The transition to SAP S/4HANA in the BAU division and the central divisions of the family-owned company FRÄNKISCHE Rohrwerke Gebr. Kirchner GmbH & Co. started with the implementation of SAP EWM (Extended Warehouse Management) at the Königsberg headquarters. The high-performance Warehouse Management system was introduced under the responsibility of FIS together with the customer and its implementation partner. The successful implementation project is now used as a template for the implementation in other warehouses of the manufacturer.
The project tasks include the creation of the process design, implementation of all required modules, integration tests as well as the training of over 100 employees. In-house developments are implemented by FIS as well, such as a radio dialog for the picking with mobile terminals. Moreover, the FIS IT professionals established S/4HANA interfaces for the route plan, test and quality management and the high rack.
The project challenge was the high complexity of the logistics processes at FRÄNKISCHE. The BAU division consists of three business areas, which differ greatly in their product ranges, distribution channels and, as a consequence, logistics processes. More than 100 different storage types are used in the 24 buildings at the Königsberg location.
Despite these challenges and the resulting high work volume, the FIS logistics professionals respected the time schedule of less than ten months for the final implementation. Steffen Will, project manager at FIS, identifies the strict prioritization and focusing on the essential processes and functions as success factors. The close cooperation with all project participants in particular helped make this project a success. “The FIS consultants impressed us with their high flexibility and commitment and their motivation to support us wherever required,” adds Uwe Schäfer, SAP IT manager at FRÄNKISCHE.
The go-live was executed to the great satisfaction of the management board and the user departments. The new software exceeded the expectations. Instead of the planned start-up phase with 30 percent of the usual picking volume, much higher volumes had to be handled right from the beginning due to the strong start of the season, which represented no problem.
After the go-live, FIS also assists FRÄNKISCHE with continued support. Further shared projects are planned and some have partially been implemented.
