Business Need:
Our client is a mid-size automotive parts manufacturer with multi-plant operations serving both domestic OEM customers and export markets. With increasing product complexity, tighter customer SLAs, and mounting pressure to improve supply chain responsiveness, the organisation recognised that its legacy SAP ECC 6.0 environment was no longer fit for purpose. The system’s batch-oriented architecture made real-time decision-making difficult, and the impending end of mainstream SAP ECC maintenance created an inflection point that demanded action.
The client engaged Expora Database Consulting Services (EDCS) to lead the end-to-end migration from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA, and to integrate SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) as the foundation for a unified demand, supply, and S&OP planning capability.
The Challenge:
Before the migration, the organisation faced a set of deeply interconnected challenges that constrained business performance:
Operational & Technology Constraints
- Siloed, batch-driven reporting across finance, procurement, and production meant that management decisions were routinely based on data that was 24–48 hours old
- The existing ECC landscape had accumulated years of customisations, making it brittle, expensive to maintain, and difficult to upgrade
- High IT maintenance overhead was consuming a disproportionate share of the technology budget, leaving little capacity for innovation
- Inability to scale operations efficiently as the business expanded into new product lines and geographies
Supply Chain & Planning Gaps
- Demand forecasting was performed in spreadsheets with limited statistical rigour, leading to chronic overstock and stockout situations
- Supply and demand signals were not integrated, causing misalignment between production planning and actual market demand
- No unified S&OP process — sales, supply chain, and finance teams operated in silos with no shared planning platform
- Poor inventory visibility across plants and warehouses, resulting in suboptimal stock positioning and elevated carrying costs
THE EDCS SOLUTION
EDCS designed and delivered a comprehensive brownfield migration strategy, preserving the client’s core business processes and historical data while modernising the technology stack and introducing a best-in-class planning capability. The engagement was structured into three integrated workstreams:
Workstream 1 SAP S/4HANA Brownfield Migration
- Conducted a thorough system assessment and custom code remediation analysis to identify and resolve ECC-specific developments incompatible with S/4HANA
- Executed a phased data migration using SAP's Software Update Manager (SUM) with DMO (Database Migration Option), ensuring data integrity throughout
- Configured SAP S/4HANA Finance (Central Finance) to enable real-time financial reporting and period-end close acceleration
- Delivered User Acceptance Testing (UAT) support and hypercare coverage through go-live, with weekend execution to minimise business disruption
Workstream 2 SAP IBP Implementation — Demand, Supply & S&OP
- Implemented SAP IBP for Demand, enabling statistical forecasting models with machine learning-assisted sensing to replace manual spreadsheet-based forecasting
- Configured SAP IBP for Supply to deliver constrained supply planning, aligning production capacity and procurement lead times with live demand signals
- Established a structured S&OP process within IBP, providing a single collaborative planning environment for sales, supply chain, and finance leadership
- Integrated IBP with S/4HANA via standard CIF (Core Interface) connectors, ensuring bidirectional data synchronisation in near real-time
- Designed and deployed customised planning dashboards and exception-based alerts, enabling planners to focus on high-impact decisions
Workstream 3 Change Management & Knowledge Transfer
- Delivered role-based training programmes for end users across finance, procurement, production planning, and supply chain functions
- Developed a comprehensive set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and process documentation for S/4HANA and IBP workflows
- Established an internal Centre of Excellence (CoE) framework, equipping the client's IT team to self-sustain and evolve the platform post go-live
- Provided structured hypercare support for 8 weeks post go-live, ensuring rapid issue resolution and user confidence during the critical stabilisation period
Key Benefits
- Real-Time Operational Visibility
- Unified Demand-to-Supply Planning
- Optimised Inventory & Working Capital
- Future-Ready Technology Foundation
- Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
- Accelerated Financial Close
