Issue

During Conceptual Design phase, it is been endorsed that Syensqo will use Future Neptune-based Solution for essential logistics and warehousing operations via mobility devices, which offers both online and offline capabilities to ensure users can perform daily tasks continuously even during network disruptions.

Potentially, there are two approaches to implementing the solution: Pre-built Applications versus In-house Developments. This KDD seeks to compare these approaches and evaluate the most effective option for the mobility solution.

Recommendation

The recommendation is to adopt Option B: Full In-house Developments, which will be a solution tailored exactly to Syensqo operational processes, and more agile for highly dynamic warehousing and production environments.

Although the full in-house developments may mean longer initial development time, and requires dedicated in-house maintenance resources, but Syensqo can leverage the existing Neptune UI preference, which will reduce the learning curve, help business users reduce the change fatigue, and minimize the operation disruptions. The full in-house developments give Syensqo the full control over features, roadmap, and security, the ability to seamlessly integrate with the custom processes in SAP S/4HANA, and allow faster adjustments when business needs change. 

Syensqo is likely to benefit most from full in-house developments by enhancing and optimizing the current Neptune solution, especially there are many non-standard and potential evolving business operations. However, it might be worth running a small PoC with one off-the-shelf solution provider to evaluate effort vs benefit.

Background & Context

Neptune is a Norwegian company whose Neptune platform is designed to create and deploy mobile applications that interface seamlessly with SAP applications. As a SAP-native solution, Neptune enables efficient integration while minimizing the need for middleware. The platform integrates multiple data sources and environments into a single launchpad or view.

Syensqo has rolled out the Nereid project to selected plants and warehouses. Nereid solution is a Neptune-based mobility solution, which sits on Neptune DX Platform SAP Edition, including a set of business tailored applications which support and manage the site logistics and warehouse operations.  

During the Conceptual Design phase, a decision was made to continue using the Neptune platform with the Future Neptune Solution, which will provide warehouse users with an unified view of both logistics and warehouse management functionalities within the SAP S/4HANA environment. It will not only offer online and offline capabilities to ensure operational continuity, but also minimize change management impacts, facilitating a smooth transition to SAP S/4HANA. More details are described in KDD025 - Mobility Solutions in Logistics and Warehouse Management Processes.

Depending on the future process design, the decision will be made in Detailed Design phase whether to develop highly customized applications in-house or utilize the third-party vendor pre-built applications with reasonable enhancements.

Assumptions

1. The scope of this KDD excludes the mobility solution for Plant Maintenance (PM).
2. Current handheld functionalities may be harmonized to align with the SyWay program principles. However, the future mobility solution must continue to meet all relevant business needs. 
3. This KDD also includes an assessment of the potential vendors offering pre-built Neptune solutions. 
4. Engagement with Neptune or any potential pre-built solution provider will be handled separately from this KDD.  
5. A separate assessment will be carried out to determine the scale of hardware and infrastructure required for sites planned to roll out the future mobility solution. 
6. A review of existing hardware and infrastructure will be conducted separately for sites have already implemented the currently mobility solution.  
7. It is assumed that the third-party Neptune partner solution is augmented, which can be expanded and enhanced to fit in the Syensqo specific business requirements. 

Constraints

Although it is strategically sound to choose full in-house development for the Neptune-based mobility solution, there are constraints and challenges especially during the S/4HANA transition.

• Technical Constraints
  • Process Tuning

The Future Neptune-based Solution needs to align with the SyWay program design, which will introduce changes in the processes, functionalities, as well as role definition and authorizations. The usability of current functionalities need to be assessed and harmonized to fulfill the requirement of To-Be processes. 

• • UI/UX Expectations

Neptune apps need to also follow the latest Fiori design guidelines, which may differ from the current Neptune application behaviors. And the Neptune application performance will need to be tuned under the HANA database.

• • Custom Code Compatibility

Current custom functionalities may be adjusted, removed or harmonized to align with the future design. 

• Project Timeline Constraints

SyWay program involves S/4HANA core migration and process reengineering. The future Neptune-based mobile app redevelopment will run in parallel, which requires parallel workstreams and increases coordination complexity. Plus the mobility development depends on stable S/4HANA backend, including master data, and process flows etc. Any delay in backend designs and configurations may also impact app development timelines. Due to the parallel timeline, the activities such as integration tests, user training and documentation may be squeezed to fit into the full project timeline.

• Resource & Skills Constraints

It could be challenging to In-house Capacity. The development, QA, and SAP functional teams may be stretched thin during the transition. And it could require high workload for business SMEs for validation/testing. It also needs experienced developers who understand both SAP S/4HANA and Neptune (for example UI5 + ABAP integration etc). If resources are limited, development speed and quality can suffer. Also, the pressure for improved UX/performance may raise expectations that require additional effort or design refinement.

Impacts

Going with full in-house mobile developments as part of SAP S/4HANA transition doesn’t only affect the mobility solution itself, but may have broader cross-cutting impacts on other areas of the project, such as the process, integration among different modules and IT landscape etc.

• Process Alignment & Optimization

Heavy involvement are needed from process owners to define/refine logic within Neptune apps, as well as the greater alignment between business and development. The custom apps may preserve existing, non-standard processes rather than adopting S/4HANA best practices.

• Integration with Other SAP Modules

The mobile apps will need to not only be able to handle warehouse related activities, such as goods receipt, goods issue etc. The solution also needs to cater for different warehouse structure, such as IM based or EWM based warehouse, and being able to interact with other function modules such as production material staging and goods receipt, as well as the generic functionalities such as supporting the batch management, printing labels and capturing & validating the serial numbers etc.

• Custom Development Governance

 In-house approach increases custom footprint, which adds to future maintenance effort, and could also mean more regression testing required. In-house developments need strict development standards, code reviews, and versioning standards across Neptune and SAP ABAP. When there are multiple teams involved, it could bring the risks of inconsistency among different teams. From technical perspective, it may increase the complexity of transport coordination between mobile, backend, and middleware (especially during cutover and post-go-live).

• Interfaces and External Systems

Syensqo mobile solution needs to also ensure the in-house mobile logic doesn’t conflict with external system flows, or avoid duplication of functionality such as in 3PL warehouses or MES systems.

Business Rules

• The selected future solution should be implemented to sites where the current mobility solution is already in place.
• To rolled out the solution to other relevant Syensqo sites, the cost-benefit should also be evaluated while considering site-specific conditions/hardware regulations such as explosion and flammability risks. 
• Ensure to have sufficient mobile devices to support the execution of the daily operations and exceptions at sites to implement the future mobility solution.

Options considered

Business Requirements

A study has been conducted on the functionalities of the current Neptune solution. Due to the presence of two SAP instances, there are duplications, overlappings or inconsistencies in some functions. While the existing functionalities serve as the foundation for the business requirements, they need to be harmonized to align with the principles of SyWay program and adapted to meet the evolving business needs. For a detailed overview of current mobile functionalities, refer to section: See also - Overview of Current Handheld Functionalities.xlsx. 

Based on the analysis of current Neptune functionalities and insights gathered from business, to effectively support the logistics and warehouse operations, the Future Neptune-Based Solution should address the business requirements cross process, user experience and technical dimensions, as outlined in the table below.

Option A: Pre-built Solution with Reasonable Customized Developments

Solution Overview

With this option, Syensqo will select a pre-built solution from a third-party partner, and incorporate targeted customized developments to fulfill the specific business requirements in Syensqo.

A third-party pre-built Neptune solution typically includes a suite of ready-to-deploy mobile applications that cover key logistics and warehousing operations, backend integration with SAP S/4HANA, and run Neptune Fiori-style Apps optimized on Android-based industrial handheld devices. 

To fully support the above business requirements, the pre-built solution should also offer the flexibility and capability to be tailored to Syensqo specific needs. The targeted customizations may include:

• Enhancements to pre-built apps (e.g. additional validation or operation logics)

• UI/UX adjustments for improved usability on handheld devices

• Integration with custom Z-processes or Syensqo legacy third-party applications 

• Localization or language support if applicable

Vendor/Partner Engagement

Based on the above requirements, a partner search has been conducted in Neptune Software website, and the following partners are the Neptune official partners who provide the pre-built logistics and warehouse mobility solution based on the Neptune platform. The matrix below presents an overview assessment based on the above business requirements. The complete assessment is provided in section: See also - Neptune - Partner Study.xlsx.

 Option B: Full In-house Developments

Solution Overview

With this option, a Neptune-based mobility solution will be developed as part of the SyWay program. It will integrate seamlessly with SAP S/4HANA to support logistics and warehouse operations, fulfilling key functional and technical requirements.

• In align with SyWay program principles and requirements
• Enable real-time and off-line data capture, validation and access via mobile devices
• Support core logistics and warehouse operations
• Provide an unified entry for end user based on process, such as goods receipt or goods issue, rather than technical objects, such as IM, or EWM
• Utilise current handheld devices
• Leverage the lates technologies, including Neptune DXP (SAP Fiori-based UI) for frontend, OData services or RFCs to connect the mobile UI with the SAP backend, and user authorization via SSO or SAP user credentials
• Support SAP S/4HANA integration with components such as Embedded EWM or TM
• Multilingual support
• Fiori-like responsive UI via Neptune
• Mobile transactions queue management and monitoring report

Implementation Team

Evaluation

	Option A  Pre-built Solution with Reasonable Customized Developments	Option B Full In-house Developments
Function Fit & Customization	Limited customization options, although many pre-built apps offer configuration settings.	High degree of customization, as Syensqo can design the solution to fit your specific requirements.
Scalability	Generally scalable, as they are designed for a wide range of use cases, and may have limitations in extreme scaling scenarios.	Scalability can be tailored to business needs Requires careful design and ongoing monitoring.
User Experience (UX)	Typically follow SAP Fiori UX design principles, which are user-friendly and familiar to users.	Syensqo will have full control over the design and user experience. To achieve a high-quality, intuitive UX may take more time and effort.
Integration with SAP S/4HANA	Out-of-the-box integration with SAP S/4HANA, leveraging standard APIs and predefined processes.	Can be tailored for specific integration needs but may require more development effort and testing to ensure seamless integration with SAP S/4HANA.
Time to Implement	If there are few customization requirements, in general, faster implementation and go-live, as they are ready-to-use with minimal configuration. Product unique skills are required, so will be largely rely on the expertise and availabilities from vendor.	Longer time frame required for design, development, testing, and deployment. Expertise base is much wider and generic. Has less limitation and constraints on the required skills.
Maintenance and Support  (** Country Base, Language etc.)	Regular updates from the vendor or SAP ensure the app stays up to date. Vendor updates may not always align with your timeline.	Syensqo will have full control over updates and maintenance but must allocate internal resources to manage it.
Security
Innovation and Future-Proofing	Likely to be continuously updated by the vendor. Vendor updates may not always align perfectly with your evolving needs.	Flexibility to incorporate new features and innovative technologies. Requires ongoing investment.
Cost Considerations	Initial Investment Licensing and subscription costs. Lower initial cost. On-going Costs Maintenance, updates, support costs. Ongoing fees.	Initial Investment Development costs (including resources, training, infrastructure). Higher initial cost. On-going Costs Maintenance, bug fixing, future upgrades, and resource requirements for ongoing support. Potentially lower long-term maintenance.

See also

Overview of Current Handheld Functionalities.xlsx

Change log

Workflow history