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Industry: Consumer Products (food)
Category: RISE with SAP

SugarCreek powers its SAP success with Cloud Concierge Services

SugarCreek partners with NTT DATA Business Solutions to optimize its SAP environment with Cloud Concierge Services, gaining expert support and enhanced system performance.

Crispy strips of bacon piled high on a black plate against a dark background.

Why NTT DATA Business Solutions?

  • After implementing SAP Cloud ERP Private, SugarCreek worked with NTT DATA Business Solutions as a beta customer to help develop what is now Cloud Concierge Services. The service continues to deliver value for them as well as other NTT DATA Business Customers.
  • NTT DATA Business Solutions’ local presence in the Cincinnati, OH, metro meant we were able to meet face-to-face quickly, whenever needed. To support the transition and share knowledge, our teams were co-located in the same office for a time.
  • The team at NTT DATA Business Solutions has a deep understanding of SAP infrastructure, processes, and the customer-specific Basis services needed to ensure accountability and that everything runs properly.

Having someone knowledgeable we can just reach out to with questions—who understands not just Basis, but also how things should function and who is responsible for what and why—has been invaluable.

Matt McConville CIO

For Cincinnati-based food manufacturer SugarCreek, a long-standing relationship with NTT DATA Business Solutions is built on a foundation of trust and collaboration for its ERP modernization. After migrating to SAP from a legacy Microsoft platform, SugarCreek recently upgraded to SAP Cloud ERP Private to power its future growth.

To maximize the value of their investments, the SugarCreek team also leveraged its partnership with NTT DATA Business Solutions to provide specialized technical management and augment its internal team’s expertise. This led to SugarCreek becoming a beta customer to help develop Cloud Concierge Services, a suite of services designed to complement the SAP Cloud ERP Private environment.

The need: Maximizing performance in a new ERP environment

The transition to a new ERP platform meant that SugarCreek needed to ensure its SAP environment was perfectly tuned to handle the unique, computationally intensive processes of its business, such as transacting catchweight materials. Since SugarCreek’s previous platform had been a Microsoft solution, its IT team did not have specific SAP expertise in-house. Thus, the team recognized the need for deep, specialized SAP Basis knowledge to complement their existing skill sets and manage the technical intricacies of the SAP landscape.

NTT DATA Business Solutions’ Cloud Concierge Services provided SugarCreek with a dedicated technical expert who functioned as a seamless extension of its own team, bringing extensive experience in SAP technical management.

The solution: Embedded expertise with Cloud Concierge Services

The initial engagement focused on optimizing system performance and stability. NTT DATA Business Solutions’ expert collaborated with the SugarCreek team to diagnose performance issues, identify root causes, and implement precise solutions, ensuring the environment was properly configured for the company’s specific operational demands.

The partnership evolved over time to provide ongoing, specialized support:

  • Proactive system management: Collaborating on daily system health, including analyzing diagnostic information to determine root causes of key issues, as well as providing expert guidance to maintain a stable, reliable environment.
  • Targeted performance tuning: Assisting in troubleshooting and resolving performance challenges related to SugarCreek’s specific manufacturing and sales processes.
  • Strategic advisory: Serving as a trusted advisor during system upgrades, helping the SugarCreek team interpret technical requirements, plan project approaches, and ensure successful outcomes.

The results: A valued partnership and optimized system

The most significant outcome for SugarCreek is the collaborative relationship that has formed. The NTT DATA Business Solutions technical expert is deeply integrated with the SugarCreek team, participating in near-daily communications to provide support ranging from foundational system maintenance to strategic advice.

This engagement showcases the strategic advantage of augmenting SAP Cloud ERP Private with specialized managed services. For SugarCreek, Cloud Concierge Services provides exceptional value, fortifying its IT operations and enabling the company to fully leverage its investment in SAP technology.

Challenges and Benefits

What challenges was the business facing?

  • After selecting SAP and migrating from a legacy Microsoft platform, SugarCreek sought additional support to provide specialized technical management and augment its internal team’s expertise.

What benefits did the business derive from the project?

  • It has been invaluable to have a dedicated resource to answer questions or provide advice for more than just the basis area requirements. Having someone who understands how things should be functioning, who should be responsible for what and why, has been a real advantage.

What solutions were implemented?

  • Cloud Concierge Services Starter Edition