GRTgaz

GRTgaz implements S/4HANA on AWS : how a technical requirement became a business opportunity

My experience with oXya’s teams can be summed up in three words: responsiveness, adaptability and expertise. The teams were very responsive to our requests, and the design of the solution took into account all the constraints associated with GRTgaz’s context, all the while maintaining ongoing dialogue and providing SAP expertise. Thank you oXya!
Victoria Magda, IS transformation program Director, GRTgaz

Challenge

To replace the existing SAP ECC6 solution, which was reaching end-of-life and was not harnessing the full power of SAP.

Our solutions

Perform a greenfield implementation of S/4HANA on AWS, along with a brownfield migration of CMMS. Return to the SAP standard. Install new modules (eWM, QM) and SAP SaaS solutions (SAC Planning & AFC).

Outcome

Better IS performance for the benefit of the business units

Turning a technical necessity into an opportunity

In 2020, GRTgaz was using an old version of SAP, ECC6 EHP3, which was reaching end-of-life in 2025. It had been cloned from ENGIE’s SAP system, which GRTgaz inherited in 2014 with all its customizations, which were becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

For these reasons, GRTgaz decided to carry out a dual project: converting to S/4HANA and migrating to the cloud with AWS.

The Group turned this technical necessity into an opportunity to rethink its processes and improve performance.

Return to the SAP standard to optimize business unit performance

GRTgaz decided to follow a greenfield approach and return to the standard for the majority of its SAP processes (accounting, management, purchasing, etc.). Only the CMMS was migrated in brownfield mode, with all its customizations.

New modules were implemented (eWM and QM) as well as new SAP Saas solutions for finance (SAC planning and AFC).

For effective change management, committees were chaired by project decision-makers. Each business unit requesting change had to demonstrate the relevance and return on investment of deviating from SAP standards.

Benefitting from GRTgaz’s expertise on AWS

GRTgaz wanted to benefit from its previous experience of the AWS cloud and from the SAP licenses that it already held.

Back in 2017, GRTgaz had launched a cloud transformation program with around 30 applications migrated to the AWS cloud. The company, therefore, had already defined a strong set of rules and principles for using the AWS cloud. It also had a team of in-house experts who carried out the migrations and provided ongoing BAU support.

By hosting S/4HANA on infrastructure that it had already mastered, GRTgaz ensured that the solution used was secure and that resources were used optimally.

GRTgaz

SECTOR

Gas transmission

DESCRIPTION

3,390 employees
€1.9 billion in revenue in 2021/2022
33,688 km of pipelines
630 Twh of gas transmitted

SAP SOLUTIONS

S/4HANA, BTP, SAPRouter, Solman, WebDispatcher, Content Server, GRC, SAP P & AFC

DATABASE

HANA (512 GB)

Outcomes

Modernization and simplification of the IS
Optimization of business unit performance
Increased cross-functionality between processes
Harnessing the full power of SAP

A host of challenges

In the course of this major project, GRTgaz faced three key challenges:
– Integration of infrastructure as code (IaC) into GRTgaz’s software factory: stored code allowed the infrastructure to be deployed very quickly in new environments or in the event of disaster recovery. oXya had to adapt to be able to deploy through GRTgaz’s tools that were already in place.
– SSL certificate security and management: using AWS Certificate Manager (ACM).
– API-sation of the GRTgaz IS landscape: GRTgaz had to find a secure mechanism for exposing the APIs to external interfaces. The solution: oXya connected the S/4HANA back-end to the Apigee solution through AWS APIGateway.

oXya and GRTgaz, a successful collaboration

GRTgaz needed a partner with experience on both S/4HANA and AWS. In response to the call for bids, oXya put forward the best proposal in both operational and financial terms. GRTgaz chose oXya for this project and also for long-term support with managed services.

During the project, oXya was responsible for building and installing SAP systems on the AWS landing zone in accordance with the architecture principles and security rules provided by GRTgaz. oXya also brought its SAP expertise to the table, providing analysis and advice on S/4 architecture.

“oXya took GRTgaz’s specificities into account when designing the solution, for example in relation to security, operations and BOMs.”

In January 2023, less than 3 years after starting the project (April 2020), GRTgaz was in production after a “big bang” go-live.

About GRTgaz, a major player in natural gas transmission
GRTgaz is a European leader in natural gas transmission and a world expert in gas systems. In France, the company operates more than 32,500 km of buried pipelines to transport gas from suppliers to consumers connected to its network: public distribution networks serving municipalities, power plants and industrial sites.