Groupe ATLANTIC is playing the modernization card with SAP S/4HANA and VISEO

Groupe ATLANTIC is the European leader in thermal comfort with a large range of heating and hot water solutions (residential, collective, industrial or service sector), but also air conditioning and ventilation. It has 8,000 workers, 4,000 of whom are international partners; they spread out over fourty locations, 25 of which are industrial. In 2018, the Groupe ATLANTIC's sales revenues reached 1.85 billion euros (of which 43% internationally) and is expected to surpass 2 billion in 2019.

A dedicated tool to simplify processes

In 2016, the company launched a program to rework and harmonize its information system with the specific goal of replacing all of its individual dedicated solutions with one overarching and standard ERP: “For years, the Groupe ATLANTIC has used an internal IS (Information System) developed by its own IT department” explained Pascal Sionneau, the group’s IT Director and the person responsible for overseeing and deploying the SAP S/4HANA project. “Our objectives were to look to industry standards to harmonize and reinforce SI functions in a way that best supports the group’s strategy and growth”.

After reviewing the solutions available on the market, the Groupe ATLANTIC chose the intelligent ERP SAP S/4HANA to build the core model for its future solution. “SAP S/4HANA stood out to us as the best  technical solution that also covered the widest range of functionalities,” said Pascal Sionneau.

To install the solution on its different sites, the company looked to VISEO as a partner because their profile corresponded best to the group’s needs and working methods, while still allowing it to make the most of internal resources created especially for this project.

Gains with each iteration

The solution’s deployment took place site by site, each one having its own special needs that progressively enriched the overall program and ensured global consolidation:

2017 September: SAP S/4HANA was implemented in the ATLANTIC SYNERGY Group, a holding group with few data feeds and limited to governance.

2018 January : ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL adopted SAP S/4HANA, a structure that is solely driven by commerce and therefore with a core sales imperative.

2018 October : Rollout at the Saint-Louis location, an industrial production site (hot water heaters). The ERP’s set up on this site required many customizations and therefore a longer and more in depth testing phase of more than three months.

2019 July : The ERP was installed at the Fontaine location, another industrial site. With both the Saint-Louis and Fontaine sites, the solution had to take on complex data feeds (production, delivery, returns).

The next site pilot will take place at ATLANTIC CLIMATISATION & VENTILATION, located in Meyzieu, where the rollout is scheduled for October 2020. This location is an even larger industrial plant that includes made-to-order production, configuration and strict logistical requirements, such as multiple warehouses and delivery within 12 hours.

A tool that is both seasoned and user-friendly

Before SAP, data about products and clients were managed in a decentralized way. The governance around these data has now changed, allowing for a single central repository that provides improved means for tracking changes and quality data.

In the financial and auditing sectors, Groupe ATLANTIC greatly appreciated the fact that SAP S/4HANA is a seasoned product. The group also appreciated Fiori, which brings with it more a user-friendly interface and dashboards for surveying activity. For logistics and production, some positive points include rigorous data processing, managing large volumes and a real time view of inventories and consumption. “Working daily with VISEO’s team allowed our DSI colleagues to improve their skills with the ultimate goal of taking over as integrators” said Pascal Sionneau.

The next few years will be dedicated to rolling out the SAP S/4HANA  solution on all of the group’s sites in France and abroad. The rollout will help Groupe ATLANTIC to achieve its overall strategy to harmonize business processes.