World's largest SAP Retail project on SAP HANA platform – Lidl introduces new enterprise system

MUNICH - Aug. 6, 2015 - PRLog -- The greatest challenge for Lidl is standardizing business processes for some 10,000 stores in 26 countries while consolidating numerous applications and modules on a single platform. "The key for us was using SAP ERP Retail powered by SAP HANA to create a lightning-fast platform for transparent processes worldwide. We also wanted to reduce complexity and maximize both flexibility and our focus on the business," explains René Sandführ, responsible project director at Lidl.

"With the new ERP system based on SAP HANA and the new enterprise service bus (ESB), we can distribute, store, and process millions of data records in real time. This will speed up our processes and the availability of key operating figures in the company going forward as well as unlock fresh possibilities for the future," according to Sandführ.

Improved data quality thanks to centralized processing and management of key data, integrated and automated processes, near real-time availability of key operating figures - to name just a few of the advantages of the new solution - are a reality at LIDL in Austria now.

Lidl entrusted KPS Consulting with the project's implementation. Together with the retail specialists at KPS Lidl developed a global template. "The transformation of one of Europe's largest retail grocery chains was a challenge for us as well, especially optimizing and integrating processes globally," states Matthias Nollenberger, Vice President and Managing Partner KPS and responsible for the Lidl project. "The international project team staffed by Lidl and KPS employees did a fantastic job."

Pilot project in Austria: KPS approach for faster rollout

"The project was a serious undertaking," according to Sandführ. "We were looking for a partner with process and retail expertise and a fast, efficient implementation method. KPS offered exactly what we needed."

At 100 stores in Austria, all product groups and business processes were migrated to the new system in a single day, essentially a "Big Bang" approach. "It goes without saying that the first go-live is something special. It's a pleasure to see how stable the processes are and how well the new platform is being accepted by our employees," says Sandführ. Additional rollouts in Europe and the United States will follow.

About KPS

KPS is Europe’s premier management consultancy for business transformation in retail and fashion, offering services from strategy development, process optimization, application and technology consulting to realization and implementation. No other consulting partner covers the entire process spectrum end-to-end from omnichannel, brick& mortar, wholesale, e-commerce, mobility to personalization, and from supply chain, logistics, warehousing and finance/controlling to business analytics. The proprietaryKPS Rapid Transformation method, with its proven track record accelerates turnaround time, minimizes risk and reduces costs. KPS was founded in 2000 and has built up a team of roughly 650 consultants working on projects across Europe. http://www.kps-consulting.com/ (http://www.kps-consulting.com/en/home.html)