The 2nd annual SAP Automotive Innovation Day, held in Detroit in September 2025, brought together a sold-out crowd to hear from SAP customers about their lessons learned and best practices in their digital transformation journey.
Speakers included:
Ann Funai – CIO, VP Business Platform Transformation – Finance and Operation, IBM
Chris Perry – Consulting Project Manager, IBM
Bill Vetri – Partner, IBM
Robert Oh – Chief Digital and Information Officer, International Motors
Adam Page – Partnership and Alliances, North America, Bosch Global Software Technologies
Raj Singh – VP and Global Chief Information Officer, Visteon Corporation
K. Venkatesh Prasad – Ph.D. Senior VP of Research and Chief Innovation Officer, Center of Automotive Research
Brian Smith – Regional VP, SAP
An evolving landscape in global automotive leadership
After a warm welcome from Brian Smith on behalf of SAP, the session began with the Center of Automotive Research’s CIO, K. Venkatesh Prasad, sharing key insights into the evolving landscape of global automotive leadership.
Specifically addressed were:
- Automation at the pace of AI
- Shifting product mix
- Global industry split: Legacies & “pure” EV OEMs
- Chinese OEMs: Growing global reach
- Adaptation to externalities
The bottom line: To survive and thrive, the automotive supply chain needs to work smarter and faster, and needs to be aware of industry changes in order to be able to adapt quickly. With the expanding reach of Chinese OEMs, it is imperative for the audience to be at the ready.
Key takeaways from IBM and Visteon
IBM: SAP ECC to S/4HANA Hybrid Transformation Approach
While not an auto manufacturer, IBM’s digital transformation fireside chat hit on so many key points: building the right team which often can mean streamlining operations resulting in a reduced headcount, the need to have the right people in the room to ensure cross-collaboration and buy-in from stakeholders across the organization. To really look at the business case first to then determine how technology will be used. While technology is vital to the success, managing people’s expectations and understanding their mode of operation is an integral part that must be addressed for a successful implementation.
Visteon’s Rise with SAP Journey
VP and Global CIO, Raj Singh, shared valuable lessons including:
- Cultural clashes are inherent but can be overcome with lots of communication and strong steering committees.
- Team of global business process owners facilitated success. Global business process owners with local business process owners made a huge impact on success.
- “Office of No” : Reducing customizations is a common goal in system migrations, but it’s often easier said than done. Singh described his role as the “Office of No,” carefully evaluating every customization request that came through his office. Only requests with strong, compelling justifications were approved. This disciplined approach paid off: during their Rise with SAP journey, his team was able to cut hundreds of customizations down to fewer than 50, streamlining processes and simplifying their system landscape.
Other takeaways included:
Robert Oh shared the power of partnering with SAP to move their business forward. While customers may question the value of their partnership with SAP, it has played an important role in their digital transformation journey.
The overall message from speakers was that while digital transformation can be challenging, with the proper team of experts (internal and external) in place, involving business stakeholders, and strong communication channels across the business emphasizing business use cases, success is possible.