Innovation is part of the DNA of technology company Barco. With 3,200 employees spread across 29 countries worldwide, however, it’s no easy task to streamline and accelerate that innovative dynamic. That was exactly the objective of a digital transformation project guided by and carried out in collaboration with SAP technology partner Expertum.
Barco is an international market leader in visualization and image processing. The company is known for its cinema projectors, its ClickShare wireless presentation system for meeting rooms, and its imaging technology for control rooms and hospitals. To increase its pace of innovation, boost internal collaboration, and become more customer-focused, Barco decided to convert its ERP system to a cloud-based platform.
Chief Digital & Information Officer Philippe Verlinde explains: “We wanted to take our digital transformation to the next level. Our goal is to leverage data and technology to make the company more competitive. The main priorities of the project were to harmonize and, where possible, automate our processes, improve the quality of our data, and modernize our employees’ workplace. By investing in an upgrade of our SAP environment, we also wanted to lay the foundation for faster, data-driven decision-making.”
End-to-End Process Optimization
Barco called on consulting company Expertum, its partner for the past 10 years, to implement SAP Cloud ERP (private).
“We needed to convert the existing SAP system. That was a large and complex project because Barco operates globally and has many integrations with operational processes in its factories,” says Senior Project Manager Cindy Huyghens. “The biggest challenge was to map all processes and convince all teams of the benefits of a unified system. Only then could we optimize processes end-to-end. We devoted a lot of attention to project management and took a pragmatic approach to integrate as many needs and requirements as possible into the new platform.”
Bert Vanstechelman, CEO of Expertum, adds:
“In SAP Cloud ERP (private), you can easily and quickly activate new functionalities – including AI-powered ones. The choice for a cloud-based ERP system is almost self-evident today. SAP Cloud ERP (private) is future-proof. Because it’s cloud-based, it’s easy to activate new features rapidly, such as artificial intelligence applications. This offers great potential to experiment with innovation and to continuously optimize business processes. All of this will help Barco achieve its growth ambitions in the coming years.”
Live in Less Than a Year
The project took 10 months to complete.
“Thanks to the combination of Barco’s internal team and our technical and functional expertise, we were able to successfully complete this project in a very short time,” says Vanstechelman.
“The go-live was an exciting moment,” adds Cindy Huyghens. “Because there are so many integrations, there could have been an impact on customers or production processes. But it went remarkably smoothly. Thanks to three weeks of extensive testing – over 1,500 scenarios were run by IT and business users – most bugs were resolved before the system went live. That really paid off.”
Philippe Verlinde emphasizes:
“We now have a digital backbone that connects our internal business processes, our data, and our innovations.”
A Digital Backbone
Special attention was also given to training users. After all, such a strategic investment stands or falls with employee motivation to fully embrace the new system.
“We chose a train-the-trainer approach,” explains Cindy Huyghens. “Key users were trained and supported with numerous demos so they could train their colleagues. To increase usability, the first Fiori apps were added to the new SAP system to guide users more effectively. We’re now working on integrating Joule Copilot, SAP’s digital assistant, which allows users to ask questions directly. This will help them work more efficiently and focus more on analysis and data-driven decisions.”
The experience with SAP Cloud ERP (private) has been very positive, says Philippe Verlinde:
“At Barco, we particularly appreciate the increased transparency of our processes. It has become a kind of digital backbone that connects our internal processes, data, and innovations. We’re now better able to identify bottlenecks and see opportunities for further optimization. As a result, our operations have become more reliable, more scalable, and – most importantly – ready for the future. This digital transformation enables us to automate further, expand, and tap into new markets.”
Charlotte is here to listen.
Get in touch with her.
Charlotte is based in Belgium.
