SWISS KRONO Group & abat: Successful launch of S/4HANA operations

Long-standing partnership and cutting-edge technology – a success story

At a glance

SWISS KRONO Group

Wood-based materials industry

Lucerne, Switzerland

5,000 employees

Approx. CHF 1.6 billion annual turnover

The company

The SWISS KRONO Group, headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland, is a leading international manufacturer of wood-based materials. The company processes wood on an industrial scale and offers products in three core business areas: Interiors (furniture and interior fittings), Building Materials (particularly OSB panels for timber construction), and Flooring (laminate flooring). The family-run company was founded in 1966, currently operates production and sales locations in several countries, and exports to nearly two-thirds of the world’s nations. Sustainability and resource efficiency are central guiding principles: wood, as a renewable raw material, is at the core, and the Group emphasizes ecological production processes as well as quality and design.

One part of the group is strategically located in Berlin and complements the structure with service- and expertise-oriented functions in the areas of research, development, and IT, thereby underscoring the integration of innovation and networking expertise within the corporate group.

Thanks to the reliable and flexible support provided by abat, we were able to successfully overcome the challenges of the S/4HANA migration.

Roland Höpfner,
Head of Software Development at SWISS KRONO Group

The challenge

After migrating from ECC to S/4HANA, the SWISS KRONO Group found itself in a situation that quickly became a burden in day-to-day operations. The new system was live, but large parts of the organization did not know exactly how to work with it. The handover of the system to the SWISS KRONO Group by the implementation partner for the go-live project was incomplete. Some settings were not sufficiently documented, processes were unstable, and internally, the necessary knowledge was lacking to classify errors or make adjustments independently. On top of that, the old ECC system still had to be operated in parallel, which further tied up the IT department’s already scarce resources.

At the same time, pressure was mounting from the plants in Switzerland, Germany, Poland, France, the U.S., and other locations. Each location had its own questions, its own priorities, and its own bottlenecks.

The company had only just transitioned from the former West/East hub model to a group-wide perspective – now it became clear just how challenging it is to operate a common S/4HANA system for all plants. In addition to the technical transformation, SWISS KRONO Group was also confronted with organizational change.

During this transition phase, it was clear: without external support, SWISS KRONO Group would struggle to achieve the goal of stable and uniform S/4HANA operations. It needed a partner who could fill gaps quickly, bring expertise to the table, explain best practices, and at the same time keep pace with the client’s speed and pragmatic approach. This is exactly where abat came into play.

The solution

abat provided the SWISS KRONO Group with a diverse team that covered all relevant SAP areas and technologies, such as FI, EWM, PP, SD, Basis, Development, ALM, Workflow, Fiori, BTP, and MDG. The team initially addressed the knowledge gap surrounding the new S/4HANA system, documented settings, corrected erroneous Customizing areas, and stabilized processes.

This was complemented by solutions such as a newly introduced QA concept for development, the setup and operation of the Solution Manager, recommendations on Cloud ALM, architecture consulting for the SAP Business Technology Platform, nearshoring via Minsk and Mexico, as well as support for test management, regression testing, Fiori customizations, and transport management. What made this project special was that the SWISS KRONO Group had access to experts at all times – even on short notice and for specialized topics. abat thus became a reliable point of contact for all questions that arose in day-to-day operations and in the further development of the system.

The project

The collaboration never took the form of a traditional project with a defined initial phase, milestones, and a clear conclusion. Instead, it evolved into an ongoing partnership that began in the spring of 2021. It started with support for day-to-day operations following the hyper-care phase of the go-live in Switzerland, when the SWISS KRONO Group assumed responsibility for the new S/4 system and still needed guidance. From there, abat’s role grew steadily.

Initially, the team handled documentation, process clarification, and corrections in FI and EWM. This was followed by additional streams such as PP, SD, Basis, and Development. Over time, many tasks were handed over to internal teams. Nevertheless, abat remained on board as a reliable partner to clarify open questions, evaluate new requirements, or address short-term bottlenecks.

At the same time, sub-projects in which abat was involved were repeatedly underway at the SWISS KRONO Group: for example, the introduction of Solution Manager, the preparation and support of release upgrades, or the integration of JIRA. Especially during release phases, abat took on tasks that would otherwise have been distributed across multiple teams – from testing the infrastructure to necessary development adjustments.

In addition, there were regional specifics: When supporting the plant in the U.S., abat provided assistance with colleagues from its Mexican site in Puebla to overcome the challenges posed by different time zones. For plants in Russia or Ukraine, abat had Russian-speaking consultants on standby. Regression tests were prepared and conducted jointly; EWM received new impetus; and QA processes in development were structured and made permanently usable.

The bottom line is that a long-term model was established: The SWISS KRONO Group manages its own SAP operations but relies on abat’s expertise on a daily basis – whether for development, conceptual questions, or simply to confirm that a planned step has been implemented correctly.

Outcome

Established test management with clearly defined and executed regression tests

Customized and targeted SAP Basis consulting

Comprehensive 24/7 support for ABAP development

Quality assurance processes successfully structured and made sustainable

The results

As a result of this collaboration, the SWISS KRONO Group now operates a stable, standardized S/4HANA system that can be used across the entire group.

Staffing shortages were successfully addressed. Internal expertise has grown, and many departments are now able to handle tasks on their own. At the same time, abat remains available as a reliable resource whenever support is needed – flexibly, at short notice, and without rigid role assignments.

For the SWISS KRONO Group, this means in day-to-day operations: Less uncertainty, less dependence on individual people, faster decisions, and a clear structure in change and test management. Areas such as Fiori, workflow, ALM, and EWM are running more smoothly and are being continuously developed. International support, including the U.S., Eastern Europe, and Western Europe, has also become manageable from an organizational standpoint because abat covers the relevant resources, languages, and time zones.