Navigating the SAP BW Replacement Challenge: Kingspan Insulated Panels' Journey
Situation: Kingspan Insulated Panels (KIP) Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific (EAA) encountered the same challenge as many other enterprises stuck in the SAP BW replacement trap. Despite BW being widely recognized as outdated and limiting, the perceived high cost and risk of switching to a replacement kept it in use. Modernization efforts, such as migrations to BW on S/4 HANA, commonly result in hybrid systems that combine in-memory database capabilities with outdated batch processing, manual interventions, and rigid reports.
To overcome challenges without disrupting day-to-day operations, the company adopted Simplement’s Roundhouse and SmartStarts along with the Microsoft platform in an incremental, parallel, proven approach. This enabled a seamless transition to modern, real-time reporting, while maintaining continuity with minimal risk.
Solution: Roundhouse provides a live data feed that is continuously updated from all SAP sources and transforms difficult-to-read data using a semantic layer to provide intuitive and user-friendly views for data structuring. It is designed for easy installation, configuration, administration (including governance and security) and data consumption. The core functionalities and capabilities are concentrated in three main areas: lightweight, real-time data replication; accessible and flexible data structuring; and connectivity to state-of-the-art technology, tools and devices. SmartStarts complement Roundhouse by providing a suite of data models and business logic designed specifically to simplify and accelerate SAP-based finance, sales, manufacturing, and other business processes. The tools offer flexible, customizable data sets, sample reports and visuals.
Business & IT Impact: “We needed real-time, quality data from a robust and reliable reporting platform that would also enable us to do sophisticated dashboarding and analytics. The availability of Simplement’s next-gen offering set the stage for us to adopt an optimal solution for long-term viability,” says Kevin Lacey, Head of Systems Solutions, KIP EAA.
Highlights:
· Enhanced process and decision-making re: Profitability through real-time reporting
· Improved risk management due to the ability to identify and resolve issues quickly
· Empowered executives and sales via mobile access to insights-rich dashboards
· Expanded report usage by providing relevant real-time data and intuitive dashboards
· Facilitated materials planning due to automated data collection
· Increased situation awareness via big picture views of the business as it is functioning
· Introduced IT-Business collaboration by giving non-technical professionals the ability to easily create reporting tables, query data, and develop reports
· Transformed nightly manual refreshes into automated, scheduled updates every 2 hours
· Accelerated report building and development, from weeks or months to hours
· Eliminated SAP specialist support costs
“In some cases with BW, we just couldn’t get information that we needed or even knew if it existed. Now, with Roundhouse, our end-users not only uncover hidden data but give it context or combine it to provide a full and real-time picture for the business,” says Dan Jones, Commercial Finance Manager, KIP EAA.