SAP Business ByDesign Implementation for a Global Automotive Technology Leader Across Five Countries

At a glance

Tarento implemented SAP Business ByDesign (SAP ByD) for a global automotive technology leader headquartered in Sweden, supporting the formation and ERP go-live of a new dedicated software entity in Sweden, Romania, and China, while simultaneously adjusting existing SAP ByD processes in the United States and Germany. The full implementation, covering Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay, Record-to-Report, project management, travel and expenses, bank integrations via SAP Cloud Platform Integration, and Intelligent Supplier Invoice Scanning, went live and stable across all five countries within nine months.

---

About the project: a new legal entity, a new ERP, and five countries in parallel

The client is a worldwide leader in automotive technology, headquartered in Sweden, with a team of 7,500 people. The company designs, develops, and manufactures software, hardware, and systems for Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Collaborative and Automated Driving, working with technologies including vision systems, radar, Lidar, thermal sensing, electronic controls, and human-machine interface for vehicle manufacturers across the globe.

The company was establishing a new, dedicated software unit to develop the complete perception and drive policy software stack for autonomous and safe driving solutions. Setting up a legal entity at pace across multiple jurisdictions requires an ERP platform to be in place from day one. The project began before the new company had fully formed.

---

The challenge: ERP go-live in parallel with company formation across three jurisdictions

The implementation brief was constrained from the start by timing and geography.

The new software entity had to be operational in Sweden, Romania, and China. Each country required country-specific legal and financial localisation. At the same time, the existing SAP ByD environment used by the group in the United States and Germany needed process adjustments to accommodate the new entity's structure. Three forming, two adjusting, all running concurrently.

Three constraints defined the engagement:

• The ERP had to go live in step with company formation, not after it, meaning project timelines were tied to legal and corporate milestones outside Tarento's direct control.
• Localisation for Sweden, Romania, and China required distinct legal, tax, and financial configurations, each with its own compliance requirements.
• Process continuity in the US and Germany had to be maintained throughout, with no disruption to the existing SAP ByD environment during the adjustment work.

---

Why Tarento: SAP ByD capability and an established track record in Sweden

The client's choice of partner was shaped by specificity. SAP Business ByDesign implementations at this scale, across multiple countries and running in parallel with entity formation, require a team that has done it before.

Tarento brought direct SAP ByD implementation experience in Sweden, depth in enterprise cloud ERP architecture, and familiarity with the client's operational context. The SAP Launch methodology, Tarento's structured approach to scoping and delivery sequencing, and the team's cross-country configuration experience positioned Tarento as the right fit for a project with compressed timelines and zero tolerance for go-live delay.

What Tarento delivered

Process implementation across all five countries:

• Order-to-Cash (O2C) covering the full sales and revenue cycle
• Procure-to-Pay (P2P) for supplier management and purchasing
• Record-to-Report covering General Ledger and Asset Accounting (RTR: GL, AA)
• Project Management module for time reporting
• Travel and expenses management

Integration and compliance:

• Bank integrations configured with SAP Cloud Platform Integration (SAP CPI) as middleware, connecting financial systems to bank channels across all five countries
• Intelligent Supplier Invoice Scanning implemented to reduce manual processing in accounts payable
• Role-based access controls configured to enforce Segregation of Duties (SOD) across the new entity
• Enterprise reporting requirements and third-party integrations scoped and delivered

The SAP Launch implementation methodology was applied throughout, providing structured milestones, fit-gap assessment against SAP ByD's standard processes, and a repeatable configuration approach that could be applied sequentially across country rollouts without rework.

---

Technology stack: SAP Business ByDesign and SAP CPI

The implementation ran on SAP Business ByDesign, SAP's cloud ERP platform for mid-size and fast-growing enterprises, chosen for its built-in country localisation capabilities, which removed the need for custom legal configuration in each of the five countries. SAP Cloud Platform Integration served as the middleware layer for bank connectivity, providing standardised integration between SAP ByD's financial modules and external banking systems across jurisdictions.

---

Impact: five countries live within nine months

SAP ByD went live and has remained stable across all five countries: Sweden, Romania, China, the United States, and Germany.

The nine-month timeline to full multi-country go-live reflects both the pace the business required and the delivery discipline the project demanded. Key outcomes from the implementation include:

• A fully operational ERP environment for the new software entity, in place from the point of company formation rather than trailing it.
• Bank integrations active across all five countries, with SAP CPI handling the middleware layer between SAP ByD and external financial institutions.
• A measurable reduction in manual effort for the Accounts Payable team through the Intelligent Supplier Invoice Scanning solution, removing a significant proportion of manual invoice processing from the workflow.
• Role-based access controls enforcing SOD across the new entity, meeting internal audit and compliance requirements from go-live.
• Employee self-service for expense reimbursement, integrated directly with finance, reducing administrative overhead and improving processing speed.

---

Why this case study matters

SAP Business ByDesign implementations that run in parallel with legal entity formation are not standard engagements. The timelines are compressed, the dependencies extend beyond the project team, and the margin for delay is close to zero because the ERP is required before the business can operate.

Tarento's delivery on this engagement reflects the combination that makes it effective in these situations: structured methodology, prior country-specific SAP ByD experience, and the ability to hold multiple configuration tracks simultaneously without quality dropping on any one of them. The same capability applies to any organisation standing up new entities at speed, whether driven by acquisition, market entry, or structural separation.

---

Explore Tarento's SAP Ecosystem services and ERP & Application Management practice.