KPS AG: Centralized Payments and the Successful Move to SAP S/4HANA

Industry
Consulting

Revenue
€166m (2020)

Employees
1200+

Headquarters
Unterföhring / Munich, Germany

The move to S/4HANA marks the beginning of a new era for us.

Hartmut Schmidt
Managing Partner & Practice Lead Finance and Analytics, KPS AG
100%
integration of FS² Payments with SAP S/4HANA
Saved
time, costs and training
Seamless
import of payment transactions into S/4HANA

The consulting firm, which operates on an international level, is both a customer and partner of Serrala. The end of maintenance for SAP ECC and R3 in 2027 presented KPS AG with the same challenges as many of its customers:

  • How can data and processes such as payment transactions be imported quickly and securely into SAP S/4HANA – preferably on time for the year-end closing?
  • Which approach should you take, greenfield, brownfield or transformation?
  • How does the changeover work for all employees – and especially in a remote working situation during the pandemic?
  • How do you achieve more transparency for all processes in the company, including financial processes, while ensuring a smooth transition of centralized payments to the new system?

Key facts:

  • Data migration to SAP S/4HANA challenge.
  • Managing transition in remote work context.
  • Ensuring transparency in company-wide processes.
  • Smooth transfer of centralized payment systems.

KPS was able to take care of the change management to SAP S/4HANA with its own consultants who used a greenfield project approach.

The Serrala FS² Payments solution was easy to move along in the change management process for SAP S/4HANA ensuring a smooth transition of centralized payments:

  • 100% integration of FS² Payments with SAP S/4HANA eliminated the need for specialized migration tasks
  • The payment transactions were seamlessly imported into S/4HANA via FS² Payments and could be used by all employees as usual from day 1; there was no need for a complex transition of the centralized payments solution
  • Bank communication was set up with FS² Payments via EBICS
    – After approval, a payment is sent directly to the bank
    – The signature is attached
    – The bank reports the payment status directly back to SAP
    – Account statements in SAP are retrieved, converted, allocated and centrally stored all with FS² Payments​​​​
  • All payment and bank statement processes as well as processes from the human resources, contract management and controlling areas now converge in S/4HANA
  • Greenfield approach used for SAP S/4HANA transition.
  • 100% FS² Payments integration with S/4HANA.
  • Seamless payment import, no complex migration needed.
  • EBICS-enabled bank communication through FS² Payments.
  • All processes centralized in S/4HANA system.

Thanks to the complete integration of FS² Payments in SAP S/4HANA, KPS AG was able to master the move of centralized payments to S/4HANA quickly and cost-efficiently, achieving an end-to-end process.

The FS² Payments solution offered KPS AG the following advantages:

  • Transparent: Payment status and account statements for international payments and cash flows can be viewed in real time
  • Flexible: FS² Payments can be implemented flexibly at any time in the transition process to S/4HANA
  • Efficient: The seamless transition of the centralized payments solution saved time, costs and training
  • Future-proof: The solution provides scalability, is continuously optimized by Serrala, and fully compatible with other FS² solutions
  • Know-how: KPS AG passes on the experience gained from the successful project and the integrated solution from S/4HANA and FS² Payments to customers
  • Outlook: KPS AG plans to extend its centralized payments solution with an in-house bank with Serrala solutions
  • Transparent: Real-time payment status and cash flows
  • Flexible: FS² Payments implemented anytime during transition
  • Efficient: Saved time, costs, and training efforts
  • Future-proof: Scalable and compatible with FS² solutions
  • Know-how: KPS shares expertise with their customerss

Business Need

The consulting firm, which operates on an international level, is both a customer and partner of Serrala. The end of maintenance for SAP ECC and R3 in 2027 presented KPS AG with the same challenges as many of its customers:

  • How can data and processes such as payment transactions be imported quickly and securely into SAP S/4HANA – preferably on time for the year-end closing?
  • Which approach should you take, greenfield, brownfield or transformation?
  • How does the changeover work for all employees – and especially in a remote working situation during the pandemic?
  • How do you achieve more transparency for all processes in the company, including financial processes, while ensuring a smooth transition of centralized payments to the new system?

Key facts:

  • Data migration to SAP S/4HANA challenge.
  • Managing transition in remote work context.
  • Ensuring transparency in company-wide processes.
  • Smooth transfer of centralized payment systems.

Solution Implemented

KPS was able to take care of the change management to SAP S/4HANA with its own consultants who used a greenfield project approach.

The Serrala FS² Payments solution was easy to move along in the change management process for SAP S/4HANA ensuring a smooth transition of centralized payments:

  • 100% integration of FS² Payments with SAP S/4HANA eliminated the need for specialized migration tasks
  • The payment transactions were seamlessly imported into S/4HANA via FS² Payments and could be used by all employees as usual from day 1; there was no need for a complex transition of the centralized payments solution
  • Bank communication was set up with FS² Payments via EBICS
    – After approval, a payment is sent directly to the bank
    – The signature is attached
    – The bank reports the payment status directly back to SAP
    – Account statements in SAP are retrieved, converted, allocated and centrally stored all with FS² Payments​​​​
  • All payment and bank statement processes as well as processes from the human resources, contract management and controlling areas now converge in S/4HANA
  • Greenfield approach used for SAP S/4HANA transition.
  • 100% FS² Payments integration with S/4HANA.
  • Seamless payment import, no complex migration needed.
  • EBICS-enabled bank communication through FS² Payments.
  • All processes centralized in S/4HANA system.

Results Achieved

Thanks to the complete integration of FS² Payments in SAP S/4HANA, KPS AG was able to master the move of centralized payments to S/4HANA quickly and cost-efficiently, achieving an end-to-end process.

The FS² Payments solution offered KPS AG the following advantages:

  • Transparent: Payment status and account statements for international payments and cash flows can be viewed in real time
  • Flexible: FS² Payments can be implemented flexibly at any time in the transition process to S/4HANA
  • Efficient: The seamless transition of the centralized payments solution saved time, costs and training
  • Future-proof: The solution provides scalability, is continuously optimized by Serrala, and fully compatible with other FS² solutions
  • Know-how: KPS AG passes on the experience gained from the successful project and the integrated solution from S/4HANA and FS² Payments to customers
  • Outlook: KPS AG plans to extend its centralized payments solution with an in-house bank with Serrala solutions
  • Transparent: Real-time payment status and cash flows
  • Flexible: FS² Payments implemented anytime during transition
  • Efficient: Saved time, costs, and training efforts
  • Future-proof: Scalable and compatible with FS² solutions
  • Know-how: KPS shares expertise with their customerss
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