Gartner logo

Körber is a global technology group operating across a range of industries—from pharma and supply chain to tobacco and machine building. With a diverse portfolio that includes software, consulting, and manufacturing, Körber delivers innovation through intelligent integration and cutting-edge digital solutions. Jan Van Hueth, Senior Project Manager and Ivalua Platform Lead at Körber, shares how the company is transforming procurement by deeply integrating Ivalua into its ecosystem and exploring generative AI through responsible, governed innovation.

Headquarters:
Hamburg, Germany

Employees:
13,000

  • Fragmented Systems Landscape: With over 7 ERP systems and multiple auxiliary platforms, Körber needed a unified layer for procurement, sourcing, and data exchange.
  • AI Governance & Responsibility: As a German-based company with co-determined structures, introducing AI required careful planning to ensure ethical use, transparency, and cross-stakeholder alignment.
  • Need for Business-Led AI Use Cases: Körber sought to identify high-impact AI applications directly from its users—rather than imposing top-down initiatives—ensuring relevance and real-world value.
  • End-to-End Procurement Digitization: Ivalua powers sourcing, contracting, and ERP automation across the business, enabling standardized, scalable procurement operations.
  • Deep Integration at Scale: Integrated ERP systems, D&B, IntegrityNext, data warehouses, and supplier portals, Ivalua is the orchestration layer for Körber’s procurement.
  • AI Innovation with Guardrails: Successful AI pilot with Ivalua’s Integrated Virtual Assistant (IVA), focusing on automation and analytics use cases. Ensuring fast adoption and real business value.
  • Responsible AI by Design: Implementation of a formal AI guiding principles document and established an Ethics Council to address emerging challenges—ensuring innovation doesn’t come at the cost of trust or compliance.
Quote - Left - White

We started our AI journey in 2023, currently we are running a very successful pilot with Ivalua IVA, we are primarily asking our users to propose use cases, and what we hear most often right now is is Automation type use cases and Analytics type use cases. Quote - Right - White

Logo - Korber - Full - White

Jan Van Hueth

Senior Project Manager

Case Study - CACI - Shot of a young man using his digital tablet and computer in a modern office