Streamlining Document Management with Gimmal Link Enterprise for a Leading Specialty Chemicals Company
In the highly competitive specialty chemicals industry, maintaining a leadership position requires relentless innovation, exceptional quality, and a steadfast commitment to sustainability. This case study explores the strategic initiatives and transformative solutions of a prominent global player renowned for its cutting-edge research and development, superior products, and customer-centric approach. With a robust international presence and a reputation for operational excellence, the company has successfully navigated complex market dynamics to achieve sustained growth and profitability. By leveraging advanced technologies, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and prioritizing environmental stewardship, this industry leader has set benchmarks in quality and efficiency. Through this anonymous examination, we delve into the challenges faced, the innovative strategies employed, and the measurable outcomes that underscore the company's ability to maintain its competitive edge in the ever-evolving global marketplace.
"The people I worked with were just particularly friendly. They were so easy to work with. Getting on a daily call with them for an hour was very efficient. I was quite surprised at how efficiently we could complete set up, working remotely. I really enjoyed my experience working with Gimmal because I learned quite a lot.”
Senior supply chain analyst
Challenge
A leading global company in the specialty chemicals sector, with operations spanning multiple continents, embarked on a major digital transformation project which included implementing SAP S/4HANA across its supply chain and business operations. This initiative was part of a broader effort to modernize their IT infrastructure, replacing legacy systems such as SAP ECC and Microsoft AX. The company aimed to ensure a seamless document management process as part of this transition, particularly focusing on:
Efficient document storage: They needed a solution that could handle various types of documents, such as purchase orders, quality certificates, and billing documents, with the ability to store metadata in a structured and compliant manner.
Minimizing SAP server memory usage: The goal was to avoid storing large volumes of documents on the SAP server and instead utilize an external system for document storage.
Seamless integration with SharePoint: The company was already using SharePoint for certain document storage needs and wanted a solution that could integrate well with their existing Microsoft Azure landscape.
Support for SAP Fiori: The company’s users preferred using SAP Fiori applications over the traditional SAP GUI, which introduced additional challenges during the implementation.
Additionally, given the scale and complexity of the project, the company needed a reliable support model to
Solution
After evaluating multiple solutions, including IntelliDocs, the company selected Gimmal Link Enterprise for its superior integration with Microsoft Azure and SharePoint. The Gimmal solution provided them with:
- A centralized document management system that could handle multiple document types, such as purchase orders, lease orders, quality certificates, and billing documents.
- The ability to automatically transfer and store metadata for documents from SAP to SharePoint, ensuring that compliance requirements were met, especially for critical documents like certificates of analysis and billing documents.
- Seamless integration with Azure and SharePoint, which allowed them to offload document storage from the SAP HANA database and avoid excessive memory usage on their SAP servers.
- Support for SAP Fiori: Although the preference for Fiori apps posed initial challenges for both the company and Gimmal, the Gimmal team adapted and provided flexible support to ensure the solution worked smoothly with the company’s Fiori-based workflows.
- A structured and efficient implementation process, with daily status calls and clear timelines, the project was able to move forward in a timely and organized manner.
Gimmal also worked closely with the company’s global process owners (GPOs) within each SAP module, ensuring that the document management solution met the specific requirements of each area.
Results
By partnering with Gimmal, the company achieved several key outcomes:
- Efficient document storage: The company now stores around many documents per day in using Link Enterprise, significantly reducing the load on their SAP system. Documents such as purchase orders, quality certificates, and billing documents are now stored with corresponding metadata in SharePoint, ensuring easy retrieval and compliance.
- Improved compliance: The solution helps the company meet audit requirements by ensuring that critical documents, such as original billing documents, are stored securely and can be easily accessed when needed.
- Streamlined processes: The company’s document management processes have been optimized, with 8-10 different document types now being directed to Gimmal instead of being stored in the SAP HANA database.
- Seamless integration and user satisfaction: The integration with SAP Fiori ensured that end-users could continue to use their preferred interface without disruption, even though this posed initial challenges during implementation.
- Collaborative and flexible support: The Gimmal team provided excellent support throughout the implementation process. Daily calls ensured efficient communication and progress, and Gimmal’s flexibility in adapting to the company’s needs — particularly with Fiori — was highly appreciated.
- Ongoing optimization: The company continues to monitor system usage and database growth, ensuring that the solution remains cost-effective and scalable as their document management needs grow.
Customer Feedback
The company expressed high satisfaction with both the implementation process and the ongoing support from Gimmal. In the words of a senior supply chain analyst involved in the project:
“Firstly, it was very structured. We had a clear plan and timescale, and we worked to that. I think it was very clear, structured, and suitable. We initially thought we were a little ahead of schedule. If we had not been using Fiori apps, we probably could have halved the timescale. But because we were using Fiori, we gave Gimmal a few challenges — which I think were a challenge for Gimmal as well. However, you definitely flexed and supported us with that.”
Another key team member added:
"The people I worked with were just particularly friendly. They were so easy to work with. Getting on a daily call with them for an hour was very efficient. I was quite surprised at how efficiently we could complete set up, working remotely. I really enjoyed my experience working with Gimmal because I learned quite a lot.”
Conclusion
This case study showcases how a leading specialty chemicals company successfully leveraged Gimmal’s SAP document management solution to streamline their document storage processes, integrate seamlessly with their existing IT infrastructure, and support their SAP S/4HANA transformation. The project highlights Gimmal’s ability to provide both technical expertise and flexible support, ensuring that the company could meet its document management and compliance goals efficiently.
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