Automotive and SAP: How Leading Manufacturers Are Simplifying Complexity to Move Faster.
Getting the Most Out of SAP in an Industry That Never Slows Down
A Neptune Talks episode on why automotive companies are rethinking their SAP extension strategy, and what a unified execution layer means for manufacturers under pressure to innovate.
In this episode of Neptune Talks, we explore how automotive organizations can break free from fragmented IT landscapes and turn SAP into a true platform for operational speed and scale.
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Youtube
The Hidden Cost of Extension Sprawl
Automotive is an industry defined by constant change. Shorter innovation cycles, volatile supply chains, increasing software content in vehicles, and mounting regulatory pressure are forcing manufacturers to move faster than ever. Yet the IT landscapes supporting these operations often tell a different story.
SAP remains the operational backbone for most automotive companies. But over time, the surrounding application layer has become fragmented: extensions built outside the core, disconnected tools, partially digitized processes, and workarounds that made sense once but now slow everything down. In some organizations, up to 60% of ongoing IT costs come from maintaining these external extensions alone.
What You Will Hear
- Why fragmented SAP landscapes are one of the biggest barriers to automotive transformation
- How historically grown IT architectures create hidden complexity and cost
- What the SAP execution layer means in practice, and why it matters for manufacturing
- How to digitize shop floor, logistics, and maintenance processes without adding architectural debt
- Real-world examples from Volkswagen Sachsen, Daimler Trucks, and Safran
- Why consolidating extensions inside the SAP context accelerates innovation across plants and regions
- How leading manufacturers are achieving rapid platform development and fully digital production
- The shift from adding more tools to simplifying the architecture
