Keep your core. Sharpen your edge.
How to be fit-to-standard and fit-to-customer at the same time.
Every enterprise transformation hits the same wall sooner or later: the moment standardization and differentiation feel like opposites.
Fit-to-standard keeps your core clean, scalable, and cost-efficient. But your industry doesn’t compete on clean cores – it competes on speed, precision, and capabilities your standard platform alone cannot deliver. The question isn’t which one to choose. The question is how to run both at once.
September 24, 2026 | 9am (CDT) or 9am (CET) | Online Event
How LEAP 2026 improves your SAP strategy.
The business case for keeping a clean SAP core has never been stronger. Lower TCO, faster upgrades, better compliance – the advantages are well-documented. What’s changed is what’s now possible *on top* of that core.
AI-driven development has fundamentally shifted the economics of enterprise software. Building, adapting, and scaling targeted capabilities now costs a fraction of what it did three years ago. The combination of clean-core discipline and purpose-built industry extensions is no longer a compromise – it’s a competitive strategy.
AI-driven development has fundamentally shifted the economics of enterprise software. Building, adapting, and scaling targeted capabilities now costs a fraction of what it did three years ago. The combination of clean-core discipline and purpose-built industry extensions is no longer a compromise – it’s a competitive strategy.
At the same time, enterprise IT architectures are moving away from monolithic, one-size-fits-all setups. Modular, composable structures are replacing them – designed not just for integration, but for continuous innovation. Organizations that understand this architecture shift are gaining the flexibility to respond to market demands faster without sacrificing stability or governance.
LEAP 2026 brings these two forces together: the enduring strength of fit-to-standard SAP implementations and the sharpening power of fit-to-customer extensions. From prebuilt SAP add-on solutions to AI-enabled process orchestration, you’ll see how leading organizations are doing both – without one undermining the other.
LEAP 2026 brings these two forces together: the enduring strength of fit-to-standard SAP implementations and the sharpening power of fit-to-customer extensions. From prebuilt SAP add-on solutions to AI-enabled process orchestration, you’ll see how leading organizations are doing both – without one undermining the other.
Register.
What to expect.
LEAP is Westernacher Consulting’s annual flagship event for enterprise transformation leaders. Each year, we bring together business executives, IT decision-makers, and SAP experts to explore what’s actually working – not in theory, but in live deployments and concrete customer scenarios.
LEAP 2026 will cover:
The fit-to-standard foundation – Why a clean core remains the right starting point, and how to implement it without locking yourself out of future innovation.
Fit-to-customer extensions – How prebuilt, SAP-native add-on solutions create targeted competitive advantage in supply chain execution, transportation, yard logistics, and planning – without compromising the core.
AI as the accelerant – How dramatically lower application development costs are changing what enterprises can build, how fast, and for how much. What this means for your transformation roadmap.
Architecture for growth – How modular, composable enterprise architectures support innovation, partner integration, and long-term scalability – and what Westernacher’s real-world implementations look like.
Why LEAP.
For over 55 years, Westernacher Consulting has been implementing logistics solutions, and has over 30 years of experience with SAP. LEAP is where we share what we’ve learned from the complexity of global rollouts, from the frontlines of AI adoption, and from organizations that have found a way to stay standard and stay competitive at the same time.
This is not a product showcase. It’s a practitioner’s summit.
The sessions.
The Autonomous Enterprise: At the End of the Hype Cycle.
You must have attended at least one event or webinar recently where you heard terms such as “AI-powered,” “the autonomous enterprise,” “agentic workflows,” or “AI-driven business transformation.” On the main stage, the demos look incredible. We watch critical business processes heal themselves and become orchestrated flawlessly by autonomous agents, while humans step back and comfortably assume the role of the “human in the loop.”
But is AI really the silver bullet? What does Generative AI actually mean for your business and your IT organization today? In this session, we’ll cut through the hype and share a practical perspective on where Generative AI delivers real value – and where it doesn’t. We’ll also present a practical blueprint for integrating Generative AI into your business to achieve immediate, measurable outcomes.
Nayan Baseshankar | Global Practice Lead – Enterprise Technologies, Westernacher Consulting
Digitized Yard Operations as an SAP Add-On: Visibility, Efficiency, Control.
The yard is often the last paper-based blind spot in an otherwise digitized supply chain – with manual gate processes, no real-time transparency, and untapped efficiency between transportation and warehouse operations. We Yard from Westernacher Consulting closes this gap as a flexible, independent SAP add-on that covers yard planning, gate operations, and yard execution on mobile, end to end – seamlessly integrated with SAP TM and EWM. Organizations typically achieve up to 30% greater yard efficiency and dramatically faster gate processes within six to nine months. In this session, we show how to digitize the yard as a targeted fit-to-industry extension, without giving up the benefits of SAP standard.
Alex Sasarean | Global Competence Center Lead Yard Logistics / Managing Director, Westernacher Consulting Romania
Driving smarter Decision-Making and Exception Handling with Advanced Analytics and AI.
We showcase how modern analytics solutions at Thalia enable data-driven decision-making and efficient exception handling across key business processes. Integrated reporting and planning capabilities provide transparency, helping users quickly identify, analyze, and act on critical deviations. Looking ahead, embedded AI features such as Smart Predict and Just Ask further enhance these solutions by enabling automated forecasting and natural-language-based insights, empowering users to detect anomalies earlier, respond faster, and make smarter decisions.
Alexander Hero | Consultant Industry 4.0, Westernacher Consulting
From Passive Monitoring to Intelligent Observability: Run SAP Operations Without 20 Tools.
In a typical SAP landscape, manual system checks consume up to 7.5 hours a day — spread across more than 20 native tools, dependent on the experience of individual specialists, and reactive rather than predictive. We Monitor from Westernacher Consulting resolves this fragility: a lightweight, non-invasive platform that brings real-time monitoring, intelligent alerting, and automated operations together in a single dashboard. Read-only, no SAP-side installation, live in roughly two hours. In this session, we show how a manufacturing organization reached 99.8% SAP availability and proactively prevented eight potential outages — a concrete example of how targeted add-ons strengthen the clean core rather than burden it.
Martin Espenschied | Practice Lead Digital Core, Westernacher Consulting
Where Enterprise Architecture meets Warehouse Reality.
Warehouses are complex environments that must balance standardized processes with the flexibility to adapt to changing business needs. AI, automation, and robotics are helping organizations improve performance while preparing for the future. In this session, we’ll share practical insights from customer projects using SAP EWM, AI, and automation. Learn how to build a warehouse strategy that supports today’s operations and evolves with your business. You’ll discover how SAP EWM connects AI, robotics, and automation in a single platform, how AI is driving the next wave of warehouse productivity, and when extending standard SAP EWM with proven solutions creates the greatest long-term value.
Marco Trottmann | Global Competence Center Lead Warehousing, Westernacher Consulting
Leap your IBP S&OP process through Supply Chain Orchestration.
An orchestrated supply chain turns complexity into clarity and risk into opportunity. Find out how end-to-end process empowerment can transform your supply chains into a driving force for growth. SAP Signavio’s Process AI and demos to uncover hidden inefficiencies will be introduced. Watch SAP IBP in action with concrete planning scenarios that speed up decision-making.
Vittorio Cotroni | Supply Chain Planning Specialist, Westernacher Consulting Switzerland
Phillip Wüst | SAP Signavio Process Excellence, Westernacher Consulting Germany
Phillip Wüst | SAP Signavio Process Excellence, Westernacher Consulting Germany
The recordings.
The experts.
Nayan
Baseshankar
Baseshankar
Nayan is an Enterprise Technical Architect with over 12 years of experience in designing and delivering solutions centered around S/4HANA, BTP, and open-source technologies.
He has previously worked as a Product Developer at SAP headquarters, a Technical Consultant for a Big Four firm, and a Technical Analyst for a US Fortune 50 enterprise and a global conglomerate.
Nayan’s expertise includes S/4HANA public and private cloud implementations using RISE and Grow, embedded analytics, extensions, integrations, enterprise mobility, IoT, UI/UX, digital experience, and IAM.
Global Lead – Enterprise Technologies,
Westernacher Consulting
Westernacher Consulting
Martin
Espenschied
Espenschied
Martin is a customer focused SAP professional with over 14 years of experience in building and leading teams to deliver high quality 24/7 Application Management Services (AMS) and support. He aims to understand the customer’s business in order to deliver the best fit and he is not afraid to give his honest opinion. Martin believes that AMS is a long term business, and strives to create partnerships based on mutual trust and reliability. He is able to communicate effectively with people from the shop floor to C level. He likes to liaise between the business and IT perspective. Martin’s functional SAP focus is production and logistics and he is certified in SAP PP and EWM.
Global Practice Lead AMS,
Westernacher Consulting
Westernacher Consulting
Alexander
Hero
Hero
Alexander is a consultant for SAP Supply Chain Management with a focus on Industry 4.0. He specializes in the SAP cloud applications of manufacturing, asset management, and the Internet of Things.
Consultant Industry 4.0,
Westernacher Consulting
Westernacher Consulting
Alexandru
Săsărean
Săsărean
Alex sees Supply Chain Management as more than just a profession; for him, it is a passion. He helps companies with their inevitable digital transformation, understanding that every challenge is an opportunity to excel and every innovation is a step towards a better future. The experience he has gained in SAP projects over the last 15 years characterizes him as a Solution & Development Architect specializing in industries such as Transportation and Logistics, Commerce, and Distribution.
Global Competence Center Lead Yard Logistics / Managing Director, Westernacher Consulting Romania
Marco
Trottmann
Trottmann
Marco is a member of Westernacher’s management team, serving as Global Practice Lead Industry 4.0 and Practice Director for Warehouse Management in the US. With over 20 years of experience—18 focused on SAP—he is a strategic advisor and thought leader in digital supply chain transformation. He supports global organizations as a Project Director, Solution Architect, and trusted C-suite advisor on large-scale SAP initiatives, with deep expertise in warehouse management and Industry 4.0. A regular speaker at industry events, Marco shares insights on the latest trends and innovations in the digital supply chain space.
Practice Director & Global Practice Lead, Westernacher Consulting US
Wei
Zhang
Zhang
A seasoned SAP Supply Chain Solution Architect with over 18 years of consulting experience in supply chain management and SAP implementations. Brings strong hands-on expertise in SAP IBP, including S&OP, S&OE, demand planning, and supply optimization. Known for effective leadership, communication, and agile project management skills, with industry experience across consumer products, high-tech, automotive, industrial manufacturing, and logistics service providers.
Supply Chain Planning Practice Director China, Westernacher Consulting
Get inspired by our last LEAP events.
LEAP 2025.
Drive your business with AI.
The next level of SAP innovation.
The next level of SAP innovation.
Discover how to bridge the gaps and turn uncertainty into acceleration. The focus was on smart warehousing and empowering business transformation through AI. In addition, SAP Signavio and SAP LeanIX showcased the next level of SAP innovation.
LEAP 2024.
Be the Champion in your Industry: Top-class Business Capabilities with Innovative SAP Technology.
Discover how to lead your industry with world-class business capabilities.
One of the highlights will be the presentation of SAP Signavio and LeanIX by our expert speakers. They will also conduct a key session featuring an industry example from the chemical and process industry to illustrate how innovative SAP technology can be used to address unique challenges and drive success.
