Project
Creation and International Rollout of the EMEA SAP Corporate Model
Client
Services
SAP ERP
International Rollouts
Automotive JIT/JIS
Industry
Manufacturing
Automotive
Background
LEAR Corporation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of seating systems and electrical distribution systems for the automotive industry, operating more than 265 facilities in 39 countries. Its industrial scale and global footprint require a highly integrated operating model, particularly in an industry driven by JIT/JIS processes, full traceability, and tight synchronization with OEMs.
ASPA began working with LEAR in 2017, initially providing support to several newly acquired plants running SAP. The success of this collaboration led to the creation of a joint team tasked with defining a Corporate SAP Model for EMEA and progressively deploying it across multiple countries and plants.
Overview
The approach to developing the corporate model was both evolutionary and pragmatic. The initial core model was defined during the implementation at the first plant in scope, aligned with the processes present there and with immediate business needs. From that point on, each new rollout allowed the model to be expanded and matured by incorporating additional processes, specific use cases, and operational particularities from new plants across Europe and Africa.
The ASPA team—senior consultants in FI, CO, MM, SD, PP, and WM, together with a project manager specialized in automotive processes—worked closely with LEAR’s global team (Global Process Owner, BPOs, and key users) in a continuous collaboration model. This approach has resulted in a robust, scalable SAP model fully aligned with the needs of LEAR’s industrial operations across the EMEA region.
Goals
Challenge
The main challenge was to build a solid corporate model while executing real-world implementations in parallel. Each plant introduced new requirements, integrations, logistics processes, and specific operational needs, all of which had to be incorporated without compromising global standardization. In addition, the automotive environment demands absolute precision in JIT/JIS operations and strict integration with OEMs and MES systems, significantly increasing the complexity of the rollout program.
Strategic Transformation
The adopted approach enabled LEAR to evolve toward an incremental and highly scalable operating model. Instead of lengthy theoretical design cycles, each rollout became an opportunity to strengthen and enrich the model with real, plant-validated business processes. This method has produced a robust and adaptable SAP model closely aligned with the operational reality of multiple geographies. At the same time, the collaboration between ASPA and LEAR has fostered a culture of continuous improvement, driven by functional experts working directly on the needs of industrial operations.
Results
LEAR has replaced heterogeneous systems such as QAD and AS400 with a single SAP model for EMEA, achieving:
Long-term Value
The EMEA SAP Corporate Model has become a key corporate asset for LEAR: a stable, scalable, and continuously evolving platform that unifies processes, reduces costs, improves operational visibility, and facilitates the integration of new plants. In addition, the partnership between LEAR and ASPA has expanded into other global SAP services, demonstrating the trust, continuity, and long-term value underpinning the relationship.