Cognex moves to SAP S/4HANA to promote growth and expansion

As a global leader in vision an systems, software, sensors and industrial-grade barcode readers for manufacturing automation, Cognex is dedicated to helping manufacturers get smarter. To support its recent exponential growth, Cognex expanded its product selection into solution and service package offerings. These offerings allowed the company create greater value and promote recurring revenue for customers.

The growing demands of the company were quickly outpacing the existing ERP system. To address these demands, Cognex selected SAP S/4HANA for its ERP for its maturity and stability. SAP S/4 HANA would also provide cross-functional integration to connect all of the business areas to consolidate data and deliver value.

“We made the decision to invest in a world-class platform, but it was step one in a multi-phased project,” says Doug Curren, Senior Director, Business Applications, Cognex. “Having SAP as a foundation means you have a solid bottom floor of the house. You cannot build more floors without that strong base.”

For the integration, Cognex chose Capgemini. Capgemini’s manufacturing experience, SAP credentials, and existing methodologies made for the perfect partner in execution. Following the transition, the S/4HANA applications are hosted on Microsoft Azure. Cognex also utilizes Capgemini’s Cloud Platform (CCP) as their single cloud-management system which helps Cognex leverage the efficiency and agility of these cloud solutions.

“We are a data-driven company, so we are very excited about the opportunities to use the data,” says Curren. “We are already seeing more sophisticated conversations across the business and more employees are seeing the potential value this project can bring. It is exciting to start to build on it and move to the next stage of our IT roadmap.”