Customer: keeeper tableware GmbH

For over 100 years now, today’s keeeper tableware GmbH (formerly a site of the Finnish Metsä Tissue Corporation) has been operating as one of Europe’s leading suppliers of high-quality tissue products to the consumer and bulk market. In Germany, the company is one of the top 2 manufacturers of colored and printed napkins and is also the market leader in the private label segment. With around 200 employees at its site in Stotzheim, the company generated sales of around EUR 45 million in fiscal year 2018.

Initial situation and challenges

At the turn of the year 2019 to 2020, Mutares SE & Co. KGaA decided to expand its own portfolio in the field of household appliances with the acquisition of the German paper napkin business of the Finnish Metsä Tissue Corporation at the Stotzheim site by keeeper Group, a portfolio company of Mutares SE & Co. KGaA. The strategic acquisition of the company, which now operates under the name keeeper tableware GmbH, aims to further advance, and expand the diversification of the keeeper Group. Mutares engaged digatus to carry out the IT carve-out within a TSA period of nine months, i.e., the separation of the existing corporate IT from the parent company and the subsequent transfer to standalone operation.

Thanks to its extensive IT carve-out expertise, the digatus team enabled us to spin off the company on time and on budget. During the planning and implementation of the new IT infrastructure, all specific needs and requirements were born in mind. Nicolas Pütz Director Operations / IT, Mutares SE & Co. KGaA

Solution

As part of the carve-out project for around 120 IT users located in Stotzheim, we coordinated the separation of the IT infrastructure from the outsourcing unit to complete independence. Primary activities were the setup of a separate IT infrastructure, including the SAP system, as well as the migration and conversion of applications, such as AUTEC or BDE. When carrying out the SAP migration, it was not possible to apply a so-called “greenfield approach”, in terms of reimplementing a current SAP system including process redesign. Instead, it was decided to copy the legacy system and to rebuild it within the new environment. The biggest challenge at this point was the tight interlocking of numerous applications with the ERP system. Furthermore, all interfaces had to be redeveloped and thoroughly tested, as most of them were interfaces to external partners, such as Transporeon and EDI. In some cases, the old applications were replaced by alternative solutions, e.g., Maximo IBM or SAP HR, or by other providers. After keeeper tableware GmbH had conducted its own inventory, the new IT infrastructure was planned considering current requirements as well as ongoing business processes and executed in view of providing a flexible, secure, and cost-effective IT service. Microsoft 365 Azure and Intune were chosen. For the required server infrastructure, it was decided to install an ESX VMWare cluster directly at the site. The supportive vendor Metsä Tissue assisted actively in making the migration as smooth as possible. Thanks to the close and efficient cooperation of all parties involved, the SAP system and all applications were migrated to the new IT landscape within the specified timeframe. We besides supported the company in the selection of future IT service providers via tenders and assisted in the subsequent drafting of contracts with selected parties.

Customer benefits

Today, keeeper tableware GmbH has been separated from the structures of the former parent company Metsä Tissue and operates now as an independent portfolio company of Mutares. The IT infrastructure and equipment were modernized in the course of the transition and the SAP processes were aligned with the needs of a new agile medium-sized company. Future operating system updates as well as software distribution will be significantly simplified through centralization and standardization. Fast and centrally executed security patches increase security throughout the network. By choosing digatus technology GmbH as IT service provider and by establishing a new local service desk, the efficiency and satisfaction of the employees could be increased.