Global snack company achieves SAP S/4HANA integration and EDI supply chain success with its SI partner and OpenText in a collaborative journey from legacy to leading-edge.

Melted chocolate into a clear plastic mold tray with multiple round

Employees:

18,540 (2024)
Brands:

80+ globally
Markets:

Sold in 60+ countries

Summary

Challenges

Order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes took too long.
Lacked full visibility into real-time data.
SAP S/4HANA integration was hindered by previous partner's mapping limitations.

Solution

Transitioned to a robust, scalable cloud-based EDI solution.
Streamlined data flows by integrating SAP S/4HANA and EDI network.
Gained OpenText expertise for ongoing support and improvement.

Results

Improved efficiency with less manual work
Enhanced visibility in real time
Achieved significant 5-year cost savings

Challenges

Existing system could not scale to handle increased EDI transaction volumes across order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes
Limited visibility into EDI transactions hindered proactive issue resolution and supply chain optimization
Integrating the existing EDI infrastructure with SAP S/4HANA presented a complex technical hurdle

Global confectionery and snack company needed to modernize its supply chain to remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic market. This required a significant digital transformation aimed at optimizing supply chain operations, particularly across order-to-cash and procure-to-pay cycles. The journey brought automation, data-driven insights, and delivered an improved experience for the company’s business partners. A key component of this transformation was a greenfield implementation of a modern ERP system—SAP S/4HANA. Concurrently, the company sought to modernize its B2B EDI integration platform. The challenge lay in successfully executing and aligning the EDI program with the SAP implementation to minimize risks.

We brought [OpenText] on when [we] transferred over on our ECC environment to our S4 environment. We're fully on board with [OpenText] now and you guys are doing a great job and I'm enjoying it.

EDI manager
Global snack company

Solution

To overcome these challenges, the global snack company sought a strategic partner to help modernize their technology infrastructure, streamline integration between systems, and provide continuous support for ongoing digital transformation initiatives.

Products deployed

OpenText™ B2B Integration Enterprise

Expedite B2B transactions with enterprise EDI and B2B managed services
OpenText™ Trading Grid™ Insights

Gain end-to-end visibility into data flows between enterprise apps and trading partner systems

Services provided

OpenText™ Professional Services

Leverage a trusted partner to guide your information management path

Digital transformation goals fuel need for cloud-based, managed EDI service

To overcome strategic challenges and achieve its supply chain modernization goals, the global confectionery and snacks giant sought a strategic partner to address several critical needs. Firstly, they required a partner to transition existing in-house EDI B2B processing to the new SAP S/4HANA platform. Secondly, a fully managed EDI service was needed to host EDI B2B transactions with external partners and assume ownership of all EDI maps and transactions. This included order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes, as well as trading partner communication and interactions, ensuring smooth and efficient data flow across the entire supply chain. Finally, they wanted to enhance operational visibility by gaining real-time access to critical data, enabling proactive decision-making and improved supply chain performance. By transitioning from their in-house system to a robust, cloud-based EDI solution managed by a third-party vendor, the company is well-positioned to achieve its digital transformation goals.

OpenText emerged as the ideal partner due to SAP S/4HANA integration with OpenText™ Trading Grid™

OpenText emerged as the ideal partner for this company due to their proven expertise in EDI implementations for SAP S/4HANA customers, particularly within the food and beverage industry. OpenText offered a comprehensive solution encompassing all aspects of B2B transactions, including mapping, trading partner communication, and 24/7 support. Furthermore, OpenText provided a suite of cutting-edge tools for real-time data monitoring, collaborative project management, and comprehensive trading partner management. Selecting OpenText was also driven by its large customer base utilizing SAP, proven operational capabilities, a strong implementation proposal aligned with the ERP migration project, and a clear roadmap for future success leveraging years of industry experience.

A collaborative implementation between OpenText, the customer, and the SI partner

Working together, the snacks company, its system integrator (SI), and OpenText executed a phased rollout approach, prioritizing smaller business units and gradually expanding to core operations to minimize disruption risk. A robust integration framework ensured seamless data exchange between OpenText's EDI B2B platform and the customer’s SAP S/4HANA environment. OpenText’s readiness assessment proactively identified and addressed data issues, delivery model gaps, and the SI's limited EDI expertise. In response, OpenText optimized EDI maps by eliminating redundancies, streamlining order-to-cash and procure-to-pay workflows, and reduced complexity. Throughout the project, strong collaboration between the three parties fostered effective communication and knowledge sharing, ensuring a smooth and successful transition with zero business disruption.

Results

An ongoing collaborative partnership, coupled with the increased efficiency, agility, and real-time insights provided by the OpenText platform, enables the company to act on data-driven decisions that will optimize its supply chain for years to come.

Reduced manual effort across EDI workflows

Streamlining EDI processes with OpenText resulted in significant efficiency gains for the snacks company. Manual intervention was significantly reduced, and trading partner onboarding and transaction processing times were accelerated, creating a more efficient supply chain.

Achieved real-time supply chain visibility

The OpenText solution provided the global snacks company with real-time visibility into its entire supply chain. This enhanced visibility empowers the company to proactively identify and resolve issues, make more informed business decisions, and improve overall operational agility.

Realized significant five-year cost savings

By transitioning to OpenText's managed EDI service, the snack company estimates it will realize substantial cost savings compared to maintaining its previous in-house system within five years. This reduction in operational costs translates to a more profitable supply chain.

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