Specialty Chemicals Manufacturer

Legacy systems and custom-built tools can only stretch so far. For a global specialty materials manufacturer with more than a century of growth behind it, they had finally reached their limit. The company produces silicones, polyurethanes, epoxies and related technologies used across industries – from industrial manufacturing to creative applications. As its global footprint expanded, their systems became increasingly difficult to scale, limiting visibility, integration, and efficiency across core operations. Recognizing the need for a more modern, unified platform to support complex manufacturing processes, global distribution, and regulatory requirements, the company set out to transform its enterprise resource planning (ERP) landscape.

Challenges

As the company grew its global footprint, operational complexity increased across manufacturing, supply chain, finance and reporting.

• Legacy and custom-built systems limited scalability and created inefficiencies.
• Disconnected processes reduced visibility across order-to-cash and procure-to-pay cycles.
• Complex manufacturing, batch traceability and costing requirements were difficult to manage.
• Increasing demands for regulatory compliance and statutory reporting added pressure.
• Lack of integrated, real-time data constrained decision-making and long-term planning.

To support continued growth, the company needed a modern ERP platform that could unify operations, standardize processes and provide greater transparency across the business.

Why SAP and Answerthink^®

The company selected SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition (SAP Cloud ERP) and Answerthink^® to establish a scalable, standardized ERP foundation.

• Modern cloud ERP to unify manufacturing, finance, supply chain and reporting
• Standardized best practices to replace legacy customizations and improve efficiency
• Built-in capabilities for compliance, global operations and real-time visibility
• Answerthink’s deep SAP Cloud ERP and manufacturing expertise
• Proven fit-to-standard approach with strong governance and integration delivery

Implementation Highlights

The company completed a greenfield implementation of SAP Cloud ERP – successfully going live, replacing legacy systems with a modern, standardized ERP platform.

• Delivered end-to-end scope across finance, supply chain, manufacturing and reporting
• Adopted fit-to-standard best practices to streamline complex operations
• Integrated key systems, including Avalara, ShipERP, MES and SAP BTP
• Executed large-scale data migration and validation
• Established strong governance and testing using SAP Cloud ALM
• Addressed complex manufacturing, shipping and warehouse traceability requirements

Outcomes

The company successfully went live on SAP Cloud ERP in Q2 2026, marking a significant milestone in its digital transformation journey. 

The new platform has already begun delivering early value, including:

• A modern, scalable cloud ERP foundation designed for continuous innovation
• Standardized core business processes across finance, procurement, sales and supply chain, increasing operational efficiency
• Enabled access to real-time financial and operational information and improved reporting consistency across the organization
• Enhanced visibility into inventory levels, material availability, and operational requirements, supporting planning, management, and traceability
• Strengthened readiness for statutory and regulatory reporting

Early successes also included the successful migration of historical financial data, stabilization of core transactional processes, and improved operational discipline within warehouse and inventory functions.

Post go-live, our relationship with the company extended into hypercare and ongoing support using a blended team of onshore, nearshore, and offshore SAP experts. Our Application Managed Services (AMS) team provides stable, predictable support to keep their platform current without disrupting the business. Their unified ERP foundation, real-time financial visibility, and operational infrastructure will support continued global expansion and product innovation.