Neptune Software

Challenge: Outdated Technology Leaves Users Offline and Out of Touch

Headquartered in Paris and with more than 4,000 barracks across France and its territories, the French Gendarmerie keeps more than 60 million citizens and tourists safe.

With a large geographic area to cover and a nationwide workforce of more than 100,000, accessing its many SAP-driven systems has to be fast, and using applications has to be simple. As smartphones had already been deployed to every gendarme, the IT department needed to take user services beyond the desktop and make them mobile-ready.

The gendarmerie needed to simplify access to more than 150 different HR applications for its SAP users — comprised of military and civilian personnel. An HR portal had been in use for 20 years, but not being mobile-enabled meant it was no longer fit for purpose, and over time, the slow user experience led to poor productivity. It was time to modernize.

The organization needed to keep its existing SAP system, so the portal menu had to easily sync with the backend system and access the personnel data, without using complex web services. Modernization had to be quick, but the development team — while experts in ABAP technology — was new to building mobile and web apps.

“Initially, it was hard to envision the team’s transformation to be able to take this on,” said Major Jérémy Lauraire. “To support our need for speed in the search for a new solution, training for our 40+ developers needed to be easy.”

Solution: Equipping the Gendarmes With New Convenient HR Capabilities

The Neogend digital transformation strategy put mobile devices in every gendarme’s hands across France — named AGORHA.M (AGORHA MODERNIZED) — the project aimed to improve the user experience on the national SAP Human Resources portal with mobile capabilities and streamlined technology.

To begin, a few simple applications were prototyped, using a third-party open-source framework, and later SAP UI5 — both were successful. But when the internal developers saw how quick and easy it was to build a prototype with the Neptune Software, it decided to move forward with the low-code Fiori-based platform.

“We chose Neptune Software for several reasons. The ability to use existing SAP infrastructure and ABAP capabilities was important, as was the easy integration with the ABAP backend,” said Major Jérémy Lauraire. “Knowing we could achieve our goals of better UX for the gendarmes and deliver fast applications quickly using the Neptune DX Platform was also important to us.”

“Plus, with Neptune Software, it was clear that training would be easy. Asking developers to essentially move to a new job – learning web development – was huge for us. But with Neptune, there was only a small, easy-to-navigate learning curve. The platform was simple to use, it felt familiar to our ABAP-development team, and took a mere two days for training, which made developers happy.”

Once training was complete, it was time to prioritize which of the 150 applications would be “Neptunized” first. It targeted a core set of 25 applications, focusing on SAP Human Resources, personnel data management, along with time, leave, and travel management. Consulting with the super users and a UX specialist meant the team could ensure the new portal would put the users first.

To make it simple, the team made large use of a customized SplitApp snippet and applied the SAP Fiori and Neptune best practice approach of building one app for one key functionality. Carefully merging and reducing the number of apps with similar functionality, meant data would remain easily accessible. And implementing role-based access to apps, meant they’d meet their unique needs.

Results: Vast Mobile Possibilities Support a Mission to Protect the Public

To make it simple, the team made large use of a customized SplitApp snippet and applied the SAP Fiori and Neptune best practice approach of building one app for one key functionality. Carefully merging and reducing the number of apps with similar functionality, meant data would remain easily accessible. And implementing role-based access to apps, meant they’d meet their unique needs.

Users are happy with the app for managing personnel documents, which was the first to go live. And the organization now has upwards of 100 apps running in production. And because Neptune makes development so easy, some domains have been able to rework apps several times, based on user feedback.

“Our user base is enthusiastic about the new experience and all of the new functionality,” said M. Johann Lahitte. "As we roll-out the additional applications later this summer, users are actively brainstorming with us to help us adjust the experience to be exactly what they want and need.”

Developers and IT alike appreciated the super-easy transition. With Neptune Software, not only has the organization streamlined both training and associated costs, it has simplified system administration, and eliminated the need to redevelop existing capabilities.

Most recently, the organization is producing a new launchpad, using the Neptune DXP – SAP Edition. Several applications are currently being adapted for this new standard, and there are also plans to reconfigure how tiles are displayed within the launchpad and how specific functionalities are developed.

“The vast possibilities we have with the “Neptunification” of our environment make us confident that users are going to love the new applications and that we made the right choice,” said M. Johann Lahitte. “Through the Neptune DX Platform, we have a feature that enables in-house application evaluation — where users can evaluate the quality of the user experience and provide us with valuable feedback we can use to further enhance the system,” said Major Jérémy Lauraire. “We think that this feature, as part of our three-prong approach to testing, will go a long way in ensuring that users accept and adopt solutions rapidly.”

And when the “Neptunization” is complete, it will be easy for police officers to access their HR data anywhere and anytime. And that will allow them to remain focused on their core mission — protecting the public.

About French Gendarmerie: A force of nearly 100,000 men and women, the National Gendarmerie is a military institution guaranteeing the security and peace of our fellow citizens, and the protection of their property. It provides judicial police, personal assistance, law enforcement and participates in the defense of the Nation, including in theaters of foreign operations.

Compass Group, the world’s largest catering and support services company, serves 180 million meals annually. To keep pace with demand, they turned to Neptune DXP to modernize operations and empower frontline teams.

With Neptune, Compass is replacing legacy systems with an integrated, SAP-compliant platform. This approach streamlines workflows, connects siloed data, and delivers intuitive apps—enabling faster decisions, reduced waste, and more time for customer engagement.

Partnering for Success

To bring this vision to life, Neptune worked hand-in-hand with implementation partner redPanda Software. Their expertise in SAP-centric delivery helped accelerate deployment and ensure the apps were tailored to Compass’ business needs.

“Our partnership with Neptune enabled us to deliver exactly what Compass needed: intuitive apps that integrate seamlessly with SAP and scale with their business. It’s a strong example of how implementation expertise and technology working hand-in-hand can create lasting value.”

Leon Coetzer, Managing Director UK, redPanda Software

This close collaboration meant Compass could go live quickly with frontline-ready apps, giving employees a seamless user experience from day one.

Key Takeaways

-Integrated Systems: Replaced clunky, siloed technologies with a single platform and open APIs for seamless data flow.
-Frontline Empowerment: Intuitive UIs and AI-driven insights reduce admin work and speed decision-making.
-Operational Efficiency: New inventory solution helps measure and cut waste, boosting sustainability and cost control.

Why This Matters

By combining Neptune’s SAP-native low-code platform with redPanda’s proven implementation expertise, Compass now has the tools to modernize at scale—without slowing down operations. The result is a digital foundation that supports frontline teams, drives sustainability, and creates space to focus on what truly matters: serving customers.

Challenge: Make Operations and Maintenance Easier With an Improved ERP System

When Oslo-based international hydropower leader Statkraft sought to simplify its SAP user experience and deliver mobile capabilities for its operations and maintenance (O&M) solutions, it turned to Neptune Software’s low-code rapid application development platform to improve their ERP system.

As Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy, Statkraft produces hydropower, wind power, gas-fired power and district heating and is a global player in energy market operations, Statkraft’s 4,500 employees serving more than 17 countries around the world.

The company has successfully used SAP since 2002 to manage ERP workflow across the entire business. Still, several hundred of those employees responsible for O&M found existing processes and tools hard to navigate, making it difficult to find information and get work orders completed in a timely fashion.

Training efforts also needed a boost, resulting in inconsistent processes across locations, while leaving users less likely to operate the system overall.

Solution: Provide an Intuitive, Easy-To-Develop ERP System for Any Device

To get started the company defined its project goals: simplify and streamline O&M processes across offices, and put users first by providing an intuitive, self-explanatory user interface that required little hands-on training.

Statkraft also sought to enhance capabilities for users on any device, whether they used Android phones or tablets, iOS devices, or desktop, and offer online and offline functionality to help support work anytime, anywhere.

That made Neptune DXP the obvious choice, for multiple reasons: its ability to increase workers’ mobility and make it easy for developers to add the new features users needed while protecting Statkraft’s existing ERP system investment.

An internal project team began with the maintenance report, defining user requirement specifications to ensure the project would meet users’ needs.

Using the SCRUM method for project delivery, Statkraft defined key sprints and tested the system between each sprint. To make the development process efficient, the company was careful to reach defined goals before moving on to the next sprint.

Initial development attempts sent Statkraft back to the drawing board to refine its approach. Once it better understood the maintenance report and work order capabilities within SAP and how best to simplify them using Neptune Software’s UI5 designer capabilities, the project continued to move forward.

In this phase, team members worked collaboratively with Neptune Software, taking advantage of the low-code platform’s drag-and-drop designer that directly leverages SAP’s own source code (ABAP) to make the best use of Fiori capabilities.

To drive consistent use of the system across geographies and users, the company identified use patterns, working to make the best use of the application and workflows. That was supported by consistent training and fostered a common understanding of how to use the ERP system.

Using Neptune Software’s simple approach covering the development lifecycle across design, build, manage and run, Statkraft proceeded. The result was a revamped O&M system that was fully mobile and suitable for advanced work order planning.

As more users became familiar with mobile apps and Statkraft took the time to deliver improved functionality and user interface, adoption rose.

Results: Easier Workflow, More Info, Happier Users

“Today more than 600 employees, representing a wide range of managers and operating units, actively use the app to manage O&M in both online and offline mode,” said Ronny Olaisen, Senior Maintenance Specialist, at Statkraft.

That’s because word got around quickly that the project team had successfully streamlined the app. Users saw that it looked better, that more information could be presented to them, and that the system was more usable overall. In turn, that led to increased interest in the app. New users across the company began searching for the app, and could quickly download it from an easy-to-use app store.

Today, new users find it easy to create and release a work order in the system with a few simple clicks. They’re impressed by the back-end functions that are being managed seamlessly by the app.

“Key functionality for maintenance notifications and work orders is handled via the app in an intuitive and self-explainable interface,” said Ronny Olaisen. “Another key win? How easy it is to find important information when producing work orders, something that’s typically challenging in standard SAP transactions.”

Use has increased across mobile and desktop, while online and offline transactions are handled with ease.

For example, an employee tackling maintenance can simply open the work order, accomplish all relevant tasks, and then save when complete, regardless of whether they are on the network at the time. The app registers the data, saves it on the device, and pushes it out when that user is back online.

Overall, Statkraft has optimized the maintenance process, including reporting with the new mini ERP system. Users feel confident that they have the correct object costing and an accurate picture of the work order process.

Over time, the company has added even more capabilities and use cases. In particular, enabling detailed time management by individual operations turned out to be important functionality that meets the company’s needs well beyond maintenance. Now users responsible for field services and warehouse management as well as Mechanical, Electro, Civil, and Environmental workers (to name a few) have the access and capabilities they need to do complete their work efficiently and effectively.

“Today, the Statkraft technology team supports an advanced level of SAP functionality, one that’s easy for developers to manage and maintain,” said Ronny Olaisen. “And now that it’s possible for Statkraft to build whatever it likes using Neptune Software, the company is considering dividing the app into several apps to simplify them further, and adding mobile HR workflow, including time entry and travel expenses, creating a win-win for developers and users alike.”

Perhaps most importantly, users now see that it’s possible to tackle complex SAP business processes easily, leading to one user calling the system “a mini ERP system in your pocket.”

About Statkraft: Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, gas-fired power and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations and has 4,500 employees in 17 countries.