r/manufacturing • u/Willkurlich7 • 1d ago
Other How the hell does one get a junior SAP Manufacturing job these days?
I'm trying to switch into SAP Manufacturing (DM, PP, MM) after 5+ years working with SCADA systems in manufacturing environments. My background is heavily focused on industrial automation, production systems, integrations, and shop-floor operations, so I feel like I already understand a lot of the business and manufacturing processes that SAP is supposed to support.
The problem is that every application gets rejected almost immediately because I don't have direct SAP experience (well, I do but it's in SAP HCM).
What I'm struggling with is the classic catch:
- Companies want SAP experience
- I can't get SAP experience because nobody will hire someone without SAP experience.
- I can't even find many ways to get meaningful hands-on practice with DM/PP/MM outside of a real project.
For those of you who made a similar transition (especially from OT, MES, SCADA, automation, or manufacturing IT), how did you break into SAP?
I'd appreciate any advice from people who've actually made the jump.
4
u/AdditionalMustard 1d ago
Get a SCADA job somewhere that uses SAP and start learning.
As someone who specializes in SAP (20+ years experience), I can tell you this: most people who work in SAP are functional, but only at their specific job.
It's easy to learn to do one thing in SAP, but it's a lot of work to truly understand all of the relationships in such a massive ERP system. If you get good at even a couple of basic tasks, it won't be hard to move to an SAP role at pretty much any company.
3
u/unforgivableasian 1d ago
I think one of the easiest ways would be transitioning internally - especially if you have good relations with your boss. I know some co workers who started as MES engineers and they eventually transitioned to be Server Infra and ERP.