Software engineering
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Emmi develops a successful ERP transformation strategy
We assisted Emmi in establishing a foundation for future decision-making by developing a comprehensive ERP strategy that helps identify risks early, ensure efficient resource planning, and foster stakeholder awareness for a successful transition.
Collaboration overview:
Strategic reassessment defines clear ERP path for Emmi amid growing system complexity
Benchmarking and market analysis confirm SAP S/4HANA as best-fit solution for future needs
Comprehensive strategy document aligns stakeholders, clarifies roadmap, and enables risk-aware planning
System complexity calls for ERP strategy reassessment
Emmi is the leading manufacturer of high-quality dairy products in Switzerland. The company distributes its products in around 60 countries and manufactures these at 72 of its own production sites across 13 countries.
Following several mergers and acquisitions, the company found itself managing a multi-layered system and ERP processes.
Although Emmi had already centralised its operations on the older SAP R/3 version, the upcoming end of support for R/3 and the required transition to SAP S/4HANA prompted a strategic reassessment of whether SAP remained the right platform for the future.
Conducting a market analysis to define the path forward
Thanks to our extensive digital strategy expertise, Emmi enlisted our team to conduct a market analysis, evaluating whether it would be best for the company to move to the new SAP version or a different ERP system.
To support Emmi in evaluating its future ERP direction, we conducted a benchmark analysis of comparable companies within the DACH region, focusing on the food industry.
We specifically looked at organisations of similar size and complexity to Emmi, analysing which ERP systems they were using, when they had migrated, and how their system landscapes had evolved. The findings revealed a clear trend: nearly all large food industry companies in this segment had adopted SAP as their core ERP system.
In addition, we reviewed reports from companies that had already transitioned to SAP S/4HANA. This helped us understand their migration experiences and post-implementation satisfaction.
Based on this analysis, we concluded that there is currently no viable alternative that meets Emmi’s functional and strategic requirements as effectively as SAP. As a result, we recommended moving forward with a migration to SAP S/4HANA.
Besides conducting the market analysis, we also developed a transformation strategy for Emmi, defining the relevant guidelines and objectives as well as the expected degree of change within the S/4HANA migration.
We crafted a strategy document, ensuring it was easily understood by employees at all levels. The document covered the implications of cloud vs. on-premises hosting and green vs. blue vs. brownfield transformation approaches. It also contained a roadmap, outlining the implementation options and scenarios on a timeline.
“Zühlke understood how to translate our business requirements into a comprehensible storyline. The easy-to-understand ERP transformation strategy gives us a helpful tool for explaining the transformation journey to both management and employees, helping generate excitement about it.”
Strategic clarity enables confident decision-making
The ERP strategy document we delivered served both as a communication instrument for Emmi’s workforce and a decision-making tool for its management.
It helped clarify the key questions surrounding the initiative, including deployment options (cloud vs. on-premises), cost estimations, anticipated changes and continuities, required resources, and a high-level timeline and roadmap. This process established a shared understanding of the direction Emmi should take and laid the foundation for the next steps in the ERP transformation.
The outlined ERP strategy will now be used to raise stakeholder awareness, willingness, and acceptance of the transformation, help identify potential risks early and ensure efficient resource planning.
