Scale Your Industrial Group with Confidence
Faster M&A onboarding. Standardised finance and operations. Local autonomy maintained. Group-wide visibility and control.
Built for multi-subsidiary industrial groups
See how industrial groups achieve faster M&A integration with standardised SAP Business One on AWS
Hill & Smith Group Success Story
Standardised SAP Business One across Barkers (high-security fencing) and Lionweld (steel access solutions)
Single system of record across all subsidiaries
Improved planning accuracy and supplier alignment
Better on-time delivery with constraint visibility
Shorter month-end close via automation
Higher productivity-no duplicate data entry
Repeatable template for future rollouts
"The result is a single, trusted system of record that improves planning accuracy, on-time delivery, and decision-making. With a stable core in place, Hill & Smith can extend common analytics and continue the template rollout to other group businesses at lower cost and risk."
- Hill & Smith Group Case Study
Why Multi-Subsidiary Groups Choose This Approach
Standardisation without losing operational flexibility
One Template Per OpCo
Standardised core, local flexibility
Deploy the same proven SAP Business One template to each subsidiary-standardised finance, purchasing, and production-while respecting unique local processes and requirements.
Faster M&A Integration
Onboard acquisitions in weeks
New acquisitions adopt your group template immediately. Proven playbook means faster integration, lower risk, and immediate visibility into the new business.
Consolidated Group Reporting
Real-time group visibility
Automated intercompany elimination, standardised KPIs, and drill-down capability from group to subsidiary level. See the complete picture instantly.
Reduced IT Overhead
Single cloud platform
One AWS cloud platform for all subsidiaries means lower licensing costs, simplified support, standardised upgrades, and reduced infrastructure overhead.
Manufacturing-Ready
BOMs, MRP, production planning
Multi-level bills of materials, capacity-aware MRP, shop floor control, and project-driven fulfilment for complex industrial manufacturing workflows.
Enterprise Security on AWS
99.995% uptime guarantee
Data sovereignty with UK/EU hosting, enterprise-grade encryption, automated backups, and disaster recovery. Each subsidiary's data ringfenced with group-level access.
Why SAP Business One for Your Group?
Designed specifically for growing businesses and industrial groups
Simplicity
Less learning, more doing
Easy-to-use interface means your teams across all subsidiaries spend less time learning and more time doing.
Fast to Deploy
Minimal disruption
Pilot OpCo operational within 12-16 weeks. Subsequent rollouts even faster with proven template.
Affordable at Scale
Group licensing advantages
Enterprise-grade ERP without enterprise price tag. Group licensing reduces per-seat costs.
AI Ready
Future-proof technology
Harness AI-powered insights across your group to make data-driven decisions that propel growth.
SAP Strategic Platform
Long-term commitment
Trusted by 1,000+ global partners. SAP's strategic platform for SMEs and growing groups.
Global Group Solution
28 languages, 170 countries
Perfect for groups with international subsidiaries. Multi-language, multi-currency as standard.
Built for Your Industry
Proven across industrial manufacturing groups
Galvanising Networks
- Multi-site stock visibility
- Standardised job costing
- Capacity planning across plants
- Quality traceability
Road Safety Systems
- Project-driven fulfilment
- Multi-level BOMs
- Critical infrastructure compliance
- End-to-end quote-to-cash
Lighting Structures
- Make-to-order/stock workflows
- Accurate production costing
- Inventory optimisation
- Dependable lead times
Building Products
- Standardised chart of accounts
- Procurement consolidation
- Stock across multiple sites
- Group purchasing power
Group-Wide Insights in Real-Time
Consolidated dashboards across all subsidiaries with drill-down capability. SAP HANA in-memory computing delivers instant group reporting and business intelligence.
Group consolidation with intercompany elimination
Drill-down from group to subsidiary level
Real-time dashboards for each OpCo
SAP Crystal Reports with Excel integration
Standardised KPIs across all businesses
Standardised Finance Across All Subsidiaries
Common chart of accounts, automated intercompany postings, and group consolidation. Each subsidiary maintains local compliance while feeding into group reporting.
Standardised chart of accounts across group
Automated intercompany transactions
Multi-currency with consolidation rates
Making Tax Digital (MTD) compliant
Faster month-end close with automation
Production Planning Across Your Group
Multi-level BOMs, production planning, and MRP for capacity-aware planning. Perfect for make-to-order and make-to-stock industrial manufacturing.
Multi-level bills of materials and routings
Capacity-aware MRP and material planning
Production dashboards per subsidiary
Integration with Beas Manufacturing
Make-to-order and make-to-stock workflows
Enhance Your Group Template
Purpose-built extensions for industrial manufacturing groups
Beas Manufacturing
Advanced shop floor control
Production planning, quality management, and real-time dashboards for process and discrete manufacturing. 900+ customers.
B1 InterCompany
Automated subsidiary transactions
Seamless inter-company transactions across multiple SAP databases with automated posting and reconciliation.
Produmex WMS
Multi-site warehouse management
Optimise warehouse space, 99%+ picking accuracy, GS1 compliance for supply chain excellence across group locations.
FocusPoint eCommerce
Group-wide online sales
AI-powered B2B/B2C eCommerce with real-time inventory across all subsidiaries. SAP-certified platform.
B1 Usability Package
No-code customisation toolkit
Tailor each subsidiary's SAP instance without coding. Dashboards, workflows, and automation.
BPA Platform
Group-wide process automation
Integrate legacy systems, automate workflows, and connect cloud/on-premise applications with 100+ connectors.
Common Questions from Group IT & Finance Directors
Is SAP Business One suitable for complex manufacturing groups?
Absolutely. SAP B1 handles multi-level BOMs, production planning, MRP, and make-to-order/stock workflows used by industrial groups. The Hill & Smith Group case study demonstrates successful deployment across high-security fencing and steel access solutions manufacturers.
How do you handle intercompany transactions and consolidation?
We implement B1 InterCompany for automated posting between subsidiaries, plus standardised chart of accounts and reporting templates for group consolidation. Real-time visibility with local autonomy maintained.
What about data security and AWS cloud hosting?
Your data stays in your chosen AWS region (UK/EU) with enterprise-grade encryption, 99.995% uptime, and complete data sovereignty. GDPR and ISO 27001 compliant. Each subsidiary can access only their data with group-level reporting for head office.
How quickly can we see value from the pilot?
Most groups see measurable benefits from the pilot go-live within the first quarter: improved planning accuracy, faster month-end close, and better on-time delivery. The template then accelerates subsequent rollouts by 40-50%.
What if we acquire new businesses?
The group template means new acquisitions can be onboarded in weeks rather than months. Hill & Smith now has a repeatable playbook for faster, lower-risk integration of future businesses.
Transform Your Group's ERP Strategy
Stop struggling with disconnected systems across your subsidiaries. Get the Hill & Smith Group playbook for standardised, scalable ERP that accelerates M&A integration.
Book your 20-minute discovery call today and discover:
No obligations • Free 20-minute consultation • Speak with a group ERP specialist