Ecuphar - Animalcare unlocks big efficiency gains with SAP S/4HANA

S/4HANA: power meets ease of use

“SAP ECC had been installed almost a decade ago,” explains Saeid. “But with our new business structure and the opportunities posed by new SAP products, it was clear that a change would lead to big results.”

A believer in the quality and power of SAP, Saeid and his team opted to move Ecuphar’s SAP ecosystem to the Microsoft Azure cloud to take advantage of the accessibility and easy upgrades that cloud computing comes with.

“S/4HANA is all about digitization. It integrates smoothly with back office and is recognized for its efficiency, ease of use and intuitive interfacing. The new version of S/4HANA integrates smoothly with back office products like Microsoft Office 365 and is recognized for its efficiency, ease of use and intuitive interfacing,” he explains. “These were big priorities for Ecuphar.”

A complete ecosystem renewal

The next step was to sketch out how Ecuphar’s new ecosystem would take shape.

“We began with a detailed analysis of our as-is situation based on best practices,” continues Saeid. “Based on the results, we developed a two-phased project that consists of moving the system to the cloud and then upgrading the software.” The Ecuphar IT team further segmented these two phases into the following milestones: securing our hardware, upgrading it, identifying how to optimize or replace existing functionalities, and introducing a new user interface as needed.

“An incremental approach would help us adapt to changes and learn from the process, streamlining future segments and integrations.”

Building on the agile roots of S/4HANA

After identifying its IT needs, Ecuphar began its quest for the ideal partner at the beginning of 2018. “But not a simple IT partner – a business partner, as scalability and future business growth must be enabled by the new system,” Saeid stresses.

“delaware was a great match for our business and IT environment, and based on our market analysis and delaware’s solutions, I felt very comfortable working with their team.”

Saeid also appreciates a hands-on, pragmatic approach to IT projects. “delaware works side-by-side with our business and has a keen eye for futureproofness.”

Merely six months after the decision to upgrade was made, the digital core and additional features including integrated embedded consolidation, embedded analytics and Fiori advanced usability were completely integrated and ready for use by nearly every Ecuphar subsidiary. As a new acquisition, Ecuphar’s UK business will follow in fall 2018.

“New functionalities like mobile applications, the digitization of manual processes, interfacing opportunities and consolidation tools have an excellent foundation in S/4HANA,” Saeid elaborates. “We’re currently in the process of replacing custom-made applications while optimizing business continuity and managing risks. It’s an ongoing process, and delaware will be there to think alongside us.”