Supporting the client in separating the ERP system from the integrated system and transforming it into a separate S/4HANA system. SAP IS-U will remain in the existing system for the time being (according to current planning, SAP IS-U will be replaced by a successor solution in about 3-4 years).
GELSENWASSER AG (GW AG for short) is a medium-sized infrastructure company with around 1,550 employees. Key areas of activity include drinking water and energy supply, decentralized energy generation, wastewater disposal and digital networks.
For more information about GELSENWASSER, please visit: https://www.gelsenwasser.de.
GW AG has been using SAP ERP to handle its key business processes since 2001. In addition, the SAP IS-U industry solution is used for billing and utility management processes, which is currently operated together with the ERP system in an integrated R/3 system. In addition to using the integrated ERP system to handle GW's own processes, GW AG also provides commercial services for other companies and also handles these via the ERP system. In addition, GW AG also provides its ERP system to other companies that also handle their commercial processes via GW AG's ERP system. GW AG also provides the RE-FX module for a company without this module being used by GW AG itself or other companies.
The ERP system is now to be removed from the integrated system and transformed into a separate S/4HANA system. SAP IS-U, on the other hand, will remain in the existing system for the time being (according to current planning, SAP IS-U will be replaced by a successor solution in about 3-4 years). In this ERP migration, the focus is on the following core modules:
- Financial accounting: FI-GL (classic general ledger), FI-AR, FI-AP, FI-AA, CO, IM, PS,
- Logistics sector: MM, PM, SD, CS
- Human Resources: HCM (MA master files, organizational management and time management) with gross billing, SAP RE FX
The ERP system or the core modules depicted here have a large number of interfaces to peripheral systems (about 23) and add-ons (about 21). Ensuring that both SAP (approximately 25%) and non-SAP solutions (approximately 75%) can run under S/4HANA is an essential task within the scope of this transformation project.
Since the introduction of the current ERP system, the client and company code structure depicted here has been steadily expanded and is expected to continue to change in the future. The ERP system is currently home to 10 core clients (= 10 business associations) with a total of 106 company codes (= 106 companies). The resulting heterogeneous process and data structures must be harmonized across clients as part of the transformation project and transferred to standardized structures.
At the beginning of 2021, GW AG already carried out a preliminary S/4HANA study, which included a rough design of the core modules to be depicted under S/4HANA and a sketch of the future system landscape. The technical and technical results achieved here along the target outline must be taken into account in the main project and further fine-tuned.
As part of the preliminary study conducted, GW AG also decided that the system change should take place using a hybrid migration approach (system changeover of an empty client; process harmonization/optimization; selective migration of data). The provider must include this methodology in its offer.