Case Study: Yokohama Rubber achieves US$9 million in annual procurement savings and streamlined global procurement with SAP Ariba

How Can Cloud-Based Processes Help Transform Procurement and Enable Global Connectivity

The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., a more-than‑100‑year‑old global tire and rubber products manufacturer with operations across 18 factories in nine countries, needed to modernize its procurement systems. The company sought to move from on‑premise processes to a cloud solution to boost productivity, cut procurement costs, reduce errors, improve search and catalog functionality, and enable smoother collaboration with suppliers worldwide.

Yokohama implemented SAP Ariba solutions and the Ariba Network—using Ariba Sourcing auctions, PunchOut catalogs, and centralized cloud workflows—to digitalize and simplify procurement. The change delivered fewer procurement errors, faster production cycles, better internal authorization and supplier collaboration, and an expected US$9 million in annual cost savings (with additional significant savings from auction-driven sourcing), while creating a scalable foundation for growth, compliance, and sustainability.

Yokohama Rubber

Shinji Yamamoto

General Manager, Indirect Materials Procurement Department, Global Procurement Division