TMD Friction Group GmbH
TMD Friction faced the strategically necessary migration of its SAP landscape to S/4HANA, driven by the foreseeable end of support for the existing SAP ECC systems. Over the years, the organic, multi-tiered system landscape had been closely adapted to existing business processes and was correspondingly complex. At the same time, there was a clear mandate to implement the transformation by 2027 at the latest. Against this background, TMD Friction pursued a deliberately pragmatic approach: by choosing a brownfield migration approach, existing system and process workflows were to be largely preserved. The goal was not a fundamental redesign of the system landscape, but rather a stable, low-risk, and economically efficient transformation.
Challenges
The transformation was characterized by high technical complexity, regulatory pressure, and demanding operational requirements. In addition to securing future SAP support and converting the licensing model, a heterogeneous system landscape had to be migrated while simultaneously adapting extensive custom code. Furthermore, significant process adjustments were required, particularly within the framework of the financial transformation, whereby risks, costs, and disruptions to ongoing operations had to be strictly minimized. Another central aspect was the evaluation of the add-ons integrated into the system: the analysis showed that five add-ons would no longer be functional after the switch to S/4HANA
Solution
Manage Now assumed overallresponsibility for planning and implementing the S/4HANA conversionand relied on
a structured yet flexibly adaptable approach. The starting point was a detailed analysis of theexisting system
landscape, which was translated into a clearly definedtransformation plan. Building on this, Manage Now was
responsible for end-to-end management oftheproject, including thetechnical conversion, the coordination ofall
parties involved, and the integration of internal and external services.
In implementation, four fields of action were at the center:
- Technical conversion of the SAP systems, including database migration
- Largely automated adaptation of the custom code
- Integration of the add-on migration upgrades into the overall project plan
- Targeted, deliberately minimally invasive process adjustments, exclusively where these were absolutely
necessary due to S/4HANA requirements
The methodological framework was provided by the Manage Now Transcelerator. It isa modular approach that enables flexible project design, the selection of suitable transformation paths, and the combination of automation, best practices, and customer-specific adaptation. In particular, the use of the S/4HANA Custom Code Engine proved to be a key lever for increasing efficiency in code transformation.
Results
The transformation was successfully implemented within the planned time and budget framework. All systems, from the sandbox to the production system, were stably transferred into the S/4HANA world.
The results are evident operationally and economically:
- Successful conversion of all SAP systems
- Significantly reduced effort in the custom code adaptation through automation
- Migration of the add-ons implemented in parallel and successful transfer of the third-party functionalities
into the S/4HANA world - High process continuity through a minimally invasive approach
- On-schedule go-live of the production system
- Improved transparency and manageability through clear governance structures
Business Impact
For TMD Frictionthis resulted in clear, measurable advantages: The transformation could be implemented more quickly than with alternative approaches, while at the same time an economically efficient implementation was ensured. Through the structured approach, the project risk was significantly reduced, while the long-term future viability of the SAP landscape is ensured.
