Focusing
on the essentials
The perfect example of brownfield migration
VEKA has been using SAP since 1998 and regularly updates its SAP systems. The world’s leading manufacturer of PVC-U profile systems for windows and doors has now successfully migrated to SAP S/4HANA, which means it is ideally positioned for the future. The brownfield transformation will now be followed by further projects with which the company intends to use the full potential of the S/4 HANA system.
The challenge
VEKA, the world market leader in plastic profile systems for windows and doors with its headquarters in Sendenhorst, has been using SAP since 1998 and has regularly updated its systems. Two years ago, the company decided to migrate to SAP S/4HANA. The changeover had to take place in good time before the end of SAP ECC maintenance in 2027. Jens Schulte, project manager at VEKA, explains: “We knew that we would need external support for the changeover to SAP S/4HANA, so we didn’t want to delay the transformation for too long.”
For VEKA, a manageable project schedule and suitable timing were important: “The project lasted two years. During this time, a large proportion of internal and external resources were involved in the project. In the past six months of the project, imposed a “frozen zone”. During this time, ongoing projects had to be paused and the focus was entirely on the changeover to SAP S/4HANA,” says Jens Schulte.
The company has been using SAP for a long time and numerous modifications, custom code and interfaces to third-party systems have been developed over the years. “A clear goal associated with the changeover to SAP S/4HANA was that the existing range of functions under SAP S/4 HANA had to be retained. We only made changes and innovations where it was absolutely necessary,” explains Jens Schulte.
“We would choose this approach again. Focus on the essentials and implement them in a targeted manner in order to leverage the innovations in a later step.”
The solution
The project started in April 2022, with VEKA planning the go-live for Christmas 2023. In view of the initial situation, only brownfield migration was an option. “For us, this project was a purely technical conversion. We deliberately left the issue of processes out of the equation, otherwise we wouldn’t have managed the changeover in the allotted time,” explains Jens Schulte. VEKA also wanted to continue operating its systems on-premise.
VEKA took care of planning the migration and the ATC check together with its partner Uniorg. consolut was responsible for the technical conversion. The basis-team, consisting of two internal employees and two consolut consultants, ensured an error-free changeover and the high availability of the SAP system landscape.
The basis-team established the system hygiene. “The topic of archiving was also important to us and we wanted to check our custom code to find out what we still needed,” summarizes Jens Schulte.
Thanks to the detailed project planning, the basis-team had sufficient time to carry out tests. Volker Güldenpfennig, responsible for SAP-basis at consolut, explains: “We carried out a total of five conversions and brought the system onto SAP S/4HANA each time as a test. After the first test system, there were still some errors and the need for adjustments and corrections. But from test to test, the system ran more and more smoothly. We spent four months on the tests in the quality assurance system alone.” In the first half of 2023, the team was very confident that the migration would run smoothly.
The result
In the end, everything went as planned: During the company vacations, VEKA shut down the system on December 23, 2023. The migration, subsequent rework and tests were completed on December 29, so that all companies worldwide were able to resume operations on January 2, 2024. The actual downtime amounted to 16 hours. “A good outcome,” says Volker Güldenpfennig. After three months of hyper-care, the project was completed on March 31, 2024. “We were both on schedule and on budget, and were able to resume work in the new year without any problems. All the functions were retained,” says Jens Schulte.
VEKA wants to continue to operate the system on-premise. The cloud is to be used for satellite systems such as SAP BTP and SAC. The next step planned by the SAP team is the introduction of Fiori. VEKA has only used the new user interface where functionalities have been omitted. Workshops have just started to roll out Fiori across the board.
“We would choose this approach again. Focusing on the essentials and implementing them in a targeted manner in order to leverage the innovations in a later step was the right approach,” says Jens Schulte. Another success factor for Jens was the communication: “We tried to get everyone in the company on board and communicated in detail and regularly. Thanks to the support from the management, there were few other requirements and we were able to concentrate fully on the project.”
About the company
Since it was founded in 1969, VEKA has developed from a small regional business into the world market leader for PVC-U profile systems for windows and doors. Today, the international group of companies has 49 locations, including 23 production plants on 4 continents. In 2023, 6,900 employees worldwide generated annual sales of 1.5 billion euros. At the group’s headquarters in Sendenhorst alone, 1,500 people are employed.
The success of the company, which remains family-run, is based on uncompromising quality standards that apply not only to its products but to every the company and its services. In addition to profile systems for windows, doors and roller shutters as well as PVC-U panel systems, the Group’s portfolio also includes innovative surface finishing technologies and digital window solutions. VEKA pursues its corporate development with future generations in mind, and is aligned towards sustainability.
The advantages
Manageable project duration
Precise adherence to schedule and budget
Start of work without complications
High acceptance in the company
Better chances for successful SAP S/4HANA projects in the future
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