Birkenstock Leverages SAP S/4HANA for Fashion and Vertical Business to Transform North American Operations

Footwear brand Birkenstock has completed a comprehensive technology transformation of its North American operations, which included replacing a 16-year-old legacy system in the US with SAP S/4HANA for Fashion and Vertical Business, according to an SAP blog. 

The iconic footwear and fashion brand leveraged a phased approach, starting with a greenfield implementation in Canada and subsequently migrating the U.S. brownfield environment. The company’s operations now run on a unified, scalable platform that supports real-time visibility, standardized processes, and future growth. 

Greenfield to Brownfield: A Phased ERP Transformation 

The company, already established in the U.S., was expanding into Canada in 2019, where it had no preexisting systems, infrastructure, or operational technology in place. The Canadian project, which was a pure greenfield implementation of SAP S/4HANA, served as a blueprint for the more complex transition in the U.S., allowing teams to test and refine processes before a broader rollout. 

The Canadian project was executed in partnership with SAP services partner Rizing. It focused on building a scalable foundation with industry best practices embedded across order management, inventory control, and financial reporting, SAP said in a blog on their site.  

Joshua Milos, Senior Director of IT for Birkenstock Americas, said,”Rizing provided us with pre-configured tenants and the necessary expertise to get us up and running quickly.” 

Process standardization between Canadian and U.S. teams ensured consistency and minimized duplication of effort. 

Clean-Core from the Start  

Transitioning the long-standing U.S. operations from an outdated AS/400 system to SAP S/4HANA was a classic brownfield transformation, i.e., upgrading existing technical foundations while bringing trusted business processes forward.  

Key enablers of success in this process included a clean core strategy with minimal extensions, and thorough master data preparation.  

Ensuring clean, accurate data before go-live was a critical pillar of the project. “Get your master data in order before you start with the first transactions in the system. This has a major impact on daily operations,” Milos added. Prioritizing data integrity enabled a smoother migration process and ensured the organization could realize value from SAP S/4HANA immediately. 

Birkenstock also drew heavily on Rizing’s expertise in SAP best practices to execute its clean core strategy. Rizing  guided the company in determining where standard SAP functionality could replace custom developments, helping reduce future technical debt and maintain long-term system flexibility. 

Industry-Specific Functions Deliver Tangible Value 

The retailer selected SAP S/4HANA for Fashion and Vertical Business because of its fashion industry-specific capabilities, such as allocations, availability checks, and merchandise master management.  

The U.S. transition was executed as a big-bang cutover across wholesale, retail, and digital channels. The team also dedicated an extended timeline to testing in order to ensure stability and readiness. 

With SAP S/4HANA in place, Birkenstock now operates on a single, integrated platform that delivers real-time insights across its wholesale, retail, and digital channels. Improved supply chain visibility and analytics help the company adapt faster to market changes and operational fluctuations. 

Rizing’s pre-configured Fashion Suite Accelerator further accelerated the implementation by providing ready-to-use order types, pricing schemes, and process templates, allowing Birkenstock to focus on business-specific customizations while ensuring technical accuracy and adherence to SAP best practices. 

Implementing SAP S/4HANA has also reduced manual work through automated workflows and integrated reporting for the company. 

What This Means for SAPinsiders 

Strategic Phasing Matters. Launching a greenfield implementation in a new region can de-risk subsequent brownfield migrations. It provides a testbed for processes, configurations, and governance models, offering insights that improve outcomes for larger, more complex transitions. 

Clean Core Pays Dividends. Reducing custom code and relying on standard functionality simplifies upgrades, accelerates time to value, and mitigates future technical debt. According to 2025 SAPinsider research, 43% of organizations are actively modernizing or eliminating custom processes to simplify their S/4HANA transitions and ease future updates.  

Industry-Specific ERP Accelerators Add Value. Solutions like SAP S/4HANA for Fashion and Vertical Business deliver tangible value by standardizing complex, sector-specific processes such as seasonal planning, allocation management, and merchandise master maintenance. Using these tailored capabilities helps companies improve efficiency, reduce errors, and enhance decision-making, providing a clear competitive advantage within their industry.