As data becomes increasingly important to business operations, enterprises in the Commerce, Services, Retail, and Manufacturing sectors are facing the need to redefine their management capabilities to become more connected, more agile, and more data-driven. Beyond requiring an ERP system capable of managing operations end to end, enterprises also need to leverage data and integrate AI directly into operational processes to improve efficiency and accelerate decision-making, while ensuring fast deployment and appropriate costs. This was also a key focus shared by FPT and SAP at the seminar “Empowering Next-Gen Enterprises with Business AI & SAP GROW Fast,” part of the THE NEXT ERP Series by FPT × SAP.
In Vietnam, commercial and manufacturing activities have continued to maintain their growth momentum. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in the first six months of 2026, total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue increased by 12.9% year on year, while the industrial production index rose by 10.8%, with the processing and manufacturing industry increasing by 11.4%. This growth momentum is also placing higher demands on enterprises’ management capabilities, operational optimization, and decision-making capacity.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Viet – General Director of SAP Vietnam, expressed his understanding of the domestic market and affirmed his commitment to working alongside FPT to deliver optimized, data- and AI-driven solutions for enterprise management and operations.Commerce, Services, Retail, and Manufacturing Enterprises Face Growing Demands for Data-Driven Operational and Management Optimization
As business scale expands, products and sales channels become more diverse, and the number of operating units increases, management becomes increasingly complex. Data is continuously generated from business activities, procurement, sales, customers, inventory, finance, manufacturing, and more, creating the need for a management approach capable of connecting these sources and providing a unified view of operations.
For enterprises in Commerce, Services, and Retail, data comes from multiple customer touchpoints, sales channels, and operational activities. Meanwhile, Manufacturing enterprises must simultaneously manage planning, raw materials, production, inventory, sales, and finance and accounting. When systems and data sources are not yet connected, consolidating information, controlling operations, and making timely decisions can become more challenging.
As a result, digital transformation is no longer limited to digitizing individual processes. Enterprises need to move toward a unified management platform that standardizes processes and connects data end to end. This also provides the foundation for enterprises to gradually leverage data for analytics, automation, and AI applications in operations.
Next-Generation ERP: From a Management Platform to a Capability for Accelerating Business Growth
According to Mr. Chu Manh Huong - Director of Business Consulting & Integrated Solutions Center FPT IS, FPT Corporation, the role of ERP is changing alongside the way enterprises compete. While ERP previously primarily helped enterprises standardize and control operations as their scale grew, in a volatile business environment, systems now need to help enterprises adapt and make faster decisions based on continuously updated data.
Mr. Chu Manh Huong – FPT Corporation, shared that the speed of decision-making in management and operations is one of the most important factors enabling enterprises to achieve breakthroughs.This shift is reflected in several aspects: from managing scale to emphasizing speed and agility; from management and control to management, analysis, and forecasting; and from fixed, closed systems to open platforms that adopt Clean Core and can be easily integrated. ERP is therefore no longer simply a place to record transactions, but is increasingly becoming a platform that enables enterprises to “Observe – Analyze – Respond” to changes in the market.
In response to these requirements, next-generation ERP is no longer evaluated solely based on the number of functions it offers, but also on its ability to create speed and value throughout the entire operational lifecycle. This is also the direction of the The Next AI ERP solution suite: FPT × SAP GROW Fast – combining the SAP GROW platform with industry-specific implementation expertise and the Made by FPT ecosystem, built around four core requirements: faster deployment and value realization, greater certainty in controlling costs, timelines, and risks, smarter use of data and AI, and flexible scalability in line with the enterprise’s pace of growth.
Specifically, FPT experts introduced the FPT x SAP GROW Fast solution suite, deployed on the SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud platform, enabling enterprises to connect data and manage operations end to end, from business activities, procurement, and sales to supply, manufacturing, and finance and accounting. The solution suite enables enterprises to deploy within approximately 2–3 months, with scope, timeline, and costs clearly planned in advance.
For Commerce, Services, and Retail enterprises, SAP GROW connects processes ranging from sales, procurement, and inventory management to supply and finance and accounting, giving enterprises centralized data to monitor business operations, control goods, and support timely decision-making. For Manufacturing enterprises, the solution connects the entire process from planning and raw material procurement, manufacturing, quality management, and warehousing and logistics to sales and finance and accounting, thereby supporting the control of costs, timelines, consumption levels, and production efficiency based on continuously updated data.
Mr. Huong shared that the FPT x SAP GROW Fast solution suite has been standardized for individual industries, helping enterprises optimize deployment time.In addition, SAP’s Cloud ERP platform enables enterprises to access AI capabilities and new innovations at each stage, laying the groundwork for enhanced analytics, automation, and management capabilities in the future.
Business AI Brings AI Deeper into Operational Processes
Continuing the discussion on the ERP platform, an AI & Data solution expert from SAP Vietnam shared insights into the role of Business AI in enhancing operational and decision-making capabilities. Accordingly, AI is embedded directly into business contexts and processes, enabling users to leverage data, automate tasks, and access information more quickly during their work.
An SAP expert provided detailed insights into SAP Business AI and its breakthrough strengths in integrating AI into operational processes.While ERP focuses on recording, managing, and connecting data, SAP Business AI expands the role of the management platform by supporting users in analyzing and processing information directly within business processes. Together with the Joule AI assistant, users can interact more conveniently with data and information within the SAP environment, thereby reducing manual tasks, shortening processing times, and supporting more timely decision-making.
For enterprises in Commerce, Services, Retail, and Manufacturing, bringing AI into operational processes creates additional capabilities for leveraging data across business operations. When integrated into an ERP platform, AI can support users directly within the processes and data they are already working with, bringing analytics and automation capabilities closer to day-to-day operations.
The combination of SAP GROW and SAP Business AI opens up a new approach to enterprise management, in which data is not only centralized and managed but also becomes a resource for supporting analysis, automation, and decision-making throughout operations.
This also provides a foundation for FPT and SAP to further strengthen their 25-year partnership, combining SAP’s technological strengths with FPT’s consulting and implementation expertise and its understanding of enterprise challenges. As a premium SAP partner in the Asia-Pacific region, FPT has implemented numerous ERP and digital transformation projects for enterprises across sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, commerce, and finance. Drawing on this practical experience, FPT and SAP have developed The Next AI ERP: FPT × SAP GROW Fast, aiming to help enterprises build modern management foundations, connect data and processes, accelerate business decision-making, and gradually expand management capabilities in line with their development needs.
Through the content presented at the seminar, next-generation ERP is shifting from the role of a business process management system to a platform for a new operating model, where data and AI are brought directly into everyday processes and decisions. By combining technology platforms, implementation expertise, and an understanding of industry-specific challenges, FPT and SAP continue to accompany enterprises in Commerce, Services, Retail, and Manufacturing on their journey to modernize management in the era of AI.