IN Brief:
- ebm-papst is standardising source-to-pay processes across multiple global production regions.
- JAGGAER One will support forecasting, RFQs, award scenarios, and SAP-linked sourcing workflows.
- Vendor-managed inventory and capacity queries are planned to stabilise supply planning.
ebm-papst has selected JAGGAER One as its source-to-pay and supplier collaboration platform, as the fan and motor manufacturer moves to digitise purchasing operations across its production footprint. The software will be introduced step by step at sites in Europe, the US, and China, with ebm-papst targeting lower direct and indirect purchasing costs, and reduced end-to-end process costs.
The initial implementation scope covers forecasting and purchase order management, with ebm-papst also planning regular capacity queries to support production planning and cost control. Over time, the company intends to expand supplier participation in inventory control through vendor-managed inventory (VMI) and forecasting processes, shifting replenishment decisions closer to consumption signals, and reducing the lag between demand changes and stock response.
“Our primary goal is to make supply chains even more robust in order to avoid production downtime at all costs. We also want to use JAGGAER to reduce material inventories and thus significantly lower our storage costs,” said Alexander Käss, Director of SCM at ebm-papst.
Alongside planning and purchasing execution, ebm-papst is looking to reduce administrative load in direct-material sourcing by formalising RFQ creation and evaluation. Under the planned workflow, RFQs can be created via dynamic templates and data libraries, drawing from material master data held in SAP systems. Quote comparison is structured through cost breakdown formats that separate material, manufacturing, and logistics components, allowing procurement teams to test alternative award scenarios beyond unit price. The platform is also expected to bring risk and sustainability inputs into those scenarios, and then feed agreed terms and conditions back into SAP once a sourcing event is complete.
The programme includes a data quality step intended to reduce friction as multiple SAP landscapes are connected into a single procurement layer. Prior to rollout, ebm-papst used BearingPoint’s Data Quality Navigator (DQN) to improve master data quality, targeting duplicates, errors, and inconsistencies that can degrade automated sourcing, analytics, and downstream execution. JAGGAER is positioning that cleanup work as foundational for procurement automation, including agent-based support for routine purchasing activity.
“The better the database, the better our assistants and AI agents can subsequently relieve the procurement teams of routine tasks. To do this, they create order proposals, communicate with suppliers for standard inquiries, or check for discrepancies between orders and data along the delivery chain,” said Bob O’Leary, SVP Europe at JAGGAER. “Cleaning up the data was all the more important because ebm-papst uses different SAP systems worldwide, whose information will flow into JAGGAER One.”
For ebm-papst, the choice sits against a sizeable global operating base. The company reports sales of €2.1bn in its 2024/25 fiscal year, with around 13,500 employees across 25 production sites and a network of international sales offices. With procurement spanning multiple regions and system variants, the rollout is designed to pull sourcing, supplier engagement, and purchasing execution into a more consistent operating model.
“BearingPoint and JAGGAER already demonstrated a deep understanding of the process during the selection process. With these strong partners and JAGGAER One, we can advance our goal of globally standardized procurement processes,” said Martin Wagener, Vice President Purchasing at ebm-papst.
