COGNEX
Case Study:
Enterprise Planning
Helping Companies Improve Product Quality
While Reducing Manufacturing Costs
Ready Today, Prepared for Tomorrow with SAP Analytics Cloud

Location
Natick, MA
Products/Services
Vision systems, software, sensors,
and industrial barcode readers
Industry
High tech
Employees
2,000
Revenue
$811 Million
Location
Natick, MA
Products/Services
Vision systems, software, sensors,
and industrial barcode readers
Industry
High tech
Employees
2,000
Revenue
$811 Million
Featured Solutions and Services:
SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP S/4HANA
Cognex represents the future of manufacturing in many respects. As the world’s leading provider of vision systems, software, sensors, and industrial barcode readers for automation, they help companies improve quality, eliminate production errors and optimize costs. For consumers, this translates into high-caliber products at affordable prices.
Typical applications for Cognex “machine vision” include detecting defects, monitoring production lines, guiding assembly robots, and tracking, sorting and identifying parts. Another way of putting it: They thrive at the center of Industry 4.0, also known as “The Industrial Internet of Things.” Learn how strides in analytics are paving the way.
Before:
Challenges and Opportunities
- Existing analytics solution outdated, inadequate for meeting current and long-term aspirations
- Labor-intensive manual reporting processes, lack of systems integration for more reliable insight
- Looking to improve planning and budgeting with real-time information and reliable master data

Why SAP and VantagePoint

- Migrated to SAP S/4HANA in 2018, continuing to build on SAP foundation in new ways; completed SAP Analytics Cloud implementation in December 2020.
- SAP Gold Partner VantagePoint “amazing” in developing blueprint with right best practices, thorough methodology, the creation of in-depth algorithms and other aspects of optimizing cloud-based analytics
After:
Value-Driven Results
- Reliable integration points take the place of time-consuming manual steps susceptible to human error
- Driving better group reporting with synchronized data pulled from multiple sources, including SAP S/4HANA and SAP Datasphere: “a one-stop shop for comparing forecast to actuals any time”
- Planning and budgeting, capital expenditures, headcount (internal and contracted) and other critical details readily available on demand in both consolidated and combined views
- Predictive analytics bring enterprise-wide run rates and trends to life, including for new ventures such as in detecting contaminants and supporting sanitary conditions for vaccines in healthcare locations
12%
Year-over-year revenue growth in 2020, a record for the company

Number of image-based products Cognex has shipped since its founding in 1981
Customer Testimonials
“We’re now on an upgraded path for the future without turning to heavy software customization, which facilitates scalability and seamless updates.”
MARK BARNES
Director, Business Intelligence, Cognex Corporation
“Switching to SAP has led to many advantages. Accurate data is accessible in real-time, for example, without manual intervention, which reduces the potential for error.”
DIANA FERREIRA
OTC/Financial Lead, Cognex Corporation
Customer Testimonials
“Switching to SAP has led to many advantages. Accurate data is accessible in real-time, for example, without manual intervention, which reduces the potential for error.”
DIANA FERREIRA
OTC/Financial Lead, Cognex Corporation
“We’re now on an upgraded path for the future without turning to heavy software customization, which facilitates scalability and seamless updates.”
MARK BARNES
Director, Business Intelligence, Cognex Corporation