Digital conversion

Within just nine months, EagleBurgmann has converted SAP ECC to S/4 Hana at several locations in Europe and Asia. The sealing specialist has thus created a further prerequisite for the digital transformation.

"There is considerable respect for the switch to S/4, especially in SMEs"

says Tobias Lange, CIO of EagleBurgmann.

"The larger the existing SAP system, the more users work with it, the higher the risk of damaging the core business."

Following the project launch in January 2019, the system went live the following October. Careful preparation and implementation were carried out by a core team of IT employees with selective, limited support from external partners.

The project team opted for a pragmatic, hybrid approach consisting of a brownfield approach, i.e. the digitalization of existing processes and the simultaneous introduction of new functionalities in order to optimize processes.

"Above all, returning extensive non-standard solutions back to the SAP standard only works if there is good interaction. Which functions are required? How can the required functions be mapped using standard SAP tools? Such questions can only be answered satisfactorily for everyone through a good and regular exchange from different perspectives"

summarizes project team member Uta Schubert. The digital linking of all areas of the company without system discontinuity, from sales and procurement to the finished product including service, will remain a major challenge in the coming years.