Carve-out, S/4 Migration and Cloud Move in a Single Step
BSW Timber
“With the complex challenge of an SAP data carve-out, a project integration and an S/4HANA transformation, we engaged Centiq and SNP to complete this project with minimal business disruption and downtime.” David Robinson, Head of IT, BSW Group
At a Glance
The Challenge
The Kiel Group wanted to perform a minimally invasive upgrade of their ERP system SAP R/3 to the new platform SAP S/4HANA. The entire history had to be migrated, and only necessary adjustments were to be made to the system. Nonetheless, business partners and the New General Ledger (New GL) had to be introduced. Kiel is planning further technical and process optimizations for the time after the S/4HANA project. The time frame was of particular importance: The 1:1 migration of several hundred million data records had to take place within 16 weeks from project start to go-live.
The Benefits
-
Single project to both carve out the relevant data and move to S/4HANA on Azure
- Automated analysis of systems allowing for easy assessment of system landscape, in scope organizational units and approach for migration
- Tried and tested SNP approach of ECC to S/4HANA allowed the project to be delivered in good time prior to the end of the TSA and align to the scheduled business downtime
The Solution
SNP was engaged to perform the carve-out and migration, providing infrastructure design and build and project Basis activities. The project was delivered in conjunction with Centiq.
Centiq’s team stood up all the necessary network and infrastructure requirements for Azure. Centiq provided critical support throughout the project to ensure the cutover was achieved within the business downtime window.
The SNP delivery approach included two test migration cycles and a dress rehearsal prior to the cutover. The cutover was successfully delivered in approximately two days and included the carve-out of BSW-relevant data, migration to S/4HANA and move to Azure Cloud. All of this was delivered in just six months, with the project going live on December 31, 2021.
Key Facts
Project Type
BLUEFIELD™ Carve-out to S/4HANA on Azure
Highlights
SNP’s unique BLUEFIELD™ approach saved BSW precious downtime and money
by no longer requiring a separate, later project to perform a Brownfield upgrade to
S/4HANA.
SNP’s automated approach and proprietary software reduced the project time by
months and enabled the cutover to complete one day ahead of schedule.
Scope
Extraction of divested Building and Supply Solutions division and all associated data including full history and load into a dedicated BSW system. Transformation of ECC data structures to S/4HANA on Azure and creation of Business Partner records according to design requirements of BSW.
About BSW
BSW Group is the largest integrated forestry business in the UK - and it has five main operating divisions: tree nurseries, forestry, sawmilling, timber manufacturing and energy. The group has seven sawmills in the UK and one in Riga, Latvia. BSW manufactures and supplies a wide range of quality, FSC®-certified sawn products for an array of industries, including fencing, landscaping, cladding, construction, DIY, decking, and packaging. Having undertaken a GBP 125 million investment program over the last 10 years, BSW is committed to supporting sustainable forestry.
About Our Partnership with Centiq
Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Nottingham, UK, Centiq provides comprehensive SAP-related professional and managed services and solutions throughout Europe. Centiq is a certified SAP Services Partner, a recognized SAP Gold Partner, and deployed one of the first SAP HANA implementations in the UK in 2011. Their expertise also extends to Microsoft Azure, for which they hold the Advanced Specialization designation for SAP on Azure, and they are regarded one of the most experienced Microsoft partners globally in this space. Centiq enables businesses to drive more value from their SAP platform through consultancy-led engagement, focusing on faster time to value, mitigated risk and optimized cost.