SAP S/4HANA at Imperial Logistics International

Successful Implementation of a Central Sales Platform with SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management

SAP S/4HANA makes it possible to consistently orient an organization in line with digital processes: It offers a homogeneous system environment where financial processes, logistics, and even comprehensive eCommerce processes can be mapped.

Customer Benefits

Comprehensive overview of internal and external accounting

Greater mobility and interaction with SAP Fiori

Accounts receivable status and segment reporting in real time

Inter-company coordination, including with non-SAP companies

Rectification of period-end and year-end closing activities

Arvato Systems’ road map style of consulting helped us successfully consolidate our sales system environment for the long term using SAP S/4HANA.

Reimund H. Kuche | Head of Accounting SSC

Imperial Logistics International B.V. & Co. KG

Background Situation

In recent years, the strong economy and a number of acquisitions helped the logistics company grow significantly. One result of the company’s expansion strategy was a system environment that was not entirely homogeneous. Consequently, Imperial used two parallel SAP R/3 installations for accounting. In practice, this involved a range of different processes, maintenance of two sets of master data, and complex system administration. Imperial decided to consolidate based on SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management in order to work more efficiently, integrate acquisitions into its system environment more quickly, and ensure that financial processes were standardized around the globe.

Vision

When it comes to process speed and the provision of complex information in the finance industry, the bar will continue to rise significantly in the future. The technology aspect – in this case, S/4HANA Enterprise Management – will be a major factor in the successful mapping of integrated financial reporting of the future.

Solution

A heterogeneous system environment and data volumes that are constantly growing larger and more complex made it necessary for Imperial to look for a high-speed, high-quality solution for its existing processes. SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management offers the logistics provider a whole new way to handle big data and enables the processing and analysis of enormous amounts of data in real time. In this way, the company can make the right decisions and promptly recognize opportunities, trends, and risks.

In that sense, the job was to replace the heterogeneous system environment with the future-oriented SAP S/4HANA platform to harmonize and standardize the company’s financial processes. Arvato Systems won Imperial over with its proprietary ‘Strategy Enabling’ consulting approach. With this approach to integrated project consulting, we helped the company achieve the goals that we set together.

Analysis and definition of challenges and goals in joint workshops
Drawing up big-picture strategic objectives
Drawing up an individually tailored road map for operationalizing the individual projects and action areas for converting the systems to SAP S/4HANA
Creating a business blueprint that defines the required functionalities

About Imperial Logistics

As a full subsidiary of South African company Imperial Holdings Limited, Imperial Logistics International B.V. & Co. KG is responsible for coordinating and managing all of Imperial Holdings Limited’s logistics business outside of Africa. Imperial Logistics International, which is headquartered in Duisburg, has a portfolio of services separated into two divisions: In the Imperial Transport Solutions division, the company pools its transport services in the areas of shipping, road, and express freight. The Imperial Supply Chain Solutions division comprises all services in the areas of contract logistics, contract manufacturing, and warehousing for the automotive, machine and plant engineering, steel, retail, retail and consumer goods, and chemical industries.

Imperial Logistics International has also made a name for itself outside of pure logistics, acting as a process consultant for third parties, a fleet managers of external car fleets, and a provider of industry-related insurance services.

Company website of Imperial Logistics