Hana instead of DB2

Impress Surfaces, a manufacturer of decorative papers for furniture fronts as well as countertop surfaces and laminate flooring, outsourced its corporate system landscape and application lifecycle management (ALM) to the SAP full-service provider T.Con and accelerated data processing and analysis by migrating to Hana.

Integrated SAP architecture is relevant for competition

"As there is high price and competitive pressure in the industry, IT-driven processes that are uniform across all locations and thus transparent and highly efficient are a competitive factor in all areas"

says Detlef Tiedt, Head of IT at Impress Surfaces.

The prerequisite for this, an integrated, future-oriented IT architecture, is already in place at the medium-sized company. At its heart is the SAP ERP application for commercial processes in conjunction with SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) for data evaluation and SAP CRM for customer management.

The SAP-based MES CAT Suite from T.Con, which is fully integrated into SAP ERP, ensures the seamless linking of ERP processes and data from production-related systems. With the close networking of ERP and production levels, Impress has created an important foundation for the digital factory in the sense of Industry 4.0.

An Abap-based planning solution developed by T.Con is used for scheduling, personnel and material planning in production and for processes in purchasing. This solution extends the SAP standard without modifications.

The challenges of digitization are also being met with state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies such as industrial digital printing, which can also be used to produce small batches cost-efficiently and which are very closely linked to SAP processes for handling customer and production orders.

SAP operation exclusively in Germany

For strategic reasons, Impress has always outsourced hosting, operation, administration and maintenance of the SAP landscape. The IT department can thus concentrate fully on its core tasks, planning and implementing IT projects, managing external IT service providers, and monitoring IT innovations, especially in the SAP environment.

"A cornerstone in our IT strategy is that SAP operation takes place exclusively in a data center in Germany. Processing and storage of business data are thus subject to the strict regulations of the German Federal Data Protection Act."

emphasizes Detlef Tiedt.

The high level of security this guarantees is a decisive factor for the internationally active medium-sized company.

Provider change after RZ relocation

When the previous outsourcing provider IBM decided to relocate its German-based data center (RZ) to Eastern Europe, there was a need for action.

After a thorough comparison of several outsourcing service providers, Impress entrusted T.Con with the hosting, operation and support of the entire SAP application landscape in a certified, regional Tier 3 data center.

The move of the SAP applications to the new data center went smoothly thanks to the competent support provided by the experts from the SAP full-service provider in Plattling.

The smooth operation of IT processes and constant availability is guaranteed by a highly qualified team of experts at T.con with support services in German and English around the clock (24 x 7 x 365)

Application Lifecycle Management

On behalf of the decor specialist, T.Con also handles all tasks associated with application lifecycle management (ALM), such as monitoring and maintenance as well as optimization of IT processes, further development of the SAP landscape, importing updates, and performing release upgrades.

A ticket system ensures that reports of malfunctions or change requests are processed promptly and errors are corrected immediately.

Highly available SAP processes

At T.Con's data center, SAP applications are now run on a high-performance Hana in-memory database instead of IBM DB2. Since then, the performance of SAP ERP and the SAP-based planning solution as well as reporting in SAP BW has increased.

One of the external reasons for the switch from IBM DB2 to Hana at Impress Surfaces was that new legal regulations regarding the proof of bookings and receipts to the authorities had come into force for the two production sites and the sales office in Russia.

The corresponding functions are provided by Enhancement Package 7 (EHP 7) for SAP ERP. It was therefore logical to import EHP 7 into the ERP system and then migrate it to the in-memory database.

Fiori and mobile apps

"Since there are constantly new business requirements, the next step will be to develop efficient solution concepts in close cooperation with T.Con," clarifies Detlef Tiedt.

Business added value is expected from the browser-based apps from the SAP Fiori collection, which are equipped with a playfully simple and intuitive SAPUI5 interface.

The plant in Austria, which has to date impregnated materials from other sites and suppliers, will in future also sell recipes produced for its own use directly to customers on a larger scale.

An app with SAPUI5 user interface technology will then ensure efficient planning and control of in-house and external requirements and capacities. Existing business processes will also be optimized.

The often time-critical release of purchase requisitions (BANF) is simplified and accelerated by a mobile application also developed by T.Con. Supervisors and managers can now conveniently approve or reject the purchase requisitions assigned to them via smartphone or tablet while on the move within a few minutes, whether from the train, cab or hotel.

"We are already looking into further improvements and enhancements, and we know that our SAP landscape is in good hands with T.Con"

Detlef Tiedt concludes.