Case Study
Astor Mueller Prepares for SAP S/4HANA® Fashion with Discovery and Design
Headquartered in Switzerland, Astor Mueller is renowned for its premium footwear which combines craftsmanship with innovation. As the company expanded globally, they recognized the need to transform not only their way of working but also the technology that drives them.
To support this strategic vision, Astor Mueller embarked on a journey to modernize its technological foundation with SAP S/4HANA Fashion – a cloud ERP solution tailored for the fashion industry.
Challenges
Fragmented Systems: The use of multiple systems created a disjointed IT landscape with inefficient processes requiring manual workarounds and Excel spreadsheets.
Disparate Processes: Manual tasks and a lack of visibility across functions led to bottlenecks, affecting productivity and scalability.
Limited Cross-Functional Collaboration: The lack of a unified platform slowed down collaboration between teams across regions and functions, reducing the company’s ability to respond quickly to market demands.
Key Objectives
Unify the Platform
Replace fragmented legacy systems with a single, integrated ERP solution specialized for the fashion industry.
Standardize Core Processes
Implement standardization by capturing all processes in a central system to improve efficiency and scalability across the organization while also minimizing customization.
Increase Efficiency and Agility
Use industry leading practices to shift from “just doing” to “thinking and optimizing” across the business, minimize redundant work, streamline workflows, and handle exceptions instead of routine tasks.
SAP S/4HANA Fashion Discovery Assessment
As part of their digital transformation, Astor Mueller recently completed discovery, exploring technical capabilities and core business processes. Focused on growth, they pinpointed areas where fresh improvements could make the biggest impact.
- Core Process Coverage: The team evaluated existing workflows to assess compatibility with SAP S/4HANA Fashion’s capabilities.
- Pain Points: The team assessed inefficiencies and challenges in the legacy system that were slowing growth.
- Functional Gaps: The discovery phase highlighted areas where their current system lacked specific functionalities, guiding the selection of SAP solutions to fill these gaps.
- Enhancement Areas: The research revealed enhancements that would enable a seamless transition to more streamlined processes.
Project Outcome: a Blueprint for Success
Our approach with Astor Mueller focused on creating a solid foundation for their transformation:
- Project Preparation: We kicked off by defining a clear, high-level project scope along with a detailed design framework to keep every phase on track.
- Workshops: We conducted multiple workshops to outline key processes and identify critical areas for improvement.
- Detailed Design Sessions: These sessions helped us dive deeper into core topics, refining the documentation and creating a clear build plan.
- Business Process Master List: We developed a comprehensive list of business processes to guide the implementation, ensuring all aspects were covered.