What began in 1938 with an electrically powered chicken feed chain is now a global leader in fully integrated farms. Big Dutchman relies on innovation, internationalization and cloud solutions from SAP.
Originally owned by Jack and Dick DeWitt under the name “Automatic Poultry Feeder Co.” Founded in Michigan (USA), the company quickly found its way into the international market. The company owed its name to its first product, an automated feeding system for chickens.
Sustainability is in Big Dutchman’s DNA
Today Big Dutchman is a family business from the Oldenburger Münsterland. As the world market leader, the hidden champion is represented in more than 170 countries and achieves annual sales of around 1.5 billion euros. With more than 300 engineers and 100 software developers, the global team works on solutions for modern animal husbandry, greenhouse construction and insect breeding.
Big Dutchman develops tailor-made high-tech solutions for the agricultural sector. Farmers on all five continents rely on Big Dutchman’s know-how in protein production and plant breeding. The company attaches great importance to sustainability and animal welfare. Big Dutchman today generates around three quarters of its sales with stable systems for laying hens and fattening poultry.
Switching to the cloud simplifies storage and transport processes
When automating its largest logistics hub at its headquarters in Vechta, Lower Saxony, the company was faced with a crucial question: Should it continue its own, highly individualized ERP system or switch to the standardized solution from SAP? The decision fell on SAP. Big Dutchman chose this SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) as well as that SAP Transport Management (TM) and decided to completely switch to the cloud and thus implement SAP Cloud ERP Private as part of SAP RISE. Since November 2023, SAP’s solutions for Big Dutchman have significantly simplified the storage and transport processes from ordering to delivery of the goods. “The implementation was technically flawless. The system behaved no differently than expected and ran smoothly from the start,” says Jörg Kleine-Klatte, Head of Digital Business at Big Dutchman. In the second phase of the transformation, the company plans to first completely replace the old ERP system at its headquarters in Germany and then convert the systems in other regions.
Thorough preparation and change management were success factors
The challenges were largely in the area of change management and organizational adjustments. A key function for the success of the transformation was the preparation of employees for the change. “It is very important to collect all colleagues involved in a timely manner and to explain to them the advantages of the new system. Given the performance gain, the teams quickly learned to appreciate the new solution,” adds Kleine-Klatte. Another central aspect was and is the thorough testing of the systems before implementation: “In this way, we can thoroughly prepare the individual areas for the SAP world and clarify any open questions before we go live.”
Continuous optimization for sustainable agriculture
By introducing SAP solutions, Big Dutchman not only creates a solid foundation for today’s business needs, but also strategically positions itself for future challenges. The company plans to optimize further internal processes and strengthen its pioneering role in the area of sustainable agriculture. Big Dutchman is continuing to work on its mission of thinking and acting for future generations. SAP solutions support Big Dutchman in this vision and mission.
