"Think of a Formula 1 car without its aerodynamic spoiler. The engine runs perfectly, but it's missing that crucial 5-10% performance edge that could win the race."
That's how Rob Thiele, CEO of Blue-Zone, describes how their solutions extend SAP S/4HANA. The core system delivers impressive power and efficiency, but targeted enhancements can provide a competitive advantage.
Blue-Zone joined the United VARs alliance in October 2023, recognizing it as the ideal organization to support international growth. As an independent subsidiary of Germany's All for One Group, the company focuses squarely on product development rather than consulting, a strategic decision that directly benefits United VARs members.
"We are the developers, not the consultants," Rob notes. "This clear division creates the perfect partnership: United VARs members are the trusted consultants who understand their customers' unique needs, while we focus exclusively on building scalable cloud software that partners can confidently recommend and deploy."
High Value and Low Cost
Rob's philosophy is grounded in practical customer outcomes: "We focus on small, quick enhancements that deliver 5% to 10% efficiency gains, but the impact multiplies throughout the end customer's entire operation.
"Take shipping accuracy as an example. A 5% improvement might seem minor, but it eliminates costly error corrections, reduces customer complaints, and accelerates the order-to-cash cycle. That small improvement creates a ripple effect of savings."
"Customers want to buy as standard as possible and implement as quickly as possible," Rob continues. "They're moving away from expensive, time-consuming customizations toward proven solutions that deliver immediate business value without ongoing maintenance burdens."
Public cloud implementations have accelerated this trend. The clean core philosophy and rapid deployment cycles demand a new approach to complementary solutions that United VARs members can seamlessly integrate into their SAP S/4HANA projects.
Rob emphasizes how this benefits partner-client relationships: "Our entry barrier is extremely low. Our solutions can address the needs of even small SMB companies, and we can start with an operational IT budget, so they don't even have to go and make up a case and ask for budget."
Annual costs start at €3,000-3,500, with most solutions ranging from €5,000 - €12,000. Deployment typically takes a few days to a maximum of three weeks. The results are impressive. For example:
- SF Filter cut warehouse processing time by 60% using Blue-Zone's mobile warehousing solution, and improved shipping accuracy by 30%.
- Catensys an automotive supplier, deployed 300 automated processes through Blue-Zone's platform, connecting globally with trading partners via EDI. When they needed e-invoicing capabilities, activation only took a few days (no vendor negotiations, no new implementations).
- Institut Dr. Foerster reduced production downtime by 20% and boosted machine utilization by 15% with Blue-Zone's Factory Kit.
Recurring Revenue Without the Build Cost
For United VARs partners, Blue-Zone offers an immediate path to recurring revenue streams, without the year-plus investment of product development.
One public cloud-focused partner started with a single opportunity last summer. Within months, they closed nearly a dozen deals and expanded from one Blue-Zone solution, EDI Zone, to now multiple product lines.
"It works. The quality is great. Customers are happy. It fits our go-to-market model," Rob explains the partner's reasoning. "Why should we work with ten different vendors for the same thing or evaluate it every single time if we have a standard answer?"
Flexible Extensions Without Technical Debt
Blue-Zone's architecture solves a persistent SAP partner challenge: integration and product lifecycle overhead. The Blue-Zone platform includes pre-built SAP connectivity, security protocols, billing systems, and usage tracking. Partners avoid the complexity of managing multiple APIs or vendor relationships, or worrying about future innovations in a world of faster and faster technology cycles, for example through artificial intelligence.
Partners can start with a single solution and expand easily on the same platform, generating ongoing value for their customers.
"If SAP partners find their customers want things that aren't part of the standard functionality, they can easily add it in no time without breaking maintainability," says Rob.
This integrated approach prevents technical debt from accumulating. "It doesn't become a nasty customization that the customer will be unhappy about down the road," Rob notes. "With add-ons, you have to be mindful that you do it the right way so you're not paying a price later."
Explore Blue-Zone's Modular SAP add-ons
Contact: Robert Thiele, CEO Blue-Zone
Email: robert.thiele@bluezone.io
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