Case Study: Bottlers Network Partners with Baer to Staff SAP Implementation

This IT services company has its roots in a large, American specialty beverage manufacturer with international distribution. In 2016, the IT services company divested from the parent company, and now operates as an independent entity serving as a strategic partner to the parent company’s North American bottler network. The IT services company provides a comprehensive IT platform and support services that support complex operational processes and drive business growth. The IT platform leverages SAP to processes $21 billion in revenue each year, handles 160,000 sales orders a day, and supports an average of 30,000 daily users.

The Challenge:

When the company was first formed, they chose SAP ERP Central Component (SAP ECC 6.0) as their underlying technology platform. While the company worked with a leading system integrator (SI) to provide strategic oversight and guidance on the initiative, the massive scope of the multi-year program meant it was not practical or cost-effective to staff the entire project through the SI. Instead, the company opted to pursue a more financially sustainable integrated resource model which entailed working with a third-party to fully staff the project over the course of multiple years.

The company determined they would be best served by a long-term, enterprise performance partner who could function as a single source for all their technical talent needs. They knew they would need dozens of highly skilled SAP ECC 6.0 experts with a wide breadth of specialized capabilities, many that are difficult to find, for periods of time ranging from months to years. They also anticipated they might need to quickly source talent with additional skills that were not yet on their roadmap. They were looking for a responsive, accountable partner with a large bench of experienced talent that offered a competitive, sustainable cost structure, and the flexibility to convert resources to full-time employees when appropriate.

The Solution: Ongoing, Specialized SAP Capacity Services 

Baer maintained a strategic relationship with the parent company, prior to the divestiture of the IT service company. Based on the strength of that experience, as well as Baer’s SAP Gold service partner status, the IT company chose Baer as its strategic partner. Baer’s experience with SAP and their extensive network of specialized talent meant they could deliver the right high-level and tactical resources, at the right time, for the right investment.

Over the course of more than seven years, Baer has provided the company with nearly 100 experienced resources across a broad range of SAP ECC 6.0 functional and technical specializations, including direct store delivery logistics, finance, fleet management, inventory management, order-to-cash processes, payroll, plant maintenance, technical core components, trade promotion management, and more. In addition, they have provided resources to support other niche, hard-to-staff supply chain solutions like Blue Yonder.
The Results:

The company’s implementation of SAP ECC 6.0 was successfully rolled out to more than 500 North American bottling locations two years ahead of schedule and under budget, enabling both the company—and importantly, its customers—to begin realizing the value of their investment earlier than anticipated. Throughout the lengthy project, Baer was able to rapidly source experienced, highly specialized technical resources as they were needed and provide a high degree of staffing accountability and stability.

By partnering with Baer to staff their SAP ECC 6.0 implementation, the company benefited from:

• Fast, flexible access to specialized SAP ECC 6.0 expertise – Baer was able to leverage their extensive, specialized talent pool to staff the initiative with nearly 100 different resources, as the company needed them, and for the length of time they were needed, which enabled the company to maintain momentum and advance the initiative as scheduled.

• Accelerated time to value – Because Baer’s resources had deep experience with SAP ECC 6.0, as well as domain expertise, they had essential knowledge around industry insights and solution best practices that accelerated the project, ensured it achieved company and program goals, minimized risk of costly mistakes and unnecessary customizations, and drove business performance.

• Cost effectiveness – By choosing Baer as their capacity services partner, the company was able access top-tier, highly specialized talent in a way that was financially sustainable for more than seven years. This enabled them to fully staff their project as needed, without overpaying for resources or burdening their internal human resources with the heavy lift of hiring.
• Staffing continuity – Baer’s focus on finding the right talent, both in terms of skill set and cultural fit, resulted in continuity and stability in staffing with limited attrition and multiple conversions to full-time employees. Baer maintains several consultants on staff supporting the continued maintenance of the program and is strategically aligned to support the next wave of innovation as the company migrates to S/4HANA.

To learn more about how Baer can make a positive impact on your enterprise transformation, contact us at capabilities@baer.com.