It is clear from the outset: for Carl Kühne KG, this will be the most important project of the coming years. After 30 years, the old SAP R/3 system is to be replaced by a modern SAP S/4HANA solution.
A Roadmap program is not only intended to show which migration path is best suited to the company. The aim of the preliminary study is also to find out how to move closer to the SAP standard and to pave the way for harmonised end-to-end processes.
Roadmap program for SAP S/4HANA
The collaboration between Carl Kühne KG and GAMBIT Consulting began in 2024. At the start of the project, the team gained an overview of the status quo of the company’s processes and the current system architecture.
For Carl Kühne KG, the implementation of SAP S/4HANA represented, first and foremost, an opportunity to make business processes leaner and more efficient. Particular emphasis was placed on optimising the flow of data and values, with the aim of increasing transparency and controllability.
At the time of the preliminary study, four separate systems supported the business processes. As each of these systems comprised a production, a test as well as a development system, this resulted in operating costs for a total of 12 different systems. As a result of process streamlining, the number of systems was to be reduced so that fewer system breaks would occur.
The result of the preliminary study: the business processes can be consolidated into a unified SAP S/4HANA system landscape. This will not only make business processes more efficient, but will also reduce operating and licence costs, while maintenance costs will also be lower.
With this goal in mind, the project team then set about evaluating various migration scenarios.
“It became clear that a full Brownfield migration was out of the question,” says Christopher Lim, Project Manager at GAMBIT. “Although this would also mean switching to a modern SAP S/4HANA system – the processes would remain entirely as they are.”
To achieve the desired modernisation of business processes, GAMBIT instead recommended an SAP S/4HANA implementation based on the Greenfield approach.
An important step towards future-proof business processes for Carl Kühne KG: The project team had to assess how closely the current processes align with SAP Best Practices.
For some areas, the fit-to-standard rate was high; in others, it was clear that a direct leap to the SAP Best Practice standard was impossible.
“To get the most out of the implementation, we recommend a number of preliminary projects in the areas of Controlling, Finance and parts of Supply Chain Management,” says Christopher Lim.
In addition, a replacement solution for the existing APO system is needed, since the current system will soon become unavailable. This issue also has to be examined in more detail within a preliminary project.
SAP S/4HANA preliminary study and Greenfield cloud implementation
Quickscan, roadmap and implementation of SAP Central Finance for BayWa AG
Preliminary project and road map for SAP S/4HANA
Roadmap Program for SAP S/4HANA, Including IS-U and HCM
Greenfield implementation in the utilities, energy and environmental sectors.
Within six months, the project team has successfully analysed Carl Kühne KG’s system landscape and developed a strategy for a digitalised future.
The plan for the SAP S/4HANA implementation is based on the SAP Activate approach: the successful Roadmap program and the upcoming preliminary projects are followed by the Project Phase, during which the SAP S/4HANA system is set up and prepared. At the subsequent go-live, the system is put into operation and any initial difficulties are resolved.
“We have a major undertaking ahead of us, but thanks to the Roadmap with GAMBIT, we now know the next steps exactly,” says Torben Lange, IT Director at Carl Kühne KG. “Not only do we have a clear vision for the future, we also recognise the many benefits that this implementation will bring.”
