Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has been positioned as a leader in the new IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Professional Services Firms for SAP Business Suite Powered by SAP HANA in Manufacturing 2016 Vendor Assessment (doc #US40961316, January 2016). This IDC Manufacturing Insights report presents a vendor assessment, through the IDC MarketScape assessment model, of service providers offering professional services for SAP® Business Suite powered by SAP HANA® to the manufacturing industry.

According to the report, Accenture’s more than 46,000 practitioners focused on SAP and strong focus on innovation and building new industry-specific solutions position it strongly within the market through the formation of the Accenture and SAP Business Solutions Group (ASBSG), followed by further collaboration to accelerate market adoption as well as industry and line-of-business solutions based on SAP Business Suite 4 SAP HANA (SAP S/4HANA).

Leveraging its global scope and scale in a close partnership with SAP, the report notes the co-development agreement with SAP around SAP S/4HANA which increases Accenture's access and ability to influence SAP's product road maps, provides unique training for the company's people, and help clients on their digital transformation journey. The report underlines Accenture's global delivery capacity and end-to-end capabilities across key sub-verticals as strengths in offering a strong set of innovations and ability to execute.

“We’re honored to be positioned as a Leader in this IDC MarketScape report for our commitment to investing heavily in innovative technologies and developing industry digital roadmaps that align a digital transformation strategy with SAP's technology roadmap,” said Christophe Mouille, senior managing director of SAP business, Accenture. “This is a strong testament to our ability to help our clients unlock their digital potential with SAP S/4HANA.”

Accenture has a lot of intellectual property, solution development, and technology expertise to draw on, including industry digital roadmaps for aerospace and defense, automotive and industrial equipment, consumer goods and services, as well as scenarios for manufacturing using SAP HANA in functional areas such as customer service, logistics, warranty, supplier delivery management, predictive maintenance operations, and integrated sales and operations planning.

IDC MarketScape criteria selection, weightings, and vendor scores represent well-researched IDC judgment about the market and specific vendors. IDC analysts tailor the range of standard characteristics by which vendors are measured through structured discussions, surveys, and interviews with market leaders, participants, and end users. Market weightings are based on user interviews, buyer surveys, and the input of a review board of IDC experts in each market. IDC analysts base individual vendor scores, and ultimately vendor positions on the IDC MarketScape, on detailed surveys and interviews with the vendors, publicly available information, and end-user experiences in an effort to provide an accurate and consistent assessment of each vendor's characteristics, behavior, and capability.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 373,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

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