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 could offer 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

Opting for Option A - a prebuilt solution with moderate customizations - may result in significant dependency on a third-party vendor, potentially limiting the ability to fully tailor the application to Syensqo’s specific business requirements, and increasing both implementation costs and ongoing maintenance expenses. Therefore, 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, for example via the configuration menu or utilise Neptune low-code support, which can be expanded and enhanced to fit in the Syensqo specific business requirements. 

Constraints

While choosing full in-house development for the Neptune-based mobility solution is strategically sound, it may present certain constraints and challenges. These challenges are not necessarily unique to the in-house approach; but could also arise with off-the-shelf partner solutions, although in different forms and degrees.

• Scalability and Maintainability Constraints

Although Neptune applies the latest Fiori UI5 versions and fully mobile Fiori UX compliant, the full in-house developments may not scale well or be maintainable over time without a proper governance model. It is important to create a development governance board to prioritize features, establish the design principles and version control for app development and testing, such as using modular and loosely coupled architecture, follow the clean coding principles and SAP's recommended extensibility practices. This will ensure the in-house development code quality and build a robust mobility solution.

• Project Timeline Constraints

SyWay program involves both the core S/4HANA transition and end-to-end process reengineering. In parallel, the development of the Neptune-based mobile applications will proceed as a separate but closely linked workstream. This parallel execution increases the complexity of coordination, particularly in areas such as integration testing, user training, and change management. Additionally, any design changes within the core S/4HANA program may have downstream impacts on the handheld application design. 

To mitigate these risks, it is essential to establish an integrated project plan that clearly defines interdependencies and coordination points between workstreams. This includes aligning on shared milestones such as test cycles, integration checkpoints, and readiness gates to ensure consistency and alignment throughout the program lifecycle.

• Resource & Skills Constraints

In-house development requires the project team to have the necessary skills and resources. Without proper planning and prioritization, key teams such as development, QA, and SAP functional resources may become overstretched during the transition. To mitigate this risk, it is essential to establish a dedicated sub-team focused on the mobility solution, prioritize high-impact use cases, and phase the delivery accordingly. Additionally, creating a centralized repository for shared design documents will promote alignment across teams. Cross-training SAP and mobile application developers on basic integration principles can also help reduce reliance on a small group of specialists and foster stronger cross-functional collaboration. 

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. 

• 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

By choosing the full in-house developments option, the implementation team must be carefully structured and resourced to handle both technical and functional complexities, while aligning with the overall program.

• Skill & Expertise Requirements

Both SAP functional and technical expertise will be required, for example, the functional expertise on SAP IM/EWM/Handling Unit/Serial Number Management etc, the Neptune platform expertise on App design with SAPUI5/Fiori principles and backend integration via ABAP and OData etc., the integration / middleware expertise on SAP gateway, OData publishing, and interfacing mobile apps with printers and scanners, as well as mobility & UX expertise on UX design following Fiori guidelines etc.

 Here is a role and responsibilities matrix to consider.

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. Requires careful design and ongoing monitoring.	Scalability can be tailored to business needs Easier and quicker to improve the performance issues if any since Syensqo will have complete control of both front and back end.
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. Custom process changes may require vendor involvement, potentially leading to increased timelines and costs.	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	More rigid on security control and need to rely on the partner solution security control capability.	Better control over security policies and internal access protocols compared to vendor-hosted apps.
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