Ludwigshafen, June 15, 2026 – How can a highly automated distribution center be successfully migrated from SAP Warehouse Management (WM) to SAP Embedded Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) using a brownfield approach—in parallel with the SAP S/4HANA transformation and without interrupting ongoing operations? Answers to this key question were provided at the IT online conference on May 7, 2026, during a moderated expert discussion featuring BYK-Chemie and LogiPlus Consulting.
Under the title “Fully automated distribution center at BYK – migration from SAP WM to SAP EWM in the brownfield”, Christian Schnaak, Head of IT Digital Core SCM at BYK, and Thilo Matheis, CEO of LogiPlus Consulting GmbH, discussed challenges, success factors and lessons learned from a demanding transformation project together with moderator Maike Rose, Managing Director of IT-Onlinemagazin and Dr. Rainer Stoll (moderator & editor).
The focus was on replacing a highly customized SAP WM system that had been in place for around 18 years with a standard-based, future-proof SAP Embedded EWM Advanced solution – in a highly automated and safety-critical warehouse environment.
BYK operates a central distribution center for liquid chemicals at its Wesel site, which serves as the logistical backbone for the European supply chain. The warehouse has around 11,500 pallet spaces and is almost fully automated with storage and retrieval machines, conveyor technology and KUKA picking robots. The facility is closely integrated into a global process landscape and is operated 24/6 or 24/7.
During the discussion, Christian Schnaak explained the scale of the facility: With approximately 6,000 incoming shipments, 27,000 outgoing shipments, and more than 250,000 items per year, the warehouse is a critical component of the company’s ability to deliver and its competitive strength.
The initial situation was characterized by a highly customized SAP WM system including individually programmed material flow control and its own telegram processing. Although this high level of customization resulted in optimised processes over the years, it also led to limited expandability, high support costs and a strong dependence on external service providers.
“The system was running smoothly, but it could no longer be scaled or expanded. We had to reposition ourselves to meet future requirements and accommodate upgrades,” Schnaak explained.
SAP’s decision to phase out SAP WM, but above all strategic goals such as standardization, scalability, and preparation for future warehouse expansions, made the switch to SAP EWM the only viable option.
BYK deliberately chose SAP Embedded EWM Advanced to harmonize its system landscape as part of its S/4HANA transformation and to reduce complexity in the long term. Performance and maintenance considerations also weighed in favor of the Embedded version.
“A warehouse project is never just an IT project. It involves processes, automation—and, above all, the people on the shop floor,” Thilo Matheis emphasized during the talk.
LogiPlus Consulting supported BYK throughout the entire project—from planning and system architecture to cutover and testing concepts, through to operational implementation and the subsequent hypercare phase.
Due to the existing warehouse topology, material flows and automation technology, the brownfield approach was the only sensible approach. The physical conditions of the warehouse left no scope for a greenfield redesign.
“We deliberately chose the brownfield approach because we have a highly automated warehouse where automation extends all the way to the staging area. The warehouse layout and material flows were predetermined. Therefore, it was clear that we would adhere to the given physical constraints and processes,” explained Schnaak.
The project methodology followed a traditional phased model—including a GAP analysis, implementation, testing, training, migration, go-live, and hypercare.
A key success factor was the consistent involvement of employees on site. The project team deliberately worked directly in the warehouse environment – in close proximity to the operational teams.
“We deliberately carried out the project in the warehouse, close to the processes, close to the automated systems, and close to the people,” said Schnaak.
This has significantly improved training, acceptance and rapid coordination with the operational areas – an important factor in an environment in which process stability and security have the highest priority.
Interactive polls were conducted during the live session. The results reflect the current market situation: More than 70% of the participants who responded are still in the planning, preparation, or implementation phase of an SAP WM migration.
At the same time, it is clear that on-premises solutions are still preferred over cloud solutions in the intralogistics sector. 59% favor an on-premises solution, while only 9% would like to migrate to a cloud solution. About 32% of respondents have not yet decided which solution they would like to migrate to.
The online IT conference was specifically designed to provide a direct, firsthand exchange from a user company—unfiltered and straightforward. Participants were able to ask questions via live chat and received practical answers from both a customer and an implementation perspective.
The expert panel discussion made it clear that even under challenging conditions—highly automated hazardous materials logistics, a concurrent S/4HANA transformation, and ongoing operations—a successful migration from SAP WM to SAP Embedded EWM is possible if the architecture, testing strategy, process understanding, and change management are intelligently coordinated.
Then take the opportunity and request your online appointment with our SAP EWM experts now. We will be happy to support you so that you can assess how you can further optimise your intralogistics processes.
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