FlorenceNext, A Sirocco Group Company

Integration Specialty

ERP and SAP Connector

Consolidate fragmented ERP landscapes and migrate to S/4HANA through API-led integration that de-risks delivery.

01 / The numbers

55-75%
of ERP projects fail to meet objectives
  • Bottleneck
  • Brittle
  • Rigid

02 / The challenge

The cost of fragmented ERPs

Challenges

  • Managing ERP instances across multiple countries
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Adoption of new systems and technologies
  • Modernising operations by redesigning business processes
  • Meeting increasing customer expectations
  • Data privacy and industry-specific local compliance

Problems

  • Legacy system constraints: custom code, outdated tech
  • Compatibility issues across varying ERP versions and platforms
  • Data silos. ERP, CRM, MDM in different formats
  • Inconsistent processes. Reduced efficiency, complicated consolidation

03 / The approach

A repeatable approach

Four steps to ERP consolidation success

  1. 01

    Discover and Connect

    • Define API-led connectivity principles
    • Create APIs to expose key data formats and functionalities
    • Accommodate cloud, on-premises and hybrid estates
    • Security and compliance from day one
    • Risk and impact analysis ahead of build
  2. 02

    Data Harmonization

    • Data inventory and profiling
    • Define canonical and bounded-context data models
    • Standardize data formats
    • Data quality checks and validation
    • Data migration with auditable lineage
  3. 03

    Center for Enablement (C4E)

    • Cross-functional team measured on asset consumption and organisational capability
    • Ensures assets are consumable, consumed broadly, and fully leveraged
    • Encourages collaboration across business and IT
  4. 04

    Monitor and Govern

    • Real-time monitoring of API usage and integration flows
    • Proactive issue detection and resolution
    • Continuous-improvement feedback loop into the platform

04 / The deadline

SAP migration to S/4HANA

The deadline is closer than the runway

SAP ECC End of Support is coming in 2027. S/4HANA migration takes 18 to 24 months. The maths is unforgiving.

Timeline

  1. Today

    2026

  2. ECC end of support

    2027

  3. Extended support ends

    2030

75%
of enterprises have not carried out the necessary preparations for transformation
50%
are under-resourced or lack the expertise on staff
50%
have not felt the urgency due to the deadline timing

Challenges

  • ECC End of Support deadline
  • Real-time personalised customer experiences
  • Modernising heavily customised monolithic ECC systems
  • Harmonising data formats to S/4HANA's structures
  • Coexistence of old ECC and new S/4HANA during transition
  • Future scalability of the platform

Problems

  • Adapting or rewriting extensive custom code
  • Managing accumulated technical debt
  • Risk of significant downtime during migration phases

05 / Greenfield

Green Field Migration approach

Break the monolith and build a modern, API-based business.

  • 01

    Achieve systems migration from SAP ECC to S/4HANA without dragging legacy with you.

  • 02

    Reimagine future architecture. Move customisation outside the ERP.

  • 03

    Unlock S/4HANA's true potential with a standardised core, APIs and microservices.

  • 04

    Adopt an architecture where agility and innovation are fostered in an API-led connected ecosystem.

  • 05

    Leverage the new architecture for agile, risk-free migration within time and budget.

06 / The path

Five steps to an API-led migration

  1. 01

    Define APIs to unlock business functions as microservices

  2. 02

    Configure S/4HANA. Validate business requirements with mocked APIs

  3. 03

    Migrate data on-demand for SIT and UAT

  4. 04

    Migrate data to production using existing tools

  5. 05

    Run ERPs in parallel. Phased cutover by capability

  • Accelerate delivery
  • De-risk the programme
  • Flexible migration to production

07 / SAP integration

SAP integration with MuleSoft

SAP-certified PREMIUM connectors

MuleSoft's SAP-Certified PREMIUM connectors integrate on-premise and cloud-based business applications with SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA on-premises.

Outbound

Execute BAPI over RFC
sRFC and aRFC calls into the SAP business object layer.
Send IDocs over RFC
qRFC and tRFC for guaranteed, queued, transactional delivery.

Inbound

Act as a JCO server for BAPI
Inbound sRFC and aRFC handled by MuleSoft directly.
Receive IDocs
Over tRFC and qRFC, routed into the rest of the estate.

JCO libraries

SAP-maintained libraries
Allow Java to communicate with SAP.
OS-native binaries
Each OS has its own native library shipped by SAP.

SOAP Web Services

Auto-discover and invoke
Catalog SOAP endpoints exposed by SAP and call them directly.

RESTful OData APIs

CRUD on entities
Single-entity retrieval, multi-entity query, remote function invocation, batch requests.
  • Faster development
  • Reduced code complexity
  • Simplified authentication
  • Proactive metadata inference
  • Easier code maintenance

08 / Case studies

Case 01

A multinational manufacturer consolidates fragmented ERPs

At one of our clients, a multinational manufacturing company specialising in aluminium production and sales, we undertook a comprehensive ERP consolidation project. We integrated several fragmented ERP systems into a unified platform to boost operational efficiency, data consistency, and business agility.

Key aspects: tailored configurations per country and region; integration of Oracle E-Business Suite and AS400; a green approach to migration that let different live SAP versions coexist during the transition.

20M+
Transactions routed SAP to other ERPs
300+
SAP integrations
100+
Streamlined business processes
85%
Reduced time to production
Case 02

An Italian multi-utility migrates to S/4HANA

At one of the larger Italian multi-utility companies, we migrated to SAP S/4HANA as part of an ERP modernisation initiative, integrating and rationalising multiple ERP systems into a single unified platform.

Key aspects: green approach to migration with different live SAP versions coexisting; cost savings through reduced IT complexity, maintenance and support; enhanced agility and scalability for changing business needs.

5M+
ERP transactions routed to SAP
200+
SAP integrations migrated to S/4HANA
50%
Custom code reduction
11 months
Overall project execution time
Let's talk

Plan the S/4HANA cut-over before the runway runs out

Whether the focus is consolidating fragmented ERPs or planning a phased S/4HANA migration, the API-led approach de-risks the programme. Tell us about your landscape and we will share the playbook.

Contact us
Isometric illustration of a customer support agent on a phone screen