Shawn Byers
61 Articles Published
Analytics and AI
SNP Transformation World 2026 – Mandaco’s Stefan Schneider on AI in the M&A Process
Mandaco's Stefan Schneider on AI in M&A, why the human in the loop matters more than ever, and how interpersonal skills define deal success.
ERP Strategy and Planning
SNP Transformation World 2026 – Vibra Energia’s Near-Zero Downtime SAP Migration with Aspen Andersen
Vibra Energia's Aspen Andersen on a selective SAP migration, a 48-hour cut-over with SNP, and why people and culture decide transformation.
Cloud Platform and Technology
SNP Transformation World 2026 – SNP’s Don Mahoney on Kyano, Palantir, and Data Precision
SNP's Don Mahoney on the Kyano platform, Kyano Lorna and Oros, the new Palantir partnership, and why data migration demands 100% precision.
Data and Data Management
SNP Transformation World 2026 – E.ON’s Record S/4HANA Migration of 550+ Companies with Martin Humberg
E.ON's Martin Humberg on the largest S/4HANA project in energy — harmonizing 550+ companies and cutting downtime to two six-hour windows.
Data and Data Management
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – Structify’s Alex Reichenbach on AI for Unstructured Data in M&A
Structify CEO Alex Reichenbach on the SNP joint venture using AI to unlock unstructured data in M&A and preserve divestiture value.
ERP Strategy and Planning
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – Sicredi’s Business-Led SAP Transformation for AI Readiness with Mauricio Serafim
Sicredi's Mauricio Serafim on a business-led SAP migration, navigating Brazil's compliance complexity, and building the data foundation for AI.
ERP Strategy and Planning
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – Arete Global’s Shaik Sikander on SAP Transformation in the Middle East
Arete Global COO Shaik Sikander on the Middle East SAP boom, the new SNP Kyano partnership, and why culture always beats algorithms.
Service Management
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – SAP’s Stefan Steinle on Clean Core and Agentic Support
SAP's Stefan Steinle on why running well in the cloud after go-live matters, the role of Clean Core, and how agentic AI powers preventive support.
ERP Strategy and Planning
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – Sigdo Koppers’ Global S/4HANA Transformation in 19 Countries with Alejandro Reyes
Sigdo Koppers rolled out S/4HANA across 19 countries in 18 months. Alejandro Reyes on speed, team culture, and readiness for a 2030 listing.
Data and Data Management
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – TotalEnergies on Decommissioning Legacy SAP Systems with Aurelien Nourry
TotalEnergies retired 17 legacy SAP systems and halved its data footprint. Aurelien Nourry explains the business case, risk, and AI payoff.
Data and Data Management
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – Sebastian Wernicke: Data-Inspired vs Data-Driven
Author Sebastian Wernicke explains why being data-inspired beats being data-driven, and why culture — not technology — is the real barrier to AI.
Analytics and AI
From SNP Transformation World 2026 – SAP’s Thomas Pfiester on AI as a Growth Accelerator
SAP's Thomas Pfiester explains why AI is a growth accelerator, how clean data powers agentic AI, and why adoption decides transformation success.
ERP Strategy and Planning
SNP Transformation World 2026
ERP Today brings members essential insights from SNP Transformation World 2026, covering SAP S/4HANA migration, AI-ready data, clean core strategies, M&A and business-led transformation.
Financial Management
The ERP Value Gap: The Cost of Disconnected Payment Workflows
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET Disconnected AP workflows are quietly draining ERP value — new research on how payments and integration impact ERP performance Organizations invest in ERP systems to streamline operations, improve visibility, and connect critical...
Financial Management
The ERP Value Gap: The Cost of Disconnected Payment Workflows
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET Disconnected AP workflows are quietly draining ERP value — new research on how payments and integration impact ERP performance Organizations invest in ERP systems to streamline operations, improve visibility, and connect critical...
Financial Management
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance: A Complete ERP for Modern CFOs
This page presents Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance as a complete ERP financial management solution designed to meet complex business needs, integrating processes from accounting and treasury to inventory, operations, and cash optimisation. It emphasises how Dynamics 365 Finance gives CFOs real-time visibility of company finances and project performance, supporting more informed strategic decisions and improved financial control on the Microsoft cloud.
ERP Strategy and Planning
ERP Replace: A Structured Path to Modern ERP
This solution brief presents ERP Replace as a structured way to move from legacy ERP to a modern, cloud-based platform, focusing on speed, risk reduction, and predictable outcomes. It explains how preconfigured baselines, implementation accelerators, and stage-gated governance help organisations manage data, processes, and change more effectively during ERP replacement programmes
Financial Management
Live Webinar: MCP and AI Agents in Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain
This webinar walks through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and shows how AI agents can securely read and act on data in Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain. Attendees see live demos of MCP-driven scenarios, learn practical design tips for safe automation, and get guidance on first steps to experiment with agentic AI in ERP without compromising data quality or auditability.
Financial Management
AI in Finance: Professional Services Take Their First Steps
This article looks at how finance teams in professional services firms are beginning to adopt AI, moving beyond simple automation toward more autonomous, insight-driven operations. It highlights early use cases such as forecasting, reporting, billing, and productivity gains, and outlines practical steps CFOs and finance leaders can take to pilot AI safely while reshaping how their organisations work.
ERP Strategy and Planning
ERP Unlocked: De-Risking and Accelerating Transformation
This article explores how ERP leaders can rethink transformation to both de-risk delivery and accelerate time to value, rather than treating ERP as a slow, high-stakes rebuild. It outlines practical ways to use preconfigured industry baselines, data and integration accelerators, and stage-gated governance so decisions are transparent, auditable, and tied directly to business outcomes.
Financial Management
From Automated Finance to AI-Driven Autonomy
This piece examines the journey from traditional finance automation to AI-powered autonomous operations, outlining how technologies such as machine learning, generative AI, and intelligent agents can take on more of the end-to-end workload. It explores what “autonomous finance” means in practice, the steps needed to modernise processes and data, and how the CFO’s role evolves as finance shifts from manual control to AI-driven decision support.
ERP Strategy and Planning
WEINIG Group Unifies Global ERP on Dynamics 365
WEINIG Group, a leading manufacturer in the wood processing industry, partnered with Hitachi Solutions to consolidate a highly decentralised ERP landscape into one global Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution hosted on Azure. By moving from more than 80 separate ERP systems to a unified platform, WEINIG gained shared financial services, better inventory visibility, and common processes and data to support informed decision-making across its international operations
Financial Management
Linde Engineering Sharpens Project Financials with Dynamics 365
Linde Engineering partnered with Hitachi Solutions to deploy Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Project Operations, modernising how it manages project costs, billing, and revenue. By moving to a cloud-based, project-focused ERP, the engineering business gains clearer visibility into profitability across complex plant projects and a more controlled, consistent approach to financial management.
Digital Commerce
Fenwick Reimagines Department Store Retail with Dynamics 365
Fenwick, an iconic British department store, partnered with Hitachi Solutions to modernise its business using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Commerce and Finance, creating a more connected digital retail experience. By integrating ecommerce, order management, customer data, and financial reporting on a single cloud platform, Fenwick now has better inventory visibility, a unified view of customers, and the agility to evolve its omnichannel offering.
Digital Commerce
END Clothing Elevates Omnichannel Retail with Dynamics 365
END Clothing partnered with Hitachi Solutions to replace legacy retail systems with a modern Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform spanning commerce, finance, and supply chain. The unified cloud solution supports omnichannel experiences across ecommerce and stores, improves stock visibility, and gives END faster, more accurate data to guide growth in luxury fashion retail.
ERP Strategy and Planning
Marabu Builds a Global ERP and CRM Platform on Dynamics 365
Marabu, a leading manufacturer of printing and hobby inks, partnered with Hitachi Solutions to replace fragmented legacy systems with a unified Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform for ERP and CRM. Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, Finance, and Supply Chain are being rolled out across multiple countries, harmonising processes, improving data quality, and creating a scalable foundation for Marabu’s international growth.
CRM and Customer Experience
Clarion Housing Unifies Resident Services on Dynamics 365
Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest social housing provider, worked with Hitachi Solutions to consolidate more than 50 legacy systems into a single Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform for finance and customer engagement. The new cloud-based solution gives Clarion a unified view of residents, simplifies case management, and supports consistent, omnichannel services across its housing operations.
Financial Management
Plastic Energy’s Dynamics 365 Finance Transformation
Plastic Energy, a leader in advanced plastic recycling, partnered with Hitachi Solutions to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance as a cloud-based platform to support rapid global growth. Using Hitachi’s Essentials for Finance accelerator, the team delivered a multinational rollout across ten countries in nine months, enabling standardised processes, faster reporting, and better financial insight for its circular-economy operations.
ERP Strategy and Planning
Enabling The Royal Mint’s Sustainable Precious Metals Programme with Dynamics 365
The Royal Mint partnered with Hitachi Solutions to design and implement a new cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management platform to power its world-first Sustainable Precious Metals programme. The ERP solution tracks e-waste from intake through processing to finished products, supporting circular economy goals while improving agility, data management, and security.
Analytics and AI
AI and Automation in Invoice Processing
Hitachi Construction Machinery America used Microsoft Power Platform AI Builder and Power Automate to automate supplier invoice processing into Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, significantly reducing manual AP effort. By streamlining how invoices are received, read, validated, and posted, the organisation now automatically processes around two-thirds of invoices with near-perfect accuracy.
ERP Strategy and Planning
Rotork Transforms Global ERP and Customer Operations with Microsoft Dynamics 365
Hitachi Solutions has been recognised as the 2025 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance Partner of the Year, highlighting its leadership in delivering innovative ERP and finance transformations on the Microsoft cloud. This recognition showcases the company’s proven expertise in helping customers modernise financial operations, optimise business performance, and realise greater value from Dynamics 365 Finance.
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