Case Study: Swisscom AG achieves end-to-end spend visibility and proactive procurement with SAP Ariba

How Can a Telecom Be a Trustworthy Companion to Customers from Start to Finish on the Digital Journey

Swisscom AG, a leading Swiss telecommunications and IT provider with about 19,845 employees and CHF 11.7 billion in revenue, faced a complex supply‑chain and procurement challenge: determining supplier suitability and rates amid a high volume of supplier interactions (16,000 contingent workers, ~23,000 supplier emails and ~2,000 phone calls annually). The company wanted to move from reactive procurement to a proactive, self‑service model and gain end‑to‑end visibility into spend and external labor.

Swisscom replaced SAP SRM with a portfolio of SAP Ariba solutions and SAP Fieldglass, implementing guided buying, integrated supplier and catalog links via Ariba Network, invoice automation, and contingent workforce management. The change produced a consolidated, transparent view of procurement and external labor, simplified user experience and PO enforcement ("no PO, no pay"), enabled cash‑discount opportunities and new supplier access, and advanced the company toward 100% e‑invoice and total spend management.

Swisscom AG

Beat Zurbuchen

Strategic Supply Chain Project Manager