SFS Group – business guidance for SAP S/4HANA
Mastering growth and internationalization
After starting out in 1928 as a small hardware store, SFS is now one of the world’s leading suppliers of precision components and assemblies, mechanical fastening systems, quality tools and logistics systems.
The Group is on a dynamic trajectory, with takeovers and organic growth helping it generate growth of over 45 percent in 2022 alone. At the same time, it has also established a much more international profile. To ensure the Group can continue to operate consistently as a global organization, it is focusing on digitalization across the board. Only recently, the business migrated its outdated ERP environment in 27 countries to SAP S/4HANA. Right from the outset, the project managers overseeing the switchover knew that conventional training was not going to be enough to impart the necessary know-how. “Given that we were making such big changes in a very short space of time, we were looking for a 24/7 solution that would support our staff directly at their workplace,” explains Beatrice Gyger, Head of HR Training & Development at SFS Group Schweiz AG.
Centralizing expertise and providing it in the digital workplace
The decision to opt for the tts performance suite was an easy one for SFS. The Group has been using the digital adoption platform from tts since 2014. However, it had previously only used it to create eLearning materials, documentation and training courses for topics such as onboarding, compliance, quality assurance and work instructions.
When switching to the latest ERP system from SAP, the decision was also made to harness the full potential of the tts performance suite and establish a Group-wide digital adoption platform. The aim was to pull together know-how that had previously been dispersed throughout the Group, make it accessible from within the working process and therefore ease the workload of the approximately 600 key users. A single source of truth was also to be established for working with SAP S/4HANA and other applications. This would provide all users with context-sensitive support within the workflow for any questions they might have about using the software or about processes and regulations.
Switching over to SAP S/4HANA presents an enormous challenge because it involves rolling out new process standards on a worldwide scale. Naturally, the need for know-how is similarly extensive. We can meet that need perfectly with the tts performance suite because our key users are now supplied with the relevant documentation, process expertise and step-by-step guides directly within the working process.
From start to target achievement in three months
To ensure the switch to SAP S/4HANA went smoothly, it was important that staff were supplied with content as quickly as possible and that no time was lost. “tts has been a trusted partner of ours for many years,” points out Gyger. “That’s why it was obvious to us that we should bring on board tts software and learning experts early on in the project.”
tts worked alongside SFS to conduct the rollout and produce the necessary training modules. What’s more, the project teams refined the deployment concept to give staff more time to create content in their normal working day. Although approximately 40 authors were being deployed to produce content, it soon became clear that not all the planned guides would be ready in time for the rollout. However, the project teams also came up with a solution for that. In the space of two days, 700 links to confluence documentation were created that provide relevant assistance when users click on QuickAccess in the tts performance suite. Production of the missing guides was then moved to the period after the rollout, which meant the project team was able to launch the tts performance suite on schedule, after three months.
Motivation and know-how for a smooth switchover
By utilizing the tts performance suite, the SFS Group was able to build a high level of acceptance for the forthcoming change of ERP system early on. “The feedback from end users and authors is overwhelmingly positive. Even staff members who initially had concerns were won over during the rollout project. In fact, a number of them have actually become strong advocates of our digital adoption platform since then,” reports Gyger.
There are many reasons for this positive response. For example, SFS has taken down silos and created a central knowledge platform, all in a short space of time. This platform now gives 600 key users precisely the help they require in their moment of need as they work with SAP S/4HANA – and does so on a context-sensitive and role-specific basis. At the same time, the project team used the tts performance suite to build the user competence and process dependability that are essential for a smooth ERP rollout, while also reducing the outlay on training. This meant SFS was able to leverage the potential of SAP S/4HANA thanks to a high standard of data and process quality from the start.
Outlook
Based on this positive experience, the SFS Group has decided to extend its project and use the tts performance suite consistently throughout the entire application environment.
Once again, it will be a case of rolling out major changes. For instance, after implementing the first two SAP modules for finances and controlling (FI/CO), SFS aims to roll out the modules for product lifecycle management (PLM), product lifecycle costing (PLC) and the SAP Product Content Hub (PCH). This will involve giving 3,500 end users access to the tts performance suite, which is also to provide support for working with the Templafy template solution for MS Office as well as company-specific applications.
As a result, the tts performance suite could prospectively be involved in all the Group’s strategic interfaces and be a pivotal assistant for data-driven decision-making and further digitalization at SFS.
What the SFS Group has achieved with the tts performance suite
- Broad acceptance for new applications and processes
- High standard of user competence and process dependability for the rollout of SAP S/4HANA
- Single source of truth for all questions regarding applications, processes and regulations
- Efficient onboarding
- Support for internationalization thanks to multilingual packs
- Flexible use of the tts performance suite for follow-up projects in other parts of the company
About the SFS Group
SFS is one of the world’s leading suppliers of precision components and assemblies, mechanical fastening systems, quality tools and logistics systems. Positioned as a value engineering specialist, the Group creates concrete added value for its customers in the form of cost savings or value enhancements by implementing customized solutions for niche applications that are critical for success. The SFS Group is made up of the three segments Engineered Components, Fastening Systems, and Distribution & Logistics, and generated sales of approximately 2.8 billion euros in 2022 with a workforce of approximately 13,500 in 35 countries.
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