Success Story: KURZ Automates SAP System Updates with EPOS ~ Empirius

EPOS in action: How KURZ accelerates complex system updates

The “update triple” – SAP HANA, SAP Kernel, and Linux OS – at global thin-film technology leader KURZ was implemented using EPOS.

Results: increased automation in SAP Basis, a standardized approach with continuous quality improvements, and a foundation for possible future downtime optimizations.

Focus/Challenges

Updating of:
- SAP system landscape
- SAP HANA
- OS Linux updates
as part of a single maintenance/update workflow

Solution

EPOS Apps in use:
BlueCopy
Reporting
SAP Kernel Update (Automation/Maintenance)
SAP HANA Update
OS Update
Start/Stop SAP Systems

Benefits

Consistent, high-quality process for regular SAP system updates
Minimization of SAP Basis workload during maintenance
Increased automation
Time savings
Potential for reducing system downtimes

Kurz maintains production facilities worldwide (Source: KURZ)

LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG

KURZ (https://www.kurz-world.com/en/) is a global leader in thin-film technology with more than 5,800 employees, strong innovation capabilities, and numerous international locations. The world’s leading brands in automotive, consumer electronics, health and beauty, and brand protection rely on KURZ' technologies.

40 SAP systems running 24/7, over 3,000 SAP users, redundant data centers

At KURZ, more than 3,000 SAP users work around the clock across over 30 global locations using various SAP applications – totaling 40 systems. All are operated on-premise in highly available and redundant data centers. The company uses the SAP HANA database and Suse Linux (SLES for SAP Applications) across its landscape. The transition from SAP Business Suite to SAP S/4HANA is currently in progress.

Ensuring SAP availability; current, secure, and stable SAP systems

What matters most to KURZ: Ensuring SAP system availability according to defined requirements – and operating with the most current, secure, and stable SAP systems possible.

“For us, regularly updating our SAP system landscape is essential. Our goal is to significantly reduce workload in SAP Basis and operations through targeted automation. What’s important to us is a standardized approach with ongoing quality improvements in our processes – and ideally the ability to optimize downtime windows,” says Thomas Bauer from the IT ERP Systems and Servers department at KURZ.

Stability

Ensuring SAP system availability as defined by business requirements is mission-critical.

Reducing Downtime

Goal: Standardized, automated processes to cut manual effort and minimize downtime.

Focus: Automation of key SAP system components

Last year, KURZ launched a comprehensive SAP Basis automation project under the title “Updating the SAP System Landscape.” The focus: automated updates of core system components, including the SAP HANA database, the SAP Kernel, and the Linux operating system. The goal: make routine processes more efficient, reduce sources of error, and sustainably optimize system maintenance.

KURZ offers innovative products and solutions for a variety of industries. (Source: www.kurz.de)

Well-prepared – with a solid plan

The plan: first update the HANA DB, then the SAP Kernel, and finally the Linux operating system (server OS) – the “update triple.”

The project team differentiated between development/test, consolidation, and production systems. Updates to dev/test and consolidation systems were executed automatically at predefined times (e.g., 2 a.m.). Updates to production systems took place during agreed maintenance windows, mostly on weekends. (Security patches and BIOS/firmware updates were not part of this automation project.)

Empirius EPOS was the obvious choice – BlueCopy has been in use for years

“We’ve appreciated the product quality and excellent support from Empirius for years. We started with BlueCopy for automating our SAP System copies. Since the EPOS Suite also includes apps for SAP HANA and OS updates, it was only logical to use it to carry out our automated SAP system landscape updates.”

BlueCopy

Create fully automated copies of your SAP system in hours instead of days, including pre- and post-processing.

Find out more now!

Starting Point: Defining Automation Tasks

The project team began implementation using the EPOS apps "SAP HANA Update", "SAP Kernel Update", and "System Maintenance" including OS upgrade by defining three automation tasks.

These were scheduled sequentially and – depending on available downtime – systems were updated in parallel.
Cluster updates were performed on test systems, i.e., multiple SAP systems were updated simultaneously per task. Additionally, EPOS was customized using user exits tailored to KURZ's landscape.

Conclusion: EPOS provides the right combination for "triple-update" automation

“Automated updates outside of business hours, reduced downtime, and consistent quality based on a repeatable, transparent process – all of this is only possible through automation.”

Going forward, KURZ plans to carry out system updates monthly using EPOS.

Automated SAP Updates and System Maintenance – Centrally Managed

EPOS is more than a single solution – it's a modular platform designed to automate essential SAP Basis processes, from routine updates and parameter management to security tasks.

For companies like KURZ, this means predictable system updates, reduced downtimes, and measurable improvements in process quality.

The suite brings together more than 15 specialized apps that make SAP system landscapes more efficient, secure, and transparent. Some EPOS apps in short:

SAP Kernel Update

Automates SAP Kernel updates, including coordinated system stops and restarts – secure and standardized.

HANA DB Update

Automates HANA database updates and reliably manages all critical stop/start operations.

SAP Profile Parameter Setting

Enables centralized, automated management of SAP profile parameters – audit-ready and fully documented.

Security Notes Management

Simplifies SAP Security Notes handling – from identification and implementation to follow-up tracking.

SAP Compliance Check

Continuously monitors critical configuration settings and checks for compliance. Automatically flags deviations.

Reporting App

Provides real-time status dashboards for SAP systems, deployed databases (e.g., HANA or AnyDB), and operating systems – ideal for full operational transparency.

EPOS is our central management and automation platform for SAP Basis and infrastructure. Benefit from automated workflows and gain more time, flexibility, and peace of mind to focus on what truly matters.

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