Latest news with #PascalCoubard
Techday NZ
11 hours ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
APAC leaders show lowest AI confidence but see steady ROI gains
Business leaders across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region display lower levels of confidence in their organisations' ability to use artificial intelligence (AI) effectively compared to counterparts in other global regions, according to the 2025 Celonis AI Process Optimisation Report. The report, based on a survey of 1,620 global business leaders with a quarter of respondents from APAC and 10% from Australia, highlights that just 82% of APAC executives feel confident in their ability to leverage AI to drive business value. This figure represents the lowest confidence level among the surveyed regions, trailing the United States, where 92% express confidence. Despite this confidence gap, AI adoption in APAC is making measurable progress. Seventy percent of business leaders in the region indicate that their current AI investments are delivering the return on investment expected, a result only slightly behind the US (82%) and ahead of Europe (69%). "The data shows that APAC is not lagging in capability, but more so in confidence," said Pascal Coubard, APAC Lead at Celonis. "AI has no borders. Businesses in Australia and across the region shouldn't see their geography as a disadvantage. The real ROI from AI will come when companies apply it to the operational core of their business, not just on the surface, but across processes like payments, collections, and supply chain execution." The research found high awareness of generative AI (GenAI) globally, with 81% of business leaders now utilising foundational GenAI models for functions such as developer productivity, knowledge management, and customer service. GenAI-powered chatbots or virtual assistants have been deployed by 61% of surveyed organisations worldwide. The United States leads with 75% adoption, followed by APAC at 63% and Europe at 57%. While these use cases are expanding, most organisations see themselves in the early stages of integrating AI. Sixty-four percent of leaders surveyed globally believe AI will generate significant return on investment in the coming year, while nearly three quarters (74%) plan to increase their AI budgets. Expectations are rising with this investment, and 73% of companies are aiming to launch department-specific AI use cases. Process intelligence concerns Confidence in the potential of AI is moderated by process challenges. More than half (58%) of business leaders surveyed feel that the current state of their processes may restrict the benefits AI can deliver, with nearly a quarter (24%) expressing strong agreement on this point. A large majority (89%) state that effective AI deployment requires a deep understanding of organisational processes — described as 'process context.' "Leaders recognise that you can't optimise what you don't understand," said Coubard. "They're increasingly aware that process visibility and intelligence are essential for unlocking the full value of enterprise AI." In APAC, these concerns are particularly pronounced. Sixty-two percent of APAC leaders express worry over a lack of process understanding potentially limiting AI success. This is higher than the figures reported in Europe (60%) and the US (55%). Ninety-three percent of US leaders say AI requires detailed operational context to reach its potential, the highest proportion of any region surveyed. Process mining and departmental perspectives To tackle process visibility challenges, businesses are increasingly turning to process mining technologies. Thirty-nine percent of companies now use process mining, with over half (52%) planning to adopt such tools in the next 12 months. This technology underpins process intelligence initiatives, aiming to provide the context AI systems require. The report notes that confidence in AI varies across organisational departments. Process and Operations leaders are the most confident in current AI use cases (76%), closely followed by Finance & Shared Services (75%), IT (73%), and Supply Chain (68%). However, only 61% of Supply Chain leaders believe AI will deliver significant return on investment in the next year, compared to 66% in Process & Operations and in IT. Year ahead The survey's findings point to 2025 as a pivotal period for enterprise AI. Business leaders are set to increase investment and seek refined strategies to pair AI with appropriate process context, using technologies such as process intelligence to underwrite these efforts. "AI isn't just a tech upgrade, it's a new operating model," said Coubard. "But to maximise the ROI of their AI deployments, businesses need AI powered with the process knowledge and business context provided by Celonis Process Intelligence."
Techday NZ
19-06-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Thyssenkrupp boosts supply chain with Celonis AI technology
Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has adopted process mining technology from Celonis to enhance transparency and efficiency across its global supply chain operations. Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, one of Europe's largest packaging steel manufacturers, supplies 400 customers in over 80 countries from its German production facility, the largest of its kind worldwide. The site relies on more than 300 interconnected systems, creating significant operational complexity. In response to rising demands within the steel industry and to maintain a competitive edge, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has prioritised digitalisation and process optimisation, with a specific focus on driving supply chain performance. Over the past three years, the company has partnered with Celonis to optimise its supply chain processes through artificial intelligence (AI) and process intelligence solutions. As a result, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has built a data-driven, connected supply chain, which enables proactive risk management, enhanced delivery reliability, and optimisation of critical operations. "Before Celonis we had limited visibility into our supply chain which made it difficult to react quickly to supply disruptions. Now, we have a real-time overview of our processes, allowing us to manage risks proactively, reduce excess inventory, and improve our delivery reliability. This enables us to make better strategic decisions and ensures seamless production planning," said Dr Michael Pullen, CFO of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein. The implementation of Celonis technology highlights the complexity of the company's operations and its efforts to leverage process visibility for tangible business benefits. Celonis' Managing Director DACH, Florian Schewior, commented on the partnership's impact for customers managing large-scale supply chains. "Our partnership with thyssenkrupp Rasselstein highlights how Celonis helps companies turn complex, fragmented supply chains into intelligent, connected ecosystems," said Florian Schewior. "By embedding AI and process intelligence into the fabric of supply operations, our customers stay agile, can better master disruptions and run more resilient, efficient value chains." Celonis' APAC Lead, Pascal Coubard, noted the broader applicability of the approach, particularly in resource-rich regions. "Digitisation helps companies make their processes more efficient and in today's dynamic environment that is vitally important," said Pascal Coubard. Using Celonis, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has constructed a digital twin of its supply chain, integrating data from thyssenkrupp Steel Europe with its own production planning systems. This approach provides all stakeholders with a single data source for actionable insights. The solution is currently operational across more than ten processes and supports over 50 use cases, including procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, inventory management, warehouse operations, and accounts receivable activities. The company has achieved several measurable improvements since deployment, such as proactive prevention of material shortages, improved delivery accuracy, optimal safety stock levels, and a substantial savings potential in working capital through effective inventory and financial management. A key feature of the new system is the use of Celonis Action Flows to automate routine supply chain tasks, such as purchase order creation, increasing efficiency and allowing staff to focus on strategic priorities. AI integration and daily operations Artificial intelligence now plays a significant role in thyssenkrupp Rasselstein's optimisation efforts. Employees use an AI-powered Celonis Copilot to access and interpret data using natural-language queries, supporting faster, more accessible decision-making without reliance on advanced analytical expertise. On the production floor, a Celonis Process Copilot provides near-real-time visibility into the status of production materials, further supporting operational agility. The application of AI extends to minimising waste from unsold materials. The Celonis AI Annotation Builder identifies optimal customers for potentially excess materials, incorporates human-in-the-loop validation, and uses the Orchestration Engine to generate structured email offers to customers. Customer responses are tracked and analysed for continuous improvement. This combined use of AI and process orchestration has established systems that support prompt responses to market changes and data-driven decision-making throughout the organisation.
