SAPTCO's journey to digital transformation and cloud ERP adoption

SAPTCO, once a government-supported entity, is now focused on achieving commercial sustainability. SAPTCO’s transformation objectives centre around modernising Saudi Arabia's public transportation by enhancing operational efficiency, adopting digital solutions and expanding service offerings. The goal is to support sustainable urban mobility, reduce environmental impact and provide more accessible, reliable and customer centric transport options across the Kingdom. This includes a shift toward smart transport systems, leveraging data analytics and enhancing user experience through advanced technology integration. SAPTCO’s Cloud ERP transformation journey, aptly named "Tamkeen" (تمكين), embodies the essence of empowerment, modernisation, and digital enablement. This initiative is not just about upgrading technology; it’s about equipping SAPTCO with the agility, intelligence, and efficiency needed to drive Saudi Arabia’s future mobility landscape. 

Prior to partnering with PwC, SAPTCO relied on the on-premises Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system powered by Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) R12 to manage back-office processes. Additionally, the organisation’s centralised approach to performance management impacted control and visibility over crucial functions such as finance, human capital management and procurement. The system required extensive manual intervention, limiting operational visibility and efficiency. While Oracle EBS had integrations with SAPTCO's operational systems, performance monitoring was a challenge, impeding SAPTCO's progress towards its strategic transformation goals and its shift to a more autonomous, data-driven operational model. 

In the Tamkeen ERP transformation programme, SAPTCO reimagined its operating model. We maintained a strategic focus on business growth and ensured each business line is accountable. This approach was designed to help us scale effectively to meet evolving business demands.

After overcoming several challenges—including managing large volumes of data ahead of the migration, varying levels of SAPTCO employee readiness for the change and maintaining alignment across joint teams throughout the project—we tailored Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP to meet SAPTCO’s specific needs, enhancing data visibility and streamlining processes. 

By transitioning from on-premises systems to cloud applications, SAPTCO can now take advantage of regular updates from Oracle that include new features, enhancements and patches. This ensures that the organisation remains at the forefront of technological advancements. In the near future, SAPTCO plans to further enhance its analytics and reporting capabilities with system-enabled enterprise performance management, simplifying performance analysis and planning for both individual business units and the entire organisation. 

The new system integrates various business functions, including finance, human capital, payroll, supply chain, maintenance, depot and subscription management, providing real-time data access and comprehensive reporting. This empowers business units to manage performance independently, ensuring efficiency and accuracy. We also embedded advanced analytics and AI capabilities within the system to provide actionable insights and support data-driven decision-making. Clear performance metrics were established to monitor progress and ensure optimal operation, with individual business units better able to gauge and improve their performance through access to independent financials. Our team also conducted technical sessions and change management initiatives, guiding SAPTCO employees through the new workflows and addressing their concerns. 

To ensure the business adoption and sustainable post-go live operations, we designed training workshops to equip SAPTCO staff with the skills needed to operate and sustain the new system effectively, fostering continuous improvement and organisational resilience. 

This approach ensured a smooth transition to the new platform, with SAPTCO seeing improved operational efficiency, better data management and enhanced decision-making capabilities, positioning the company for sustainable growth. 

The implementation journey included a range of Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP applications including Oracle Financials, Oracle SCM (including Oracle Maintenance & Subscription Management), Oracle HCM and Payroll with advanced HCM capabilities of Performance Management and Recruitment.

The implementation of Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP significantly improved SAPTCO's operational efficiency, data management and decision-making capabilities. The company now benefits from faster, more accurate processes, reduced reliance on manual workarounds and enhanced financial and operational data visibility. Notably, SAPTCO successfully operates its multi-ledger periodic financial closing and is leveraging the new Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP system to support faster, more accurate financial, regulatory and management reporting.  

The Oracle Fusion Maintenance Cloud has also transformed SAPTCO’s maintenance processes, including asset monitoring, automated service estimates, enhanced customer billing for both internal and external clients and preventive maintenance capabilities. This implementation enables transformation across major transportation sector scenarios, including billing based on standard hours and actual resource usage costs. Additionally, it ensures seamless management of spare parts and service warranties, Customer SLAs with features like free parts replacements, free preventive maintenance, mileage-based billing, and effective handling of insurance scenarios. These advancements underline Oracle Fusion Maintenance Cloud's pivotal role in optimising SAPTCO's operational excellence. This has resulted in improved equipment reliability, which has strengthened the organisation's overall financial and operational management.  

SAPTCO’s successful transformation has also gained regional recognition. The company won the 2025 Oracle Excellence Award for Supply Chain Excellence in EMEA, acknowledging its forward-thinking digital strategy and effective adoption of Oracle Cloud solutions. This award highlights SAPTCO’s leadership in modernising its supply chain operations, as well as the strong collaboration between SAPTCO, PwC and Oracle in delivering a technology-driven transformation that is setting new standards for the mobility sector.

Looking ahead, SAPTCO plans to leverage advanced analytics, automation and AI capabilities within Oracle Cloud solutions to further enhance operational insight and efficiency, supporting its journey towards greater autonomy and commercial sustainability. 

These advancements are crucial for SAPTCO’s need to transform, enabling the organisation to stay competitive and meet the evolving demands of its stakeholders. The use of predictive analytics and automated reporting will help SAPTCO’s decision-makers anticipate and address the needs of employees and customers, reinforcing its commitment to excellence and innovation.