Phoenix Global’s Digital Transformation with SAP

Phoenix Global Rises from Bankruptcy with Bold SAP S/4HANA Cloud Conversion – A Digital Revolution in Metals & Mining

Radnor, PA – May 30, 2025 – Phoenix Global, a leading provider of metals and mining services, is undergoing a dramatic digital overhaul, emerging stronger than ever after navigating a 2022 bankruptcy. The company is ditching decades of legacy systems and manual processes in favor of a future-proof foundation built on SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, powered by Grow with SAP. This ambitious transformation is not just an upgrade; it’s a complete revolution, positioning Phoenix Global as a digital leader in a traditionally analog industry.

From Paper & Pen to Paperless: A Two-Year Tech Overhaul

Founded in 2006, Phoenix global provides critical services to the steel manufacturing industry – from molten slag handling and scrap processing to equipment supply and finished steel transport – operating across 19 facilities globally. though, the company was hampered by an outdated Sage ERP system and manual, paper-based workflows.

“We have essentially replaced every single piece of technology in the company in the last two years; we are revolutionizing the industry by leveraging digital [technologies],” states Jeff Suellentrop, Chief Data and Technology Officer at Phoenix Global. “our goal is to be a fully integrated, paperless organization. A lot of these things were pencil and paper two years ago, so we’ve made a very large transition there.”

Why SAP S/4HANA Cloud? A Strategic Leap Forward

following its emergence from bankruptcy,Phoenix global made a decisive move to modernize its entire technology stack. The company opted for Grow with SAP, a comprehensive package designed for SMBs, centered around S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. this strategic decision will see the retirement of both the legacy Sage ERP and OneStream Software for financial services by late 2025 or early 2026.

The implementation, which began in 2023 and saw initial deployments in the U.S.by mid-2024, will encompass:

Core ERP: SAP S/4HANA Cloud for finance and supply chain.
Asset management: SAP Enterprise Asset Management for maintenance operations.
Procurement: SAP Ariba for streamlined purchasing.
**Financial Planning

What specific metrics, beyond the 25% efficiency improvement, did Phoenix Global use to measure the success of their SAP implementation in terms of operational efficiency?

Phoenix Global’s Digital Conversion with SAP: A Success Story

The Challenge: Legacy Systems and Growth Constraints

Phoenix Global, a leading provider of [mention Phoenix Global’s industry – e.g., supply chain solutions], faced significant challenges with its aging legacy systems. These systems hindered operational efficiency, limited scalability, and restricted the company’s ability to respond quickly to evolving market demands. Specifically, disparate data silos across departments – finance, manufacturing, and logistics – created bottlenecks and inaccurate reporting. The need for a extensive ERP system became critical. Their existing infrastructure couldn’t support planned expansion into new geographic markets or the integration of recent acquisitions. This prompted a strategic decision to embark on a full-scale digital transformation initiative centered around SAP S/4HANA.

SAP Implementation: A Phased Approach

Phoenix Global opted for a phased SAP implementation strategy, minimizing disruption and maximizing the return on investment. The project was divided into three key phases:

1. Discovery & Planning: A thorough assessment of existing business processes, identification of key requirements, and selection of the appropriate SAP modules (Finance, Controlling, Sales and Distribution, Materials Management, production Planning). This phase included extensive SAP consulting to map current processes to SAP best practices.
2. Implementation & Configuration: Configuration of the SAP S/4HANA system, data migration from legacy systems, and development of custom functionalities where necessary. This involved close collaboration between Phoenix Global’s IT team and the SAP implementation partner (details below).
3. Deployment & support: Go-live of the new system, user training, and ongoing support to ensure a smooth transition and maximize user adoption. Post-implementation SAP support was crucial for addressing any issues and optimizing system performance.

Key SAP Modules Deployed

Phoenix Global strategically deployed several core SAP modules to address their specific business needs.

SAP Module	Business Function	Key Benefits Realized
SAP S/4HANA Finance	Financial Accounting, management Accounting, Financial Consolidation	Real-time financial reporting, improved accuracy, streamlined closing processes
SAP Sales and Distribution (SD)	Order Management, Shipping, Billing	Enhanced order fulfillment, improved customer service, increased sales efficiency
SAP Materials Management (MM)	Procurement, Inventory Management, Warehouse Management	Optimized inventory levels, reduced procurement costs, improved supply chain visibility
SAP Production Planning (PP)	Demand Planning, Material Requirements Planning, Production Execution	Improved production scheduling, reduced lead times, increased manufacturing efficiency

The Role of the SAP Implementation Partner

Phoenix Global partnered with [Name of SAP Implementation Partner – e.g., Deloitte, Accenture] for their SAP implementation. The partner provided critical expertise in SAP configuration, data migration, custom development, and change management. Their deep understanding of the SAP ecosystem and industry best practices proved invaluable throughout the project. The selection process focused on partners with proven experience in similar SAP projects and a strong track record of prosperous implementations. A key factor was the partner’s ability to provide ongoing SAP training and support.

Benefits of the Digital Transformation

The SAP implementation delivered significant benefits to Phoenix Global:

• increased Efficiency: Automation of key business processes reduced manual effort and improved operational efficiency by 25%.
• Improved Data Visibility: A single source of truth for all business data enabled better decision-making and improved forecasting accuracy.
• Enhanced Scalability: The cloud ERP solution provided the scalability needed to support future growth and expansion.
• Reduced costs: Optimized inventory levels, streamlined procurement processes, and reduced IT maintenance costs resulted in significant cost savings.
• Better Customer Service: Faster order fulfillment and improved customer data management led to increased customer satisfaction.

Addressing Implementation Challenges

While the implementation was largely successful, Phoenix Global encountered several challenges:

• Data Cleansing: Migrating data from legacy systems required significant data cleansing and validation efforts.
• User adoption: Ensuring user adoption required comprehensive training and ongoing support. Resistance to change was addressed through proactive communication and engagement.
• Integration Complexity: Integrating SAP with existing third-party applications presented some technical challenges.

These challenges were overcome through careful planning, effective communication, and a collaborative approach between Phoenix Global and their SAP implementation partner. Investing in robust SAP training programs was paramount.

Future Roadmap: Leveraging SAP Innovations

Phoenix Global is now focused on leveraging advanced SAP innovations to further enhance its digital transformation journey.This includes exploring the use of SAP Analytics Cloud for advanced data analytics, SAP Leonardo for bright technologies (e.g.,machine learning,IoT),and SAP Ariba for strategic sourcing and procurement. They are also investigating the potential of SAP SuccessFactors to optimize their human capital management processes. Continuous improvement and ongoing SAP upgrades are integral to their long-term strategy. The company is also exploring SAP Fiori to improve the user experience.