Ahlstrom

Ahlstrom was looking for a cost-effective, rapid and scalable method for implementing a modern ERP system in their smaller production facility. Together, we selected one plant and asked an ambitious question: Could a fully functional ERP system be implemented in only four weeks to establish a reusable blueprint?

What made this project revolutionary was the extremely tight rollout timeline. Historically, ERP implementations take months or even years. Together with Ahlstrom, we wanted to prove how rapidly and cost-efficiently a modern SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud rollout could be executed.

The Vincit team accepted the challenge, and together with Ahlstrom, we committed to completing the entire SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud rollout in under one month.

In such short-period yet high-impact projects, the client's commitment plays a crucial role. The scope and roles of the project were set very clearly at the beginning. Ahlstrom had full ownership of the project and high motivation to succeed, which ensured a smooth and productive collaboration with Vincit.

Compared to traditional ERP projects, succeeding in a 4-week cloud implementation requires deep expertise: fragmented knowledge is not an option. Each SAP consultant must have the ability to manage the end-to-end supply chain and act as a change leader to ensure the solution’s user acceptance. By focusing on multi-skilled experts, the team size is smaller, working hours are optimized, and overall productivity increases.

At the core of SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud is the ‘clean core’ philosophy, where the ERP system is standardized, and customizations are made primarily through integrations and applications. Based on previous experience, Vincit has productized the Public Cloud implementation, speeding up the ERP implementation process tenfold. This ERP implementation template, combined with the client’s commitment and Vincit consultants’ extensive experience in both SAP and manufacturing processes from purchasing to distribution, was the key success factor.

After the successful, record-setting 4-week ERP implementation, the project will move to the next phase according to plan. 

A scalable system with incredibly fast time-to-value

Ahlstrom’s plant now has a fully functional, modern ERP system that immediately improves operational efficiency. Since SAP S/4HANA was implemented using a clean core approach, all future expansions and functionalities can be added faster and more efficiently, establishing a reliable, standardized foundation for growth.

A reusable SAP S/4HANA blueprint for Ahlstrom

With the success of this project, Ahlstrom now has a proven project template they can efficiently apply to their other plants. This transition gives them direct access to SAP’s innovation cycle, allowing them to benefit from fast development and new features, such as SAP Joule’s latest AI capabilities. Moving to the Public cloud brings in the newest innovations faster and more efficiently – and also significantly decreases long-term maintenance costs.

Revolutionizing ERP implementation

“This is arguably the biggest change in how ERP implementations are carried out since the founding of SAP in the 1970s,” states Suvi Albert, Vincit’s Business Area Lead. ERP projects traditionally have a reputation for being time-consuming and expensive, but the new era of Cloud ERPs has changed the game for good. The fast go-live also highly motivates SAP consultants, who can now deliver tangible value to clients much faster and with much smaller teams than before.