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Quality that comes from more than just the oven:
How Griesson-de Beukelaer Realigned Its Recipe Development and Quality Management.
Griesson – de Beukelaer (GdB) looks back on over 150 years of company history and stands for the highest quality, strong brands, and continuous innovation. For many years, this strength was supported by a well-established, functional IT infrastructure that met the demands of its time.
After about 20 years of operation, however, it became clear that—in light of the S/4HANA conversion, increasing regulatory requirements, international declarations, and the desire for more integrated end-to-end processes—the existing landscape needed to be strategically evolved. The legacy system was no longer under maintenance, and several non-SAP solutions were connected via interfaces, including those for specifications, recipe development, and laboratory processes.
The objective, therefore, was not simply to replace a system, but to implement a future-proof realignment: to rethink processes, align them more closely with the SAP standard, and at the same time fully capture the high level of business complexity inherent in an FMCG company like GdB.
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Background
A Conscious Decision to Choose Greenfield
The existing system architecture was functionally established and had successfully supported the company for years. The chosen greenfield approach offered the opportunity to simplify structures that had evolved over time and to consistently redesign processes without losing proven business expertise.
With the introduction of SAP Recipe Development and the expansion of SAP Quality Management, the goal was to harmonize structures that had evolved over time and to create a consistent, standards-based solution within SAP.
The focus was always on the business reality of an FMCG company: processes were not to be simplified, but rather mapped precisely and completely within the SAP standard.
Challenges
High-quality baked goods and multi-step recipe structures
Producing high-quality baked goods requires the system to accurately reflect complex production realities. Thermal processes, drying losses, rework flows, and multi-stage recipe structures with QUID and mixing bowl logic placed high demands on data consistency and calculation mechanisms. At the same time, international labeling requirements in 22 languages had to be integrated in compliance with regulations.
At the same time, the challenge was to bring three plants online simultaneously and ensure their integration into existing production processes.
Avoiding Silos
Working together with GQS, we developed a comprehensive solution. The result is not a standalone solution, but an end-to-end digital process chain that is fully integrated into SAP S/4HANA:
SAP Recipe Development
Specification Management, Recipe Development, Nutrition Labeling Management, and Integration of GQS NutriScore
Seamless QM Integration
Fully integrated QM-RD interface with flexible inspection scheduling (frequency control)
Automated Bills of Materials
Integration into existing production processes (including BOM generation, MII integration)
QM Cockpit
QM Cockpit as a central workspace for recording results and handling samples
Declarations in 22 languages
Automated and compliant with country-specific regulations.
Integration of External Laboratories
Sample management, including lab labels and integration with external labs (EDI)
High Standards for Governance and Data Quality
In addition, the system transformation placed high demands on governance, data quality, and organizational coordination. Particularly within the context of the greenfield approach, existing structures had to be critically examined, harmonized, and consistently aligned with SAP standards in order to sustainably reduce the complexity of the system landscape that had evolved over time.
Another key focus was on establishing sustainable reporting and control mechanisms, as the standard functionalities did not fully meet the business requirements. In addition, as the first implementation using Fiori applications, the project required close collaboration with the business units to successfully establish new user interfaces, role models, and process logic.
Legacy system "out of maintenance"
Additional time pressure arose from the planned decommissioning of the legacy system, which set a clearly defined deadline. This made precise project planning, rigorous test management, and close collaboration among all departments involved absolutely essential.
“For us, the project was above all a strategic shift in direction: a greenfield approach instead of ‘business as usual.’ We redesigned our processes, consciously aligned ourselves with the SAP standard, and thereby significantly simplified a system landscape that had become fragmented over time. Today, we work with an integrated solution based on our GdB-SAP landscape—one that is more modern, easier to maintain, and features significantly reduced interface complexity.”
Alexander Stappert
IT Leiter, Griesson De Beukelaer
Partnership with Industry Expertise
Quality: A Digital and Consistent Approach
Griesson – de Beukelaer chose GQS to carry out the project. In addition to its SAP expertise, GQS’s in-depth understanding of the food industry was a key factor in the decision.
GQS contributed not only technical expertise in SAP QM and SAP Recipe Development, but also in-depth knowledge of food law requirements, labeling logic, specification management, and regulatory specifics. GQS solutions such as GQS Nutri Score, QM Cockpit, and the Order App also proved their worth in real-world practice. As early as the preliminary phase, 14 specific use cases from GdB’s day-to-day operations were analyzed and mapped out in a practical manner.
The result is impressive
The project benefited from an in-depth analysis phase and culminated in the simultaneous go-live of three plants. Business units, IT, and the project team worked closely together, united by the common goal of not only implementing processes from a technical standpoint but also improving them structurally.
Today, more than 270 users work with an integrated SAP solution. Recipes, specifications, and quality data are seamlessly integrated. Several standalone systems were replaced, the number of interfaces was significantly reduced, and a consistent database was created across all plants.
Digital transformation was thus viewed not merely as an IT project, but as a strategic step forward. A proven system environment was transformed into a high-performance, integrated SAP architecture—one that is cohesive, future-proof, and focused on sustainable quality.
Comments from the Griesson & GQS Project Team
Carsten Bröder
Alex Mann
Monika Weisgerber
Matthias Strobl
Carsten Bröder
Despite the extreme time pressure, we were able to get the project across the finish line very successfully. The project was also a challenge for our GQS@tax product because we had to process a very large number of combinations of taxes and countries. We were able to show that we can also map special requirements such as a “cigarette paper tax” quickly and efficiently.
Sebastian Lindig
Developer GQS@tax
Alex Mann
Despite the extreme time pressure, we were able to get the project across the finish line very successfully. The project was also a challenge for our GQS@tax product because we had to process a very large number of combinations of taxes and countries. We were able to show that we can also map special requirements such as a “cigarette paper tax” quickly and efficiently.
Michaela Rickers
Senior Consultant GQS@tax
Monika Weisgerber
Despite the extreme time pressure, we were able to get the project across the finish line very successfully. The project was also a challenge for our GQS@tax product because we had to process a very large number of combinations of taxes and countries. We were able to show that we can also map special requirements such as a “cigarette paper tax” quickly and efficiently.
Sebastian Lindig
Developer GQS@tax
Matthias Strobl
Despite the extreme time pressure, we were able to get the project across the finish line very successfully. The project was also a challenge for our GQS@tax product because we had to process a very large number of combinations of taxes and countries. We were able to show that we can also map special requirements such as a “cigarette paper tax” quickly and efficiently.
Sebastian Lindig
Developer GQS@tax
Griesson – de Beukelaer (GdB) is a leading German manufacturer of sweet and savory baked goods based in Polch, Rhineland-Palatinate. This long-established company has a history spanning more than 150 years and is known for its commitment to the highest quality, innovation, and sustainable production.
The product line includes well-known brands such as Prinzen Rolle, Griesson Soft Cake, LEICHT & CROSS, and DeBeukelaer waffles, which are popular both nationally and internationally.
With several production sites in Germany, GdB supplies customers worldwide, focusing on responsible raw material sourcing and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
As a family-owned business, Griesson – de Beukelaer combines tradition with modernity and remains a reliable partner for moments of enjoyment.
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