Becker Chemie GmbH – Cleanly implemented SAP S/4HANA Conversions

Products: Cleaning and maintenance products as well as cosmetic products

Employees: approx. 100 (2021)

Sales: over 22 million euros (2020)

Headquarters: Leopoldshöhe, Germany

Website: www.becker-chemie.de

Forward-looking, even within the Company

Since its founding in 1928, Becker Chemie has grown into a well-known and proven company for cleaning products. Every day, experts work on the development of new cleaning and care products for all areas of application, such as surfaces and floors, restroom or laundry facilities, or disinfection. In addition to ongoing research about effectiveness and skin compatibility, the company also strives for sustainable, resource- conserving production. The company’s success can be attributed to a strategically smart focus and the highest standards of innovation and optimization. In order to speed up innovation cycles in the future, Becker Chemie decided on a system conversion to SAP S/4HANA.

System Conversion to SAP S/4HANA

Since market launch of the latest ERP generation, companies around the world have been busy converting the expiring SAP R/3 systems. This is because the new SAP software can be used to streamline a range of processes in areas like materials management, human resources and finance. If you want to drive digitalization in your company, you cannot afford to ignore this new software. During a short project period of just seven months, Becker Chemie worked with Bielefeld-based IT service provider NTT DATA Business Solutions to implement three SAP S/4HANA conversions using SAP Software Update Manager in accordance with the SAP Conversion Guide. It started with the conversion of the sandbox systems, immediately  followed by the development and production systems. Despite challenging times in 2020, the conversion succeeded thanks to regular remote coordination. Communication between the project participants from the various companies had to be ensured: Becker Chemie, Oetker Daten- und Informationsverarbeitung KG (OEDIV) and NTT DATA Business Solutions.

Remote Project Opens the Doors to Innovation

While NTT DATA Business Solutions worked from India on the conversion of the custom codes and simplification items, the project was coordinated in Germany. Constructive collaboration resulted in the migration of 170 GB in data volume, the adaptation of 328 custom-code objects and the transfer of 3,800 customers, creditors and contacts in the course of customer-vendor integration. Now, 32 newly-integrated Fiori apps support Becker Chemie in its daily business operations, providing an excellent overview of important KPIs in real time as well as analyses of open orders, warehouse stock, deliveries and more. The flexible use of mobile devices is another plus. OEDIV [Oetker Data Information and Processing] participated in this project as managed cloud partner.

Additional Add-ons for Business Success

For the finishing touch, additional add-ons were implemented to simplify processes, especially in the area of logistics. Thus, Becker Chemie now has the shipping solution it.x-press in the S/4 Edition, which ensures seamless connection of CEP service providers. With it.DGMSuite, the manufacturer gains additional advantages when handling hazardous goods, while the bulk and container cockpits support the integration of production and filling orders. The add-on takes on the creation of a process order as part of the production and filling of bulk goods into containers. With new functionalities of these and other add-ons, as well as technical achievements in the context of SAP S/4HANA, Becker Chemie has gained a head start in the IT area. With this future-proof system, the manufacturer is setting the course for long-term growth and innovation.