POLYTECH Health & Aesthetics GmbH had a problem that many medium-sized companies have. Germany's only manufacturer of silicone implants for aesthetic surgery was growing rapidly - by an average of 15 percent per year. The previous IT infrastructure was unable to cope with this expansion. KEK has been supporting the Dieburg-based company since 2021. "The aim is to introduce a modern and integrated ERP solution. The challenge with POLYTECH is that it is a medical technology company and therefore a validation-compliant environment," says Anne Hildinger, Managing Director of KEK. Another challenge was the schedule. "The construction of a third production facility put pressure on the timeline." Thanks to the expert preparation of the specifications and a great deal of experience in this special environment, POLYTECH quickly opted for KEK and at the same time for the introduction of SAP S/4HANA.
"The hybrid implementation model with the differentiation of processes according to their GxP relevance takes into account the validation-relevant environment." Anne Hildinger, Managing Director KEK
UKRAINE WAR REQUIRED STOP The objectives have already been defined in the URS (User Require- ment Specification). Solutions developed in-house were to be replaced. In addition, a knowledge management system had to be established and the processes had to be optimally supported in order to achieve greater satisfaction and security for customers, employees and partners. In short, the aim was to create more transparency in the long term. "In June 2021, we started drawing up the specifications, which were approved six months later." All previous shortcomings such as a lack of information flow, unnecessary duplication and additional work as well as a lack of integration were to be rectified. After calculating the license and implementation costs, an offer was submitted and contract negotiations began. But the project came to an abrupt halt: In February 2022, the Ukraine war broke out, which was to have a lasting impact on materials and personnel. "A completion date for the new production facility was therefore not foreseeable at the time. As the ERP solution was supposed to support the processes under the new circumstances, the implementation was put on hold."
"The challenge at POLYTECH is that it is a medical technology company and therefore an ERP implementation in a validation-compliant environment."
Anne Hildinger, Managing Director KEK
DECISION FOR PRIVATE CLOUD A year later, the decision was made to implement the project independently of the new location. Despite a counter-offer from a market competitor, POLYTECH continued to rely on KEK, which gave some thought to the operating model: on-premise vs. private cloud. The overall concept of the private cloud, including SAP's GxP services, was convincing and so, after signing the contract in June 2023, the kick-off took place at short notice in July 2023. The special nature of the validation-compliant environment was taken into account with a hybrid implementation model. "For GxP-relevant processes, the project first goes through the FS (Functional Specification) phase. Processes that are not GxP-relevant are implemented using an agile project approach based on SAP Activate. The go-live is now planned for 01.01.2025."
POLYTECH Health & Aesthetics GmbH, headquartered in Dieburg near Frankfurt, was founded in 1986 and is one of the leading manufacturers of silicone implants for breasts, buttocks, testicles and calves. Other products include silicone gels and films for scar treatment as well as custom-made products. POLYTECH is active in over 80 countries worldwide and continues to grow strongly - by an average of 15 percent per year.
