In our recent article on SAP Leonardo, we discussed how the twin disciplines of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming real contributors within today’s IT systems. As they’re integrated with more enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, these technologies are also starting to contribute to the bottom line of the business.
Adidas, Running Faster
We don’t have to look too far to find examples of artificial intelligence or machine learning in enterprises now building out digitally enabled supply chains and operational workflows. SAP invited sports manufacturing giant Addidas on stage during the SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference in June 2018 to illustrate the workings of its prototype “speed factory” in Atlanta, Georgia.
This new innovation uses machine learning to deliver personalized shoes. It eliminates the wait time normally needed for Adidas to turn trends into shoes across a typical 18-month time frame. Instead, consumers design their own customized look in the prototype store/factory and the product is shipped to them within 24 hours.
Read a recap of the day three keynotes at the 2018 SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference.
Good ol’ Jimmy Dean Goes High-Tech
Maker of Jimmy Dean sausage Tyson Foods, Inc. has adopted SAP cloud technologies to help digitize its approach to enterprise resource planning. The company has now moved its technologists closer to its business units and created a group that’s focused on bringing in the benefits of emerging technologies.
Using SAP as the backbone of its new digital operations, Tyson is exploring how high-tech cameras can help locate and track packages in production facilities. It’s also experimenting with cameras that can identify people and objects, as well as recognize movement patterns that could help it spot unusual behavior inside its plants. And the company is completing a project using blockchain distributed ledger technology to track food through the supply chain.
Good Chemistry and Great Customer Service
German chemical company BASF has used SAP Leonardo machine learning to improve the efficiency of its customer service processes by automatically categorizing and sending responses to customer request tickets. The company’s virtual colleague, known as “CuRT,” achieved an important milestone by automating incoming emails and delivering a higher level of service to BASF customers. This virtual customer service rep uses artificial intelligence to understand the type, the industry, and the application of each customer inquiry. Then it routes the inquiry to the appropriate colleague based on this information. BASF’s human customer service pros will give it feedback, so it can continually improve on its assessments using machine learning.
Using AI to Predict Your Cup of Tea
Diversified beverage company Cott Corporation works across North America and Europe to deliver home and office bottled water. The company is also known as a leading custom coffee roasting and iced tea blending specialist for the U.S. food service industry. Cott has moved its core business processes to SAP S/4HANA Cloud to use machine learning to drive its next-generation business processes, working in unison with predictive analytics and intelligent assistants. The company is now able to scale and react nimbly to market changes far more quickly as beverage tastes change.
The possibilities for applying artificial intelligence to solve business challenges are endless. As we continue to see companies invest in the foundational technologies needed to support these advances, we’ll see more examples of how they’re building new business models and competitive advantages.
Read our recent article on how artificial intelligence is getting real with help from SAP Leonardo. Or watch our webcast series on demand to learn how you can use SAP Leonardo to take on innovative artificial intelligence projects at your company.