Kaneka builds a future-proof analytics foundation with S/4HANA and SAP Datasphere
Planning a move to SAP S/4HANA? Kaneka used their greenfield migration to streamline processes and revamp reporting. Together with Flexso, they activated Embedded Analytics for real-time insights and implemented SAP Datasphere for enterprise-wide strategic reporting
Founded in Japan in 1947, chemical group Kaneka crossed the ocean in 1974 to anchor its European operations in Westerlo, Belgium. Since then, Kaneka Belgium has become the group’s main production and R&D hub on the continent. The rapid European growth of the past decade created a strong opportunity to modernize reporting and connect data across the organization.
Before SAP Datasphere: a data patchwork
“Getting a clear picture was an interesting challenge,” says Marinke Van Laer, Competence Lead at Flexso Analytics.“ Data from SAP ECC tables, SQL databases, Excel workbooks and SharePoint lists flowed into a Microsoft SQL data warehouse, where it was organized into business cubes. An in-house BI solution turned that into insights, but the charts of accounts didn’t align, currency conversions were tricky, and every entity kept its own master data.” That’s why Kaneka wanted to create a solid, future-proof foundation for reporting with SAP S/4HANA.
Why a greenfield S/4HANA migration makes sense
Kaneka Belgium had outgrown its IT backbone. They needed smarter, streamlined workflows to support growth, intuitive tools to engage employees, and a platform ready for IoT, big data and AI.
Kaneka’s resolutely chose a greenfield SAP ECC to S/4HANA move. Building a system from scratch meant embedding best-practice business processes from day one – no legacy, just a clean, scalable core. It was a bold step, but they knew it would lay rock-solid foundations for the next wave of growth and innovation.
A two-layer data foundation with embedded analytics & SAP Datasphere
Kaneka knew that SAP S/4HANA would bring embedded analytics but recognized that this alone wouldn’t untangle all their reporting knots. So, Flexso Analytics launched a dedicated reporting track. They mapped every process and data flow, benchmarked technology options and then agreed to build a two-layered analytics architecture:
Embedded Analytics in S/4HANA for live, process-level reporting (finance, sales, purchasing, stock, production).
SAP Datasphere as a harmonized, governed hub for SAP and non-SAP data.
On top of that hub, SAP Analytics Cloud and Power BI would deliver interactive dashboards and stories.
From POC to production in SAP S/4HANA
With the architecture set, they ran a proof-of-concept on sales and finance data. “First, we activated standard and custom SAP CDS views inside S/4HANA”, Marinke explains. “Role-based Fiori KPI tiles now show real-time figures to sales managers and finance teams inside their daily workflows. The data flows into SAP Datasphere, creating one governed source of truth, while SAP Analytics Cloud and Power BI turn the data into intuitive dashboards.”
Using standard, pre-configured reports and analytics helped accelerate deployment and win over users quickly. “Of course, there were bumps,” Marinke admits. “Balancing SAP’s out-of-the-box content with Kaneka’s custom needs was challenging, and every tweak to a CDS view or authorization had to be tested with live data. In addition, change management is never easy, but early user involvement, hands-on training, and strong executive support made the difference.”
“Datasphere is a workhorse. It lets Kaneka scale and add new entities tomorrow without rebuilding yesterday’s reports."
Happy users, IT, and management
Today, Kaneka’s new analytics backbone makes everyone’s work smoother and smarter.
Business users love the real-time, self-service dashboards and Fiori tiles for instant insights, from margin analysis for controllers to live order tracking for sales.
IT has moved from troubleshooting old systems to innovation and works closer with the business.
Standard content and the unified Datasphere architecture ensures speed and scalability: Kaneka can scale and adapt models quickly, and connect any new European entity to the reporting backbone with ease.
Ready for the future with SAP Datasphere & embedded analytics
Kaneka is now extending the model to procurement and maintenance analytics, broadening self-service with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) and Power BI, and rolling out Datasphere to more European sites. More than a technical upgrade, they now have a solid reporting backbone that empowers faster, insight-driven decisions while supporting continued European growth.
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