Successful SAP S/4HANA transformation at Gretsch-Unitas

1st December 2025

The Gretsch-Unitas (GU) group of companies has been standing for excellent hardware technology for over a century. It offers innovative and pioneering hardware systems for windows and doors – with over 35,000 articles, an international network and state-of-the-art production. The GU group is known for its trademarks GU Baubeschläge, GU Automatic, BKS and the French subsidiary FERCO. As an internal IT service provider, AGENA ensures efficient processes and sustainable digitisation.

In October 2024, AGENA and consenso Consulting launched the conversion project for GU's systems to SAP S/4HANA 2023. The changeover from the existing SAP ERP environment to the new platform marked an important milestone for GU in the modernisation of the group's digital infrastructure.

In terms of content, consenso supported AGENA in the following areas:

• Technical project management
• Development management
• FI conversion
• Configuration and implementation of ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) to ensure S/4HANA 2023 compatibility of the development objects
• Custom code adaptation
• Introduction of credit management
• Foreign trade
• Processing of simplification items
• Go-live preparation and implementation
• Hypercare support

Over the course of the project, about 17,000 findings were processed and a total of 5 conversion runs were implemented – from the sandbox, development and test systems to a technical dress rehearsal through to the final conversion of the production system on the go-live weekend.

The go-live started on Thursday evening with the business downtime of the productive system. During the subsequent technical downtime, the system was upgraded to SAP S/4HANA 2023. This was followed by the necessary cutover work and initial tests in addition to the FI changeover. The system was officially released for productive operation at 5 pm on Sunday, 19th October 2025. From Monday, the GU employees worked on SAP S/4HANA 2023 as planned.

Thanks to solid planning and implementation of all the necessary activities both beforehand and during the go-live, the hypercare phase went smoothly. Minor problems that came up were solved promptly. As a result, the project objectives were achieved within the planned period of just 12 months and within the specified budget.

The key to this success was the close, cooperative partnership between the internal IT service provider AGENA, the many other parties involved throughout the GU group and consenso Consulting as an external SAP consultancy.

Thank you very much for this great teamwork. This makes projects fun – and motivates us for further joint projects, and we are already looking forward to these!