Kemira, a Finnish company specialising in sustainable chemical solutions, has successfully transitioned to a new archiving system in response to the limitations of its long-standing protocols and the need for future scalability. The motivation for this change stemmed from the company's ongoing transformation to SAP S/4HANA, which necessitated an upgraded archiving solution capable of managing substantial data operations effectively.
The new system, known as tia, was developed by KGS Software GmbH. It was selected by Kemira for its proficiency in handling a significant data migration involving approximately 10 million documents, prioritising swift access to data and ensuring business continuity throughout the transition. Johanna Pakkanen, senior IT manager at Kemira, elaborated on the needs driving this change, stating, “We also needed to ensure that all running systems would not be affected by data migration, that the availability of business-critical data was guaranteed at all times and that opening documents from the new archive would not take too long.”
The initiative began with a proof of concept (PoC) in January 2023, followed by a project kick-off in March, culminating in a complete migration by May 2023. The finalisation of the project occurred in September of the same year, marking a significant advancement in Kemira's data management practices.
Prior to the migration, the existing archiving system had suffered from suboptimal response times and stability, which hampered operational efficiency. The adoption of KGS's intelligent archiving system has simplified processes, enabling Kemira employees to archive documents seamlessly without interfering with their daily responsibilities. Most employees remain unaware of the archiving system's functionality, as the process has been designed to integrate smoothly with existing operations in SAP, thus meeting legal obligations for storage.
With comprehensive participation across all departments, Kemira’s new approach to document archiving underscores its commitment to enhancing operational efficiency while maintaining compliance with legal requirements. Pakkanen expressed satisfaction with the new cooperation, highlighting the improved support and contractual terms provided by KGS Software GmbH. This transition serves as an example of how businesses, particularly in water-intensive industries, can reassess and realign their operational strategies in the face of evolving technological demands and internal growth.
Source: Noah Wire Services