/4HANA 1809/1909, to a standing room only crowd.
​
Now is your chance to learn and discuss the pitfalls, the success, and the overall upgrade to SAP S/4HANA. We will not dig into the details on failed activities but will give everyone a sense of the timing and skill set needed to be able to accomplish such a herculean task. The Approyo team has moved many different companies to S/4HANA and now is your chance to learn about real-life situations and scenarios for moving to SAP S/4HANA 1809/1909 in this SAP TechEd bonus webinar.
​
View this webinar and learn more about:

• Why now is the time to migrate to S/4HANA
• S/4HANA migrations methodology and process
• Common pitfalls and successes
• Creating a successful project plan

Register to watch this recording on-demand

Approyo named to the Wisconsin Inno 2019 50 on Fire

We are proud to announce that Approyo has been named to the Wisconsin Inno 2019 50 on Fire.

50 on Fire is a snapshot at some of the biggest movers and shakers across the state’s tech communities. Winners range from innovative upstarts to publicly traded tech giants to organizations looking to make Wisconsin’s tech scene more diverse. Basically, it’s people and businesses that have had a banner year—whether that’s new funding, product launches, big hires or innovative approaches to solving problems.

View the list: https://www.americaninno.com/wisconsin/50-on-fire-wisconsin/meet-wisconsin-innos-2019-50-on-fire

About Wisconsin Inno
Wisconsin Inno is your source for local innovation. Since 2018, we’ve been covering and connecting the state’s ecosystem, producing digital media and events about the entrepreneurs, executives, startups, businesses, trends and topics that are the shaping the present and future of Wisconsin’s economy. Through a twice-a-week newsletter, daily editorial, quarterly events, directories, data and more, Wisconsin Inno is building a portal to and for the state’s burgeoning startup and tech communities.

Approyo named to the Wisconsin Inno 2019 50 on Fire

We are proud to announce that Approyo has been named to the Wisconsin Inno 2019 50 on Fire.

50 on Fire is a snapshot at some of the biggest movers and shakers across the state’s tech communities. Winners range from innovative upstarts to publicly traded tech giants to organizations looking to make Wisconsin’s tech scene more diverse. Basically, it’s people and businesses that have had a banner year—whether that’s new funding, product launches, big hires or innovative approaches to solving problems.

View the list: https://www.americaninno.com/wisconsin/50-on-fire-wisconsin/meet-wisconsin-innos-2019-50-on-fire

About Wisconsin Inno
Wisconsin Inno is your source for local innovation. Since 2018, we’ve been covering and connecting the state’s ecosystem, producing digital media and events about the entrepreneurs, executives, startups, businesses, trends and topics that are the shaping the present and future of Wisconsin’s economy. Through a twice-a-week newsletter, daily editorial, quarterly events, directories, data and more, Wisconsin Inno is building a portal to and for the state’s burgeoning startup and tech communities.