Managing PFAS with SAP: Coping with Missing Product Compliance Data

How happy are you with supplier response rates? Room for improvement? Don't worry, you are not alone. Hang in there and learn how to help yourself, leveraging your SAP system, to:   

• Automate data collection from suppliers 
• Develop a multichannel strategy, encompassing databases, tools, and networks  
• Meet suppliers where they are. 

The Product Compliance World is Plagued by Data Gaps

This will not come as a surprise to you: Getting product compliance data from your supply chain is challenging.

The Volume of Data is Increasing Rapidly 

More and more regulations are the main drivers for increasing data volume, with PFAS setting a new milestone for that. This goes along with heightened awareness by consumers and subsequently companies pushing their requirements down the supply chain. 

The Landscape of the Supply Chain Data Exchange is Incredibly Heterogeneous 

Stakeholders (consumers, customers, suppliers, authorities, governments)

• Have different requirements & needs 
• Approach the challenges in different ways
• Are hugely diverse 

Let’s have a look at the last point for suppliers and their bandwidth of

• size 
• industry
• product compliance expertise and/or ambition 
• regional presence 
• willingness to answer or meet your requirements 

This makes it impossible to pursue a one-size-fits-all solution. The reality looks like this: 

• Suppliers with high bargaining power provide compliance information where and how they choose, not willing to fit to your scope, process or form. 
• Customers with high bargaining power may request compliance information in a way that deviates from your usual practice. 
  

Certain industries experience pockets of convergences. Other than that, it’s a wilderness out there.  

The Product Compliance World Demands a Toolset of Solutions 

Given the data gaps, a mono-solution won’t do it. You can use your bargaining power for parts of the market, but ultimately, you will be much more successful if you meet your suppliers where they are. Support them by making it as easy as possible for them. This means: 

• Accept different formats of product compliance data (e.g. certificate of compliance, IPC-175x standard, full material declarations, excel spreadsheets). 
• Implement a multichannel strategy. While contacting your suppliers by email, also use their or 3rd party websites to skim product information. 
• Automate as much as possible to avoid overwhelming your processes with the anticipated volume of data, e.g. related to PFAS. 
• Bundle requests and make it easy for suppliers to avoid supplier fatigue. Check if the information you are asking for can be applied to multiple regulations. Check if newly purchased components are covered by previous responses. 

Transform Your Product Compliance World with PCC 

Recognizing the increasing amount of time and resources our customers are spending to fill data gaps, we have developed opesus Product Compliance Collaboration (PCC).  

If you run SAP S/4HANA for product compliance, SAP Product and REACH Compliance or SAP Product Safety: Jackpot! PCC is a centralized collaboration hub built on top of SAP Product Compliance applications. 

If you don’t run it: No worries! Read our previous article Managing PFAS with SAP: Unlock Your Data Treasures to learn about SAP Product Compliance applications.  

Who are we? About opesus 

Consultants at opesus have been working on product compliance with SAP since the very beginning. Our solutions are designed to enhance the capabilities of SAP Product Compliance applications. We combine technical expertise with in-depth knowledge of SAP product development to provide high-quality solutions to our customers.  

PCC in a Nutshell 

PCC complements your SAP system with: 

• A flexible design: PCC is designed to be adaptable to your needs. It is configurable for new reporting requirements.  
• Automated processing: PCC automatically initiates a data collection process based on incomplete compliance information in your SAP system. Responses are fed back to your SAP system. 
• A multichannel strategy: PCC interacts with suppliers, customers, authorities, and service providers. It triggers different collaboration modes like querying an external databases, networks or asking for direct input by a supplier based on your configuration.  
• Easy access: Externals can access PCC to provide direct input without running SAP. 

PCC closes data gaps using a multichannel strategy  

The bottom line: The product compliance world is plagued by data gaps. Putting all your eggs in one basket won’t suffice. Even as an SAP customer running SAP Product Compliance applications, you must up your game with a sophisticated strategy. If you are curious about how PCC can help solve your compliance requirements, send us a message by filling out the contact form or set up a call for a quick chat by booking a time.