SAP ushers ACEN toward sustainable future

MANILA, Philippines — ACEN Corp. is leading the charge toward a sustainable future with the help of enterprise application software SAP.

ACEN, the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, pushing toward a sustainable future.

However, the company recognized that its green journey should start from within the enterprise and by ensuring that necessary technology and tools are available to improve their processes.

“Without a digital business platform, running a day-to-day business can be challenging. Entities were set up differently, so teams needed more effort to collaborate. When people and processes are misaligned, work often must be redone, leading to wasted time, effort, energy, and materials,” ACEN executive director and head of commercial operations and information technology Miguel de Jesus said.

To address this concern, ACEN implemented SAP S/4HANA on Azure with the aim of creating a unified digital business platform covering finance, procurement, inventory, and asset maintenance across multiple entities.

SAP S/4HANA helped enable the company to have visibility across its entities, which is crucial since ACEN teams must collaborate to formulate and execute strategic ways to increase solar and wind plant capacities while reducing inefficiencies and waste.

From the usual 12 days of standard financial statements completion, ACEN was able to finish it in a week and there was a notable decrease in the error rate for audit adjustments from eight percent to less than five percent.

“Having SAP helps us to focus on our long-term goal: net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” ACEN vice president for finance Hannie Tucay said.

“As we commit to net zero, we are confident that the way we run our business will also have sustainability at its core: efficient internal processes, alignment towards business objectives, scalability, and expansion. Moreover, through automation and digitalization, we incorporate sustainability practices, including reducing waste of time, effort, and materials,” Tucay said.

ACEN has been able to embark on its mission to achieve efficiency in day-to-day operations with streamlined processes on a digital platform, including improving corporate governance, reducing cybersecurity risks, and minimizing paper wastage.