11.02.2020
Process payments economically and efficiently
Companies can save a lot of money by using SAP Bank Communication Management (BCM). Not only can payments be processed faster and more efficiently, transaction fees at the banks can also be saved. In the course of the implementation, the existing bank accounts can also be consolidated and restructured if necessary. In recent months, BDF EXPERTS has gained a great deal of experience in implementing SAP BCM and has successfully introduced it for three different customers.
The projects at a glance
Introduction at a food manufacturer in the sugar industry
The introduction of SAP Bank Communication Management was piloted at the Belgian subsidiary of the food manufacturer. According to SAP, BDF EXPERTS carried out the pilot project for an SAP BCM implementation in Belgium. A particular challenge here was not only the technical implementation, but also the reorganisation of the customer's banking landscape. With a view to upcoming rollouts to Germany and other countries in 2020, the aim was to only communicate with banks that accept ISO 20022 payment formats such as SEPA and CGI in future. Over the course of the project, it was possible to reduce the number of house banks and payment channels and thus save costs. BDF EXPERTS solved the communication with the banks by using SWIFT via SAP Multi Bank Communication (SAP MBC). In this case, the payment sources were SAP F110 (OP debtors/creditors) and SAP F111 (Treasury, Inhouse Cash, Free Form Payments). The decentralised SAP HR system was also to be used as an additional payment source during the rollout. For the connection to the centralised Bank Communication Management, BDF used the specially developed "BCM Gateway" software, which uses ALE technology (IDOC) for tap-proof communication.
Introduction at a tool manufacturer near Stuttgart
The tool manufacturer's existing financial processes were not to be affected by the implementation of centralised bank communication management. The decision was therefore made to introduce a centralised new SAP S/4HANA system. BDF solved the communication between the tool manufacturer's productive system and the new S/4HANA system by implementing the "BCM Gateway" software developed in-house. The decentralised HR system and external tax offices were connected to the S/4HANA system in the same way. To meet compliance requirements, BDF developed an additional approval, encryption and anonymisation mechanism for the transfer of files. During the course of the project, the customer's existing banking landscape was also reorganised in order to use only ISO 20022 payment formats in future and to serve significantly fewer banks. An EBICS channel is used as the communication channel to the banks. The payment sources are SAP F110 (OP debtors/creditors), SAP F111 (Treasury, Inhouse Cash, Free Form Payments) and SAP HR.
Introduction at a large brewery group
The introduction of SAP Bank Communication Management was intended to relieve the brewery group's day-to-day operations. Communication with the banks was to be realised via an EBICS channel. Initially, the brewery group decided in favour of introducing an SAP PI/PO-supported solution. However, this proved to be cumbersome and error-prone during the test phase. Thanks to the transparent project process and results-orientated communication within the project team, the decision was quickly made to switch to another ERP-supported EBICS solution. As a result, the system was successfully implemented within the regular project duration. The payment sources are SAP F110 (OP debtors/creditors) and SAP F111 (Treasury, Inhouse Cash, Free Form Payments)
