Programme one – strengthening how we work together
DeLaval is running Programme one, a multi‑year business transformation to simplify and modernise how we work across functions, regions, and with our partners.
The ambition is to make DeLaval:
- easier to do business with,
- more transparent and data‑driven, and
- better positioned to serve farmers, dealers, and partners over the long term.
Programme one focuses on standardising and connecting core business processes, supported by modern digital solutions. This creates clearer information flows, more consistent ways of working, and better collaboration across the value chain.
As part of this transformation, DeLaval will introduce SAP S/4HANA as its core business system. SAP S/4HANA will gradually replace existing systems and provide a single, integrated digital backbone for key processes such as sales, supply chain, and finance.
Programme one – general questions and answers
What is Programme one?
Programme one is a long‑term initiative to standardise how common types of work are handled across DeLaval.
For external partners, this means reducing unnecessary variation so that processes, information, and responsibilities are clearer and more predictable over time.
Why is DeLaval doing this?
As DeLaval has grown internationally, similar tasks have sometimes been handled differently depending on market, system, or function. While this can work locally, it can make collaboration more complex and less predictable across the company.
Programme one addresses this by agreeing clearer and more consistent ways of working instead of relying on local differences, workarounds, or individual interpretation.
What does Programme one actually change?
Programme one changes how work is organised and coordinated within DeLaval, including how core business processes are handled. The changes will be introduced in a stepwise manner, with a planned start in the second half of 2026 for selected regions and processes. The further roll-out of the programme will span several years as more regions and processes are onboarded.
Common activities are handled in more consistent ways, responsibilities are clearer, and handovers are planned rather than improvised. Information is created, maintained, and shared through connected systems, so different parts of DeLaval work from the same data and the same understanding.
By clarifying processes and information flows, the aim is to reduce uncertainty and prevent avoidable issues before they affect external partners.
What does the transformation involve from an IT perspective?
As part of Programme one, DeLaval is modernising its IT landscape and gradually moving to SAP S/4HANA as a common platform.
This supports standard processes, improves data quality and transparency, and reduces reliance on local systems and manual workarounds. For external partners, this provides a more stable and predictable foundation for collaboration over time, even though system changes are introduced step by step.
What does this mean in practice for external partners?
As Programme one is implemented, external partners should increasingly experience a more consistent way of working across DeLaval.
The same type of request should increasingly be handled in the same way, regardless of where in DeLaval it is processed. Information should be clearer and less contradictory, responsibilities easier to understand, and fewer follow‑ups needed to move work forward.
Programme one will be rolled out in phases, with changes planned, communicated, and introduced in a structured and controlled way. Until then, existing ways of working remain in place. Only partners affected by a specific change will receive detailed, targeted communication in advance.
We value our collaboration and will ensure timely dialogue and support whenever changes affect how we work together.
What areas does this apply to?
Programme one applies to common operational activities such as orders, deliveries, projects, services, and invoicing – areas where clarity and consistency directly affect day‑to‑day collaboration.
What does Programme one not do?
Programme one does not change DeLaval’s products or solutions, and it does not change commercial agreements.
It also does not promise that everything will change at once or that issues will never occur. The focus is on building a simpler and more reliable way of working over time, rather than short‑term fixes.
How is Programme one being implemented?
Programme one is a multi‑year initiative and is implemented gradually.
Changes are prepared, tested, and introduced step by step to maintain business stability. Not all partners are affected at the same time, and where a change has an external impact, the partners concerned will be informed in advance and the change clearly explained.