From outdated ECC to a future-proof global platform
Mammoet’s 20-year-old ECC system no longer met the company’s needs. Following a market exploration—including a proof of concept with IFS that turned out unsuitable for a global rollout—the company decided to evaluate SAP S/4HANA.
SAP demonstrated that 85% of Mammoet’s requirements could be met out-of-the-box with S/4, including intercompany billing, global tax compliance, Group Reporting for consolidation, and governance. The remaining 15%—highly complex planning & scheduling—was addressed through an integration with Delmia Quintiq.
Mammoet launched Project SHERPA, a global S/4HANA Greenfield implementation supported by SAP, Conclusion/MyBrand, EY, Quintiq, and cpmview.
The challenges
- Global operations: 43 countries, thousands of assets and employees to be scheduled and billed across borders.
- Outdated ECC: approaching end-of-life in 2027, not fit for future growth.
- Planning complexity: combining assets and workforce planning across geographies.
- Business adoption: need for global standardization (Fit2Standard) while overcoming local exceptions (“elephant paths”).
- Data & reporting: real-time consolidation and global visibility required.
The solution
The SHERPA program delivered an integrated global ERP and planning platform:
- SAP S/4HANA RISE: the digital core with zero modifications, leveraging SAP’s Enterprise Management Layer (EML).
- SAP Group Reporting (by cpmview): configured as the global consolidation and reporting solution, enabling real-time group-wide financial consolidation.
- SAP Analytics Cloud & Planning: rolling forecasts and scenario modeling directly on S/4 data, without additional data warehouses.
- Delmia Quintiq Scheduling & Planning: addressing Mammoet’s unique challenge of combining equipment and workforce planning globally.
- Fit2Standard governance: 250 workshops with global business owners, ensuring adoption and buy-in from the start.
- Deployment & training: Mammoet’s dedicated 10-person deployment team trained end-users with Enable Now videos, classroom sessions, and on-site guidance.
The results
The program delivered on its promise: on time and within budget. Key outcomes include:
- Global standardization: one template, one operating model across 43 countries.
- Real-time consolidation: SAP Group Reporting provides trusted group financials, configured and supported by cpmview.
- Improved utilization: scheduling assets and people across countries increases efficiency and margins.
- Faster insights: rolling forecasts in SAC provide timely decision support.
- Seamless go-lives: first go-lives in Belgium and the Netherlands went live smoothly, with minimal issues.
Lessons learned
- Change management is key: 250 workshops were needed to align global business units and drive adoption.
- Fit2Standard pays off: by keeping the core clean, Mammoet benefits from mainstream SAP upgrades without heavy modifications.
- Testing is underestimated: over 3,000 test cases led to early bug resolution and smooth go-lives.
- Vertical expertise matters: multiple specialized partners (EY for tax, cpmview for Group Reporting) ensured depth of expertise.
Future plans
Mammoet is preparing for SHERPA 2.0, focusing on:
- Enhancements in Supply & Demand Planning.
- Extending Planning & Scheduling capabilities in Delmia Quintiq.
- Further integrating reporting and forecasting for end-to-end business steering.
