How Does The SmartOps Acquisition Fit Into SAP’s SCM Business?

-20.98%
Downside
195
Market
154
Trefis
SAP: SAP logo
SAP
SAP

Quick Take

     

  • SAP is the market leader in supply chain management (SCM) solutions with nearly 25% market share
  • The worldwide SCM market for 2013 is worth nearly $9 billion
  • SAP has been growing its market share through acquisitions such as Ariba and SmartOps
  • SmartOps uses predictive algorithms in its SCM solutions and will be integrated with SAP HANA
  • This integration will enable SAP to provide real-time SCM solutions

SAP (NYSE:SAP) is the global leader in supply chain management software and currently commands close to 25% of the $9 billion market. In 2011, it had nearly 20% of the market but has been growing inorganically with acquisitions such as Ariba. It acquired Ariba in 2012 for $4.51 billion, and at the time of acquisition, Ariba had nearly 5% of the market. It followed up this acquisition by acquiring SmartOps, a leading provider of inventory and service level optimization software.

SmartOps is a developer of sophisticated algorithms that use predictive analytics to help manage the complexity of global multi-stage supply chains. SAP claims that SmartOps’ predictive algorithms will be further enhanced by its HANA platform and plans to integrate these technologies to create a real-time SCM system. [1]

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Check out our complete analysis for SAP

Real Time SCM Will Drive SCM And Analytics

SmartOps’ algorithmic approach to SCM and popular products such as its Inventory Optimization Suite will be enhanced by SAP HANA, SAP’s in-memory analytics platform and this will allow consumers to process high volumes of data in real time. This will enable SAP to deliver its existing SCM sales and operations offerings with real-time processing capabilities, which is likely to drive SCM sales. SAP will also benefit from products such as SmartOps’ Enterprise Demand Sensing, a cloud-based analytics solution, which will be integrated into SAP’s Demand Signal Management software.

We currently have a $73 Trefis price estimate for SAP, which is about 10% below than the current market price.

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Notes:
  1. SAP Acquires SmartOps, www.news-sap.com, Feb 22, 2012 []