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The beating heart of digitalisation
Company
BIOTRONIK
Branch
Medical technology
Products
Cardiac rhythm management (CRM), electrophysiology and neuromodulation
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
Websitewww.biotronik.com
How BIOTRONIK Reorganised its Global Procurement – and Got A Lot of Things Right in the Process
Anyone who develops medical technology for cardiac applications knows how important it is to ensure that clearly defined processes are in place. And that holds true both in the laboratory and in procurement. BIOTRONIK had the situation under control for years, using an electronic solution that worked well. Then came the news: no further development work would be done on the software, support would be limited and the licence was set to expire. It was a wake-up call.
And what followed was not your typical IT project. BIOTRONIK didn’t want to just replace its existing solution; it wanted to improve on it. A modern, global solution that would incorporate existing processes while creating something built to last – standardised, scalable, transparent. And it had to work across 14 different locations.
The company did not take its decision lightly. SAP Ariba won BIOTRONIK over, not least because of its excellent score in the Gartner Report. It didn’t hurt that SAP also offered a licence swap. The platform delivers an intuitive user experience and reliable standardised interfaces. Guided Buying and Guided Sourcing offered the prospect of a user experience that would work for both IT and purchasing.
All BIOTRONIK was missing was the right partner. SAP recommended apsolut, as apsolut had been awarded ‘SAP Ariba Partner of the Year’ many times over – that sent a powerful message. apsolut set up a conversation between BIOTRONIK and an apsolut customer in the chemicals industry, who provided a glowing reference as additional security.
What followed was the beginning of a project that, in hindsight, was calm, clear and focussed above all else. Two phases, two solutions: SAP Ariba Sourcing was implemented between May and December 2023 – including the new Guided Sourcing interface that BIOTRONIK is one of the first companies to use productively. SAP Ariba Buying with Guided Buying followed the next year.
Both implementation projects were completed: On time. Within budget. With no drama.
Of course, there were challenges along the way. The hypercare phase was intense. Training was extensive. However, communication between Julia Führer (IT Inhouse Consultant Procurement), Stefan Prewitz (Senior Management Corporate Procurement) and the apsolut team went smoothly. They were open and honest with one another.
“I was particularly impressed with the open and honest communication we had with apsolut during the project.”
Julia Führer says. “We never sugarcoated the challenges; we tackled them together.”
And the results are impressive to behold – and to experience first-hand.
- Processes have become more reliable. Replicable, transparent, global.
- Compliance is in effect everywhere it needs to be.
- Transparency is more than a promise now; it’s a reality. With previews, logs, clarity.
- And usability? It’s there in spades, right from the start.
“In the beginning, I thought our timeline was barely realistic,” Julia Führer recalls. “So it’s all the more remarkable that we were able to complete both phases as planned.”
And now? The journey continues. A few technical details still need tweaking – such as the interface between SAP S/4HANA and Ariba. At the same time, BIOTRONIK is preparing to implement SAP Ariba SLP in order to systematically digitalise its supplier management processes.
What remains is a story that cannot be reduced to technology alone. It’s about synergy – between systems, people and attitudes.
Guided Sourcing provides an upgraded, user-friendly interface that greatly simplifies and accelerates the tendering process – with clear workflows, intelligent navigation and AI-assisted recommendations. BIOTRONIK is one of the world’s first companies to use Guided Sourcing productively.
14
The number of locations where BIOTRONIK is digitalising its entire S2P process
Implemented tools
SAP Ariba Buying
SAP Ariba Sourcing
SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance
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Dr. Bei Mortensen, IT Business Service Owner – SCM & Manufacturing, GEA Group
"apsolut demonstrated a high degree of flexibility and commitment during the project. The structured working methods and the dedicated team enabled us to meet the urgently needed go-live deadlines."
Paul Trautmann, Manager Procurement Processes & Projects, Röhm GmbH
“After the first Ariba roll-outs, we continued to work with apsolut to jointly develop our Ariba Suite. We usually work together at eye level, and I appreciate apsolut’s open and honest advice. I always have the feeling that the best solution for the customer is their guiding principle. This level of honesty is what led us to working together for so long.”
Małgorzata Pośpiech, SCM Process Manager, JOYNEXT
“With a partner like apsolut, not even a pandemic is able to stop us! When the project started, we were a little skeptical, due to the fact that the project team was unable to meet face-to-face. But we are now delighted to say that all our concerns have proven to be unfounded.“
Chandrashekhar Saldur, AGM - Global Procurement & Projects, ETG Group
"With apsolut, we have gained a partner who has implemented our requirements effectively and efficiently in the configuration of Ariba in a practical manner and in a breathtaking amount of time. The customer-oriented approach was one of the main reasons why we also chose apsolut for the implementation of SLP and Contract Management."
Frank Unfried, Director Digitalization Purchasing & Indirect Spend bei Pfleiderer
„During our conversation with apsolut, it quickly became clear that while we definitely did have potential for digitalisation in direct procurement, the potential in indirect procurement was much greater. That’s why we shifted our focus, and it was absolutely the right decision“,
Yvonne Kippschull, SAP-Prozess- & Application Consultant, wolfcraft
‘With its flexible and transparent procedure, apsolut perfectly complemented our own limited personnel resources. Together, we were able to address topics like multi-line items or dependencies with other tools. It’s unbelievable how much knowledge and expertise we were able to gain,’
Regina Krüger-Wendel, Chief Procurement Officer, Atruvia
„We were looking for a specific solution that did not exist yet. We didn’t want to compromise. So we looked for the right partner to model a flexible tool so that we could configure the specific processes ourselves. We used our expertise and creativity to make Squando our global supplier management tool.“
Ketylin Morello, Purchasing Strategy and Market Intelligence & Functional Product Owner for Squando, Schaeffler
“The cooperation with the international apsolut project team from Germany and India was very effective despite the tough schedule. Due to the high degree of standardisation and automation, we were already able to realise potential savings and, in particular reduce process costs.”
Markus Ortlieb, Director Global Procurement, ProMinent GmbH
“apsolut impressed us in the project work with McKesson above all through the open and cooperative partnership. The project team gets on very well with each other. But we were also impressed by the solution-oriented approach and the fast and efficient enablement of our support staff.”
Annette Römer, Project Manager, McKesson Europe AG
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Patrick Tydex, Project Manager, Zentis
„Despite all the digitalisation and automation, we still work in a people business. During this project, we have grown into such a resilient, unified team that we’ve managed to meet all of our deadlines up to this point, even though some of them were quite ambitious. Ultimately, that also motivates everyone involved to do their part in driving the project forward!“
Simon Bohn, Global Solution Architect Procure to Pay, STIHL
"Of course, we are immensely proud of how we implemented this complex transformation together. The always competent and more than punctual execution moved us to initiate a parallel project for partial process innovation in the ongoing project. Actually a no-go, but with apsolut no problem! With this positive experience, it was easy for us to initiate another project, which is currently being implemented. One thing remains to be said: Without the team around Bodo Hempelmann, this journey would definitely have been more difficult!”
Manuel Steffen, Project Officer Source-to-Pay, Evonik Industries
“I was particularly impressed with the open and honest communication we had with apsolut during the project.”
Julia Führer, IT Inhouse Consultant Procurement, BIOTRONIK
“Right from the start, apsolut supported us with the comprehensive experience and expertise they had acquired from their enormous number of past projects. They were able to respond quickly and precisely to our complex requirements and present us with ideal solutions. Thanks to their experience with Ariba, we were able to digitalise our purchasing processes and make them more efficient as a result.”
Alexander Köhler, Purchaser and Project Manager, MLP
"When selecting a partner for our procurement transformation, a high level of technical know-how was of course also important to us. Here, apsolut was able to convince us with best practices from customers of a comparable size. The decisive factor in the end was the experience in change management! Only in this way were we able to introduce a fully-fledged procurement system that is also accepted by all employees."
Göktürk Simsekol, Digital Transformation Director, Flint Group
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Shibu Palakalodil, Projektleiter SAP Ariba-Implementierung
"The mix of virtual design discussions, system demonstrations and break-out sessions, supported by best-in-class tools that allowed us to annotate and track tasks and decisions during screen sharing, enabled us to work closely with apsolut even though distances of up to 12,000 kilometres had to be bridged. We were very pleased that both our projects could be successfully implemented with the help of apsolut."
Alina Aftene, Procurement Solutions Specialist, Delivery Hero
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Gerald Goldgruber, Strategic Manager for Process Management and SAP, Frutura
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Linna Krasnikov, SCC System Administrator, Kärcher
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Tanja Sefrin, Project Manager, KUKA
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Hubert Buchsteiner, Group Vice President Purchasing, ZKW Group
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Martin Traxl, Head of Strategy & Digitalization, OMV
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Jane Wanger, Global Procurement Systems & Support bei KSB
„apsolut not only guided us through the project with the utmost professionalism and a proactive approach – the decisive factor was that apsolut enabled us to operate the new tool independently and to manage the next steps ourselves. apsolut’s employees quickly familiarised themselves with our system and processes, which made it easier for us to achieve the project goals within the given timeframe. I would also like to praise their flexibility in adapting to changes and their flexibility in implementation, with clear communication and excellent project management. We look forward to benefiting from this expertise more often.”
Zinah Matar, Digital Business Development Manager, Juffali Commercial Vehicles
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Michael Spiess, Chief Procurement Officer, Sanitas Krankenversicherung
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Felipe Antunes Miranda, Global IT Category Manager and Project Manager, Archroma
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Torsten Enseroth, SAP S/4HANA Solution Architect, Friedhelm Loh Group
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Armin Kaczmarek, Senior Vice President Corporate Purchasing, Vorwerk
"apsolut impressed us in our project , particularly because of the open and cooperative partnership. The project team gets on very well with each other. But we were also impressed by the solution-oriented approach and the fast and efficient enablement of our support staff!"
Annette Römer, Project Manager at McKesson Europe
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Stefan Ehrhardt, Head of SAP Governance Purchasing, MAHLE
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Sarah Eve Wiedemann-Geiß, who oversees purchasing and supplier management at Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall
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Thomas Henzler, Chief Information Officer, PILLER Blowers & Compressors
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All team members have done a great job, I have rarely worked so well with a consulting firm!"
Steffen Bauer, Project Manager, BITZER
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Sandra Mancino, Application Consultant, C&A
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