Idemitsu Kosan has chosen Rimini Street as its long-term ERP support partner to extend the life of its SAP ECC 6.0 system, enhance IT capabilities and accelerate Digital Transformation without migrating to S/4HANA.
Japanese petroleum manufacturer and retailer Idemitsu Kosan has selected Rimini Street as its long-term strategic ERP support and services partner providing expertise and extended capabilities for its core SAP ECC 6.0 system.
The initial engagement with Rimini Street began in 2013 when Idemitsu selected Rimini Support for its Oracle EBS system during the phase in which it was transitioning to SAP ECC 6.0.
With vendor support scheduled to end in 2030 for SAP ECC 6.0, Idemitsu executives engaged an independent research firm to review the costs and business impact of a potential move to S/4HANA. Having determined that SAP ECC 6.0 is a stable and robust ERP system that serves as a mission-critical platform, Idemitsu decided to forgo migration and instead maximise the potential and extend the life of its SAP ECC 6.0 investment with third-party support from Rimini Street.
“The flexible nature of SAP ECC 6.0 is why we made the switch to SAP in the first place. To accelerate innovation within the organisation and improve the speed and quality of our processes, our strategy is to add capabilities to the core of the system, not replace it,” said Takayoshi Sawai, Deputy General Manager of the Digital and ICT Promotion Department, Idemitsu.
“Rimini Street allows us to prioritise business needs over vendor demands, ensuring our technology roadmap is free of obstacles. Rimini Street’s expertise makes vendor-imposed end-of-support deadlines no longer a concern, giving us full control over how we design our systems to fit our vision.”
Idemitsu reimagines SAP ECC 6.0 to advance Digital Transformation
With five main areas of business – petroleum, basic chemicals, functional materials, power/renewable energy and resources – Idemitsu is reorganising into three business segments to simplify operations and achieve “business portfolio transformation.”
“A key component of our IT strategy is to transform from a siloed structure based on manufacturing standards to a flexible one that covers retail and service industries. As part of our medium-term application strategy, we aim to be in an advantageous position by adding required functions without the time and cost of version upgrades,” Sawai said.
One project reflecting this vision is the restructuring of Idemitsu’s accounting and reporting structure. Sawai said: “If you try to retrofit business needs into the capabilities of software, you end up with a restrictive design. With this philosophy, we redesigned our distributor invoicing process, which had previously combined SCM and accounting into a single instance, creating reporting delays. By reimagining and adding functions to our existing SAP ECC 6.0 system supported by Rimini Street, we improved data quality control and increased automation. This partnership helps accelerate our Digital Transformation initiatives without disruption.”
Rimini Street strengthens Idemitsu’s SAP capabilities
Idemitsu plans to extend the life of its highly customised SAP ECC 6.0 environment, ensuring it remains well-maintained and compliant through Rimini Street’s expertise and internal resources.
“Rimini Street’s technical expertise in SAP has been a great resource for expanding my team’s ability to address system needs,” said Sawai. “Our plans include many more years of partnership with Rimini Street to ensure our mission-critical system remains available and to maximise our SAP investment as we plan for future business needs.”
“Rimini Street Japan is deeply committed to the success of our regional clients, now surpassing 400,” said Nobutake Godo, Regional CTO, Rimini Street Japan. “We believe in restoring choice and providing independent guidance to business leaders worldwide. As the preferred third-party SAP support partner to esteemed clients such as Idemitsu, we are proud to deliver tangible financial and productivity results that accelerate innovation and competitive advantage.”
