The “CoE Insights” column focuses on first-line practices within the UNITED VARS alliance. We invite global members to share the latest changes and deep reflections on Centers of Excellence (CoEs), continuously observing and recording key issues and cutting-edge trends that are reshaping global project delivery.
In this issue, we invited Alexander Herfort, Managing Director of UNITED VARS, to recount the decade-long evolution of the CoE from an insider’s perspective. From initial product experience sharing to a cross-continental global cooperation network, and now to the new wave of transformation brought by AI, this path outlines the complete trajectory of a global SAP partner ecosystem reaching maturity.
This realization paved the way for our partnership.
UNITED VARS stands for United Value Added Resellers. While the name is descriptive, the concept is perhaps best understood through an analogy to the aviation industry.
If you are a frequent business traveler, you are likely familiar with the Star Alliance, SkyTeam, or Oneworld. When you book a transcontinental flight, there may be three or four different airlines handling various legs of the journey, yet you experience a seamless trip. This continuity relies on unified service standards and mature coordination mechanisms.
The logic of UNITED VARS is similar. Our core intention in establishing this ecosystem was to solve the “gap” problem frequently encountered by multinational customers when using SAP products: ensuring that whenever a customer enters a new market, they can access localized professional capabilities through a single point of entry.
Connecting the channels was only the first step. The deeper challenge the alliance has faced is how to guarantee the quality of collaboration. UNITED VARS’ strength lies in having leading local partners in each country. However, if every project relies solely on “specific individuals and personal experience,” capabilities become difficult to replicate, and the alliance’s scale advantage cannot be fully realized. We realized we needed a mechanism to precipitate years of implementation experience into standard methodologies while continuously driving innovation.
About ten years ago, we established the first Center of Excellence (CoE) around the SAP product suite. Initially, it functioned more as a collaborative platform composed of senior practice leaders from member companies, focusing on aligning delivery methods for specific projects.
As the complexity of multinational projects increased, this practice-driven coordination evolved into systematic capability building. Today, UNITED VARS has formed seven Centers of Excellence covering core business and practice-oriented fields:
Cloud ERP CoE: One of the earliest and most central CoEs, focusing on SAP Business ByDesign and S/4HANA practices.
BTP (Business Technology Platform) CoE
Customer Experience CoE
Human Capital Management (HCM) CoE
Marketing CoE
Customer Success CoE
Global Shared Services CoE
The Cloud ERP CoE remains the heart of the system. It has witnessed the alliance’s journey from early collaboration to systematic development, growing from 5 original members to approximately 20 today, making it one of the most active and influential CoEs in the alliance.
Breaking Ground in Regulated Industries: The Life Sciences CoE This year, we are launching the Life Sciences CoE. Life sciences is a highly regulation-driven industry where drug approval processes, GxP compliance, data integrity, and patient privacy protection set extremely high standards for systems and delivery.
A delivery model relying on a single country’s experience is difficult to replicate stably in multinational projects. By leveraging the UNITED VARS global network, this new CoE will integrate mature practices in regulatory compliance, quality systems, and validation methods from different countries, systematically reducing uncertainty and trial-and-error costs in global projects.
V. From “Technical Feasibility” to “Business Value”: New Collaborative Requirements Driven by AI
Simultaneously, AI is triggering a new wave of change. In March of this year, at the Cloud ERP CoE Innovation Summit hosted by Acloudear (司享), AI became the central topic of discussion.
A clear consensus has emerged: AI is no longer a module driven solely by technical teams; it requires deep collaboration between business and technology. AI no longer exists as an independent function but is gradually being embedded into core business processes. This requires CoEs to not only continue precipitating methodologies but also to establish broader coordination mechanisms across roles and regions, ensuring that business and technology reach a consensus within the same framework.
The formation of these capabilities is inseparable from members translating local experience into sharable assets. For instance, Acloudear (司享), with its deep roots in the Chinese market, has accumulated extensive first-line delivery experience in manufacturing, cross-border logistics, and complex globalization scenarios. This experience is continuously introduced into the alliance to contribute to the co-creation of methodologies.
Looking toward the next decade, the focus of UNITED VARS remains on two things: maintaining a stable foundation for cooperation and continuously improving cross-regional synergy efficiency. Our value is built on long-term trust and sharing—coordinated customer resources, complementary talent, and the continuous accumulation of project practices. This “distributed yet unified” structure allows the alliance to maintain local responsiveness while providing a consistent global delivery experience.
About the Speaker:
Alexander Herfort
Managing Director, UNITED VARS Responsible for driving strategic initiatives for UNITED VARS, Alexander has a solid background in international SAP consulting and business development with over 20 years of experience across multiple industries and global project environments.
Q1: How does the alliance solve the “gap” issue frequently faced by multinational enterprises during SAP implementation? A: The core lies in establishing unified service standards and global coordination mechanisms. Through a global SAP alliance like UNITED VARS, enterprises gain a single point of entry for worldwide support and leverage “Centers of Excellence (CoEs)” to access standardized, repeatable methodologies, ensuring consistent delivery quality across different countries.
Q2: What are the primary difficulties of multinational ERP delivery in highly regulated industries like Life Sciences? A: The main challenges involve complex compliance requirements, such as GxP standards, rigorous drug approval processes, and data integrity. Relying on a single country’s experience cannot meet global standards. The dedicated Life Sciences CoE integrates global regulations and validation methods to reduce risks and costs.
Q3: What new requirements does AI technology place on global ERP delivery and the CoEs? A: AI requires a shift from “technical feasibility” to “deep business integration.” CoEs must upgrade their synergy mechanisms to break down barriers between technology and business, establishing a consensus framework across larger cross-regional areas to ensure AI technology finds a consistent implementation path globally.
About Acloudear
As an SAP Platinum Partner, 2020 Pinnacle Award Winner, and United VARs member, Acloudear specializes in SAP Cloud ERP solutions. Powered by the twin engines of “AI + Globalization,” we deliver one-stop cloud solutions—from process reconstruction to AI innovation—for over 300 customers across industries like Automotive, High-Tech, and Life Sciences. Acloudear is a pioneer in China’s cloud-native services. By combining SAP Best Practices with our unique “1+X” innovation matrix, we reshape corporate digital DNA and empower enterprises to unlock the full potential of the cloud. Our commitment to excellence has earned us multiple recognitions as the SAP Best Cloud Partner.
This article "CoE Insights | Turning Experience into Standards: A Decade of Evolution for the UNITED VARS CoE" by AcloudEAR. We focus on business applications such as cloud ERP.
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