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apsolut implements SAP Ariba at ZKW Group GmbH
CompanyZKW
BranchAutomotive
ProductsMain headlights, fog lights and daytime running lights in laser, LED, xenon and halogen technology, additional lights and electronic parts
Number of employeesca. 10,000
Turnover1.25 billion €
HeadquartersWieselburg, Austria
Websitewww.zkw-group.com
Agile SAP ARIBA-GO LIVE, parallel to SAP S/4HANA implementation
ZKW is one of the leading manufacturers of lighting systems and electronic components for the global automotive industry. In the course of the SAP S/4HANA transformation project, ZKW Group GmbH also wanted to replace the existing SRM system. The decision to use SAP Ariba to handle procurement in the future was made after an extensive reference telephone call, which was organized and moderated by apsolut. During the telephone call, the purchasing manager of an existing apsolut customer answered questions from ZKW managers and reported on his experiences with the tool. The consulting company’s in-depth know-how and best practices also played a key role in choosing apsolut as an implementation partner.
Connecting SAP Ariba Buying to the new SAP S/4HANA ERP system, which was currently in the middle of the implementation phase, proved to be a challenge. During the SAP S/4HANA implementation, ZKW established new processes, which the apsolut team adapted to SAP Ariba using agile methods.
During the first workshops, new scenarios for the procurement of direct materials were discussed, which had previously been directly integrated into the production process via the existing SRM system. The direct materials are now stored in the SAP S/4HANA system and therefore do not represent a standard process in SAP Ariba. Both the material upload and reservation processes were developed by apsolut and now help ZKW to reserve catalog items and then take them directly from the warehouse. This challenge was accompanied by new processes, such as budget reservation and service purchasing including service entry sheets, which ZKW also implemented with the SAP S/4HANA implementation.
However, apsolut not only supported the customer with regard to the functional requirements for SAP Ariba, but also provided significant assistance with cross-project communication. For example, a business partner concept was developed in SAP S/4HANA that served to synchronize suppliers in SAP Ariba Buying. apsolut mastered these challenges by closely coordinating with all parties involved, thereby creating a system with a high level of integration, automation and global reach. The system was used by 1,800 users immediately after the go-live.
Hubert Buchsteiner (CPO, ZKW Group) looks back on the project with great satisfaction:
"apsolut led us in a very cooperative and super-competent manner throughout all phases of the project! Above all, the open collaboration between all project members kept motivation high throughout. The project team gets on very well with each other. We were also impressed by the solution-oriented approach and the ability of the entire project team to make quick decisions!"
As a result of the successful project, apsolut was commissioned by the ZKW Group to support further global rollouts.
Consolidation of different ERP systems onto one SAP S/4HANA system
Successful go-live with 1,800 users
Implemented tools
SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance
SAP Ariba Buying
SAP Ariba Commerce Automation
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Chandrashekhar Saldur, AGM - Global Procurement & Projects, ETG Group
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"apsolut has been supporting us in the ope-ration of our SRM system for 10 years. It does not matter whether we report a problem in the production system or want to discuss change requests. We are contacted by apsolut in a timely manner to resolve our concerns or discuss our requirements in detail. apsolut always provides the important piece of securi-ty in the background - if anything goes wrong, they always help quickly and straightforwardly."
Torsten Enseroth, SAP S/4HANA Solution Architect, Friedhelm Loh Group
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Jane Wanger, Global Procurement Systems & Support bei KSB
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‘We’re on the right track to being able to take full advantage of the potential that this transformation offers, as apsolut not only gives us the expertise that we need, but also has an incredibly agile and committed approach. apsolut no longer feels like an external partner to me, but more like an internal department, with whom I hope we can continue to work well into the future.’
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Annette Römer, Project Manager, McKesson Europe AG
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Shibu Palakalodil, Projektleiter SAP Ariba-Implementierung
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Anne Otto, Business Process Expert, Digital Solutions, JOYNEXT
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Martin Traxl, Head of Strategy & Digitalization, OMV
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Julia Graubner, Senior Procurement Project Manager, K+S
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Stefan Ehrhardt, Head of SAP Governance Purchasing, MAHLE
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"apsolut led us in a very cooperative and super-competent manner throughout all phases of the project! Above all, the open collaboration between all project members kept motivation high throughout. The project team gets on very well with each other. We were also impressed by the solution-oriented approach and the ability of the entire project team to make quick decisions!"
Hubert Buchsteiner, Group Vice President Purchasing, ZKW Group
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"Of course, we are immensely proud of how we implemented this complex transformation together. The always competent and more than punctual execution moved us to initiate a parallel project for partial process innovation in the ongoing project. Actually a no-go, but with apsolut no problem! With this positive experience, it was easy for us to initiate another project, which is currently being implemented. One thing remains to be said: Without the team around Bodo Hempelmann, this journey would definitely have been more difficult!”
Manuel Steffen, Project Officer Source-to-Pay, Evonik Industries
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Göktürk Simsekol, Digital Transformation Director, Flint Group
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"Being able to design our purchasing processes flexibly, digitally and above all efficiently offers great added value. We will therefore continue to expand our system in the direction of SAP Ariba."
Armin Kaczmarek, Senior Vice President Corporate Purchasing, Vorwerk
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Annette Römer, Project Manager at McKesson Europe
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Tanja Sefrin, Project Manager, KUKA
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Paul Trautmann, Manager Procurement Processes & Projects, Röhm GmbH
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Gerald Goldgruber, Strategic Manager for Process Management and SAP, Frutura
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Steffen Bauer, Project Manager, BITZER
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"As our experiences with apsolut were so positive across all national companies, we have already doubled the number of monthly support days twice. Thanks to apsolut, we now have the resources we need to implement rollouts in other national companies. At the moment, they are ongoing in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France.”
Sandra Mancino, Application Consultant, C&A
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Sarah Eve Wiedemann-Geiß, who oversees purchasing and supplier management at Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall
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