World leader in cleaning technology moves its SAP workloads to AWS to develop smart cleaning devices, autonomous cleaning robots, and cleaning as a service solutions
At AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company announced that Kärcher, the world leader in cleaning technology, will migrate its entire SAP environment to AWS, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, human capital management (HCM), and supply chain management (SCM). The migration is the final step in moving Kärcher’s IT infrastructure to the cloud. The company will apply AWS’s portfolio of cloud technologies, including Internet of Things (IoT), analytics, and machine learning (ML) to develop new business models, deliver innovations in software services, like real-time billing and operations of smart cleaning devices, and drive efficiencies across its manufacturing and operations in 80 countries around the world.
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“I’m proud of our team’s hard work and dedication, and our commitment to continuing to innovate for our customers.”
Working with Zoi cloud consultancy, an AWS Premier Consulting Partner, Kärcher has migrated 70% of its business to AWS in just seven months. Kärcher and Zoi worked with AWS Managed Services (AMS), which offers guidance and operational best practices with specialized automations, skills, and experience, to migrate nearly 100 applications, 140 servers, 70 on-premises databases, and 170 terabytes of data, saving 20% in operating costs. Once complete, SAP applications will be seamlessly connected to Kärcher commercial cleaning devices, such as pressure washers, vacuum sweepers, and scrubber driers, creating a modern, cloud-based system that connects data across its entire business to drive new operational efficiencies.
The full SAP migration will also help Kärcher advance its cleaning as a service strategy. This new business model for the cleaning industry incorporates equipment rental with round-the-clock remote customer support enabled through AWS, and technical support on-site when required. The strategy removes the requirement for customers to buy and maintain their own cleaning equipment, enabling them to deploy state-of-the-art equipment as and when needed, avoiding capital expenditure and asset depreciation. The cleaning as a service strategy connects devices like the Kira B50, a high-performance scrubber drier cleaning robot, with centralized time-recording, billing, and accounts. This connection powers accurate, real-time billing, status, and other device information, making it easy for a customer to monitor their cleaning operations, whether using autonomous robots like the Kira B50 or devices operated by cleaning staff. Kärcher is developing ML models that enable smart cleaning devices, such as the Kira B50, to map the physical area and layouts of the floors, windows, and other areas that the devices autonomously clean without human operators. Kärcher uses Amazon SageMaker, a fully managed service to build, train, and deploy ML models, to generate real-time forecasts of cleaning projects, including the time and cost involved, and to predict maintenance downtime for its fleet of industrial equipment.
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Leveraging the breadth and depth of AWS technologies, Kärcher is pushing the boundaries of innovation in cleaning. Its Smart Control pressure washers, controlled through apps running on AWS, won a 2022 German Design Award, and the cleaning technology company has launched voice-controlled cleaning equipment using Amazon Alexa. Kärcher’s Kira B50 autonomous cleaning robot uses AWS IoT Core, a managed service that lets connected devices easily and securely connect and interact with cloud applications and other devices. By connecting sensors on the cleaning robot to the cloud, floor cleaning can be automated in commercial buildings, without the need for on-site cleaning staff. Using AWS, Kärcher can enable cleaning crews to access a browser-based dashboard to monitor operations, maintain equipment, and perform regular software updates through a mobile connection.
“Migrating our entire SAP infrastructure to AWS is the final piece in the puzzle that will make Kärcher a fully cloud-native business and open the door to exciting new business models for our industry,” said Leonhard Kerscher, vice president IT and Digital Transformation at Kärcher. “I’m proud of our team’s hard work and dedication, and our commitment to continuing to innovate for our customers.”
“AWS and Kärcher are working together to digitally transform the business, and the series of successful innovations that we have launched is only the beginning,” said Tanuja Randery, managing director of AWS Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “The full migration of Kärcher’s SAP environments to AWS will enable the company to use new capabilities like generative artificial intelligence that will open the door to increasingly customer-centric business models in cleaning.”
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