Migration from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition for a European Manufacturing & Distribution Company

When a fast-growing European manufacturer and distributor set out to modernize its ERP landscape, moving from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition became a strategic step toward greater efficiency and long-term scalability. This case study explores how the migration unfolded, the challenges of transitioning to the cloud, and the business value the company gained.

Customer

The customer is an established European producer and distributor of construction fasteners and fixings, active across multiple countries and supplying a wide network of retail and industrial partners. Their operations rely heavily on stable warehouse processes, accurate inventory management, and efficient order handling – all previously supported by SAP ECC.

As their business expanded, ECC increasingly limited their ability to adopt new processes and modern technologies. SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition (PCE) offered a future-ready platform with the flexibility and capabilities needed to support further growth.

Challenge

The company aimed to migrate from SAP ECC 6 EHP7 to SAP S/4HANA 2022 PCE while:

• Preserving all essential logistics, manufacturing, and financial processes

• Transitioning fully to SAP Fiori – a step many companies take only partially

• Maintaining seamless integration with their external warehouse management system (Iptor WMS, formerly IBS Dynaman)

• Managing the additional complexity of coordinating directly with SAP due to the cloud environment

Additional complexity: cloud migration & SAP coordination

Moving from an on-premises system to SAP’s cloud landscape introduced new rules, limitations, and dependencies. Weekly coordination calls with SAP were required to align responsibilities, confirm environment readiness, and resolve infrastructure-related topics. While this added an extra layer of communication, it did not impact the overall project timeline.

Full transition to SAP Fiori

Unlike many organizations that continue using parts of the SAP GUI, the customer committed to a full Fiori experience. This meant:

• Activating Fiori apps

• Configuring roles and authorizations

• Adjusting standard apps to fit their processes

• Converting Custom Z-transactions into FIORI tiles

• Using concept of “Pages and Spaces”

ACBaltica managed the backend configuration, ensuring the new UX worked seamlessly without building custom apps from scratch.

Significant volume of custom code

The ECC system contained an unusually high amount of custom ABAP logic.
During the code analysis, 724 priority-1 errors were identified (vs. an average of roughly 500), requiring careful adjustments to ensure S/4HANA compatibility.

Solution

ACBaltica executed a full system conversion to SAP S/4HANA 2021 PCE across all customer environments.

Project timeframe: May 2023 – November 2024

Project Scope

• Migration of three systems: Sandbox, Development, and Production

• Adaptation of custom ABAP code to S/4HANA compliance

• SAP Fiori activation and backend configuration

• Preparation of training materials and support documentation

• Integration with Iptor WMS and other external applications

Key solution components

System-by-system migration

Each environment was converted and validated step-by-step, following the SAP Activate methodology and ensuring consistent results across the landscape.

Custom code remediation

The ABAP codebase was thoroughly analyzed, corrected, and optimized – resolving more than 700 high-priority findings.

Fiori enablement & adoption

A modern Fiori interface was configured for all relevant processes, delivering a cleaner and more intuitive user experience.

Training & knowledge enablement

ACBaltica prepared training content to help internal teams adapt quickly to the new system and user interface.

Cloud alignment & SAP collaboration

Weekly meetings with SAP ensured smooth coordination on infrastructure, provisioning, and technical prerequisites – a necessary part of any PCE migration.

Go-Live

The go-live took place over an extended weekend:

• Migration activities began on Thursday evening 

• SAP performed mandatory 14-hour cloud post-processing

• Final checks were completed by Sunday

• The system was ready for business operations on Monday

Results and benefits

The customer successfully transitioned to SAP S/4HANA 2022 Private Cloud Edition, gaining a modern, scalable, and future-ready ERP platform.

Key outcomes

• Smooth go-live with predictable extended weekend downtime

• Full alignment between SAP, ACBaltica, and customer teams

• A modern Fiori-driven user experience

• Optimized and S/4HANA-ready ABAP codebase

• Stable integration with Iptor WMS and other external systems

• Better readiness for future innovations, automation, and analytics

• Cloud-based infrastructure with improved scalability and lifecycle management

The company now operates on a cloud platform designed to evolve with their business – unlocking access to SAP’s continuous innovations and ensuring long-term operational stability.

Why choose ACBaltica for SAP S/4HANA conversion

ACBaltica combines deep SAP technical expertise with clear, business-focused guidance. Our goal is not only to perform a successful migration but to ensure the customer understands how to make the most of SAP S/4HANA from day one.

Our strengths

• Proven experience with SAP ECC → S/4HANA conversions across industries

• Certified SAP consultants with hands-on migration and cloud integration expertise

• Practical, flexible project approach tailored to real customer constraints

• Strong coordination capabilities, including multi-party alignment with SAP for cloud migrations

• Balanced focus on both technical and business outcomes, ensuring long-term value

• Transparent communication, so customers always know what to expect at every stage

With ACBaltica, companies gain a reliable partner who ensures that their move to S/4HANA – on-premise or cloud – is smooth, predictable, and truly aligned with their future plans.