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Norbert Kytka, Headquarters Plattling
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The background for the SAP S/4HANA system conversion was this: Kermi GmbH, based in Plattling in Lower Bavaria, has been actively digitalizing its business processes both horizontally and vertically for many years. Digitalization is an important foundation for the success of the company, which develops and manufactures innovative products for smart heating and ventilation along with practical and attractive shower stalls and systems, which are then distributed through a three-level sales network.
Kermi has been using SAP enterprise software for decades to manage company processes: sales, procurement, intralogistics, production – all the way through to accounting, auditing and controlling.
There were two primary reasons driving the decision to take the plunge and upgrade to SAP's latest ERP suite. Firstly, the current SAP ERP system will no longer receive mainstream support from the end of 2027; secondly, a generational shift was looming in the IT department, particularly in the SAP team. This latter was a substantial argument for transitioning as soon as possible, particularly as Kermi had adapted the SAP standard over the years with in-house developments and custom extensions to suit its particular process requirements.
“Working this way meant we could exploit the wide spectrum of internal SAP expertise and knowledge accumulated by our experienced IT staff,” explains Karl Heinz Krämer, who is Head of IT Development/Organization, SAP Customer Center of Expertise at Kermi GmbH. “This was useful for the processes in the SAP modules, of course, but also for purging extensions not in use by the new ERP suite or that would no longer run. Our future team members will now be able to work with a lean, up-to-date ERP suite without legacy software.”
The internal IT department had broad expertise and the team was able to handle many aspects of the SAP S/4HANA system conversion independently. However, there were some areas that needed support from an external IT partner: for example, migrating the SQL database to the SAP HANA database, managing the transition to SAP Business Partner, and developing test systems. Kermi also needed external expertise for the technical implementation of the migration.
The SME found this support in the locally based SAP Gold Partner T.CON, a consultancy with extensive experience of SAP S/4HANA conversion projects.
Read the success story for more information about how the Easter weekend had a key role in the project rollout, what difficulties the project team encountered, and why 20,000 lines of code had to be updated. You will also learn how a clearly structured roadmap with a step-by-step process and plenty of leeway in the schedule for adapting custom code and implementing functional tests contributed to the project’s success.
