WITTE Automotive: Successful SAP S/4HANA Transformation

WITTE Automotive: Successful SAP S/4HANA Transformation

Brownfield approach, strong go-live, and a new foundation for performance and innovation

Improved Performance and Stability with SAP S/4HANA at WITTE Automotive

Witte Logo

​​WITTE Automotive is an established medium-sized company in the automotive supply industry. The company develops and manufactures locking and access systems for vehicles and operates internationally in Europe, the Americas, and China. To future-proof its system landscape, WITTE Automotive decided to migrate from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA.

 

​Together with Arvato Systems, WITTE Automotive implemented a challenging transformation project that went far beyond a purely technical migration. The goal was to preserve proven processes, reduce legacy technical burdens, boost performance, and simultaneously create a robust platform for further optimizations. The project gained additional momentum due to external factors such as the last-minute currency changeover in Bulgaria, and this is precisely where the strength of the partnership became evident.​

Advantages

Fast go-live with low risk
High system stability following the transition
Significantly better performance in day-to-day operations
Fewer legacy issues in the digital core
Improved usability through modern SAP interfaces
A strong foundation for future optimization projects

The project was highly demanding in terms of both content and timeline. This made it all the more important to have a partner by our side who could respond flexibly, quickly allocate resources, and deliver reliably even under pressure.

WITTE Automotive
Witte

Project Overview

Initial Situation

​​Like many industrial companies, WITTE Automotive faced the challenge of migrating from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA. At the same time, the project was not intended to place an excessive burden on the organization. It was meant to lead to a stable, productive environment as quickly as possible. The starting point was advantageous: Key preparatory work, such as the introduction of the new general ledger, the integration of business partners, and the migration to the SAP Private Cloud with SAP RISE, had already been completed. This allowed WITTE Automotive to adopt a brownfield approach and carry out targeted optimizations.​

Vision

​​The goal was not to reinvent all processes but to achieve a cost-effective, low-risk transformation. WITTE Automotive sought to adopt proven workflows selectively, streamline the digital core, reduce technical debt, and simultaneously build a modern, high-performance platform to support further growth. The focus was on speed, stability, improved usability, and a system architecture that supports future optimizations—such as with Fiori, process automation, or artificial intelligence.​

Solution

​​Together with Arvato Systems, WITTE Automotive successfully implemented the SAP S/4HANA transformation in a tightly scheduled project. The brownfield approach was specifically supplemented with optimizations, for example, in purchase requisitions, authorizations, and selected in-house developments. A particularly robust test management process—featuring approximately 19,000 test cases, around 450 testers, and a very high test coverage rate—laid the foundation for a stable go-live. Despite additional challenges—including the last-minute adoption of the euro in Bulgaria—the project remained on track and went live successfully.​

Project Highlights

  1. Go-Live after 14 months

  2. 19,000 test cases performed

  3. Up to 450 test participants in the project

  4. Test coverage of 97–98%

  5. Hypercare reduced to eight weeks

  6. S/4HANA + Euro Implementation in Parallel

What was crucial for us was not only the successful migration to SAP S/4HANA, but also the nature of our collaboration. The client and service provider became a single team that tackled challenges pragmatically and successfully steered the project to completion.​

WITTE Automotive
Witte

​​Our Services​

​​Arvato Systems supported WITTE Automotive as an implementation and project partner during its SAP S/4HANA transformation. This included designing the brownfield approach, technical and business implementation, test management, support during the cutover, and close coordination within an international project team. In addition, Arvato Systems provided support on optimization topics such as purchase requisitions and authorization concepts, as well as in addressing additional requirements related to the Bulgarian currency conversion.​

​​About WITTE Automotive​ and Its Successful Collaboration with Arvato Systems

​​WITTE products are available in all major automotive brands today. With innovative solutions and technological expertise, WITTE has been impressing its automotive customers worldwide for many decades. In addition to locking and actuation systems, WITTE develops and manufactures drives for flaps and doors, as well as seat locks and camera modules. Specialized centers of excellence for plastics, stamping, and die-casting technologies ensure top performance in functionality, quality, environmental sustainability, and cost.

The WITOL® tolerance compensation system, invented and established by WITTE Automotive, offers customized fastening solutions that enable quick, accurate, and precise compensation of manufacturing tolerances. 

The newly established WITTE Digital division focuses on digital solutions for tomorrow's mobility. With “flinkey,” it offers highly efficient key and data management for fleet managers and will expand into additional digital business areas.

In addition to its four locations in Germany, WITTE Automotive has a presence throughout Europe in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Sweden. WITTE Automotive maintains a global presence under the name VAST (Vehicle Access Systems Technology Automotive Group) in China, Japan, and India, as well as in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, and Korea in collaboration with its American partners ADAC Automotive and STRATTEC Security Corporation.​

 

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Your Contact for Questions About Our Solutions

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Achim Reupert
Expert for the Manufacturing Industry