TOPPAN: Transforming system infrastructure through modernization with SAP solutions
Explore TOPPAN Holdings’s journey with SAP
TOPPAN Holdings Inc., which began as a printing company in Japan, was expanding its business portfolio and shifting its corporate structure and needed a more modern technology infrastructure. SAP S/4HANA, SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, and SAP Business Technology Platform gave TOPPAN greater flexibility and speed while enabling a sustainable corporate structure.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Media | Tokyo, Japan | 53,946 employees |
operating companies following corporate redesign (TOPPAN Inc., TOPPAN Edge Inc., and TOPPAN Digital Inc.).
business productivity through improved workflows and user interface screens developed using SAP Business Technology Platform.
Executive Officer, Digital Innovation Division, TOPPAN Holdings
Unifying management capabilities to support business growth and a new corporate structure
TOPPAN had expanded its business portfolio beyond printing and into digital information and communication, packaging materials for foods and other products, and electronics. It needed to restructure its business to better manage these new activities.
Under the new structure, TOPPAN Holdings would serve as the parent company, with TOPPAN Inc., TOPPAN Edge Inc., and TOPPAN Digital Inc. underneath it. The holding company would be responsible for corporate governance, orchestrating value from business synergies, expanding new businesses with digital offerings, championing sustainability, and realizing portfolio transformation.
The company’s legacy management application, which it developed manually, required extensive maintenance due to heavy customizations and could not keep pace with its growing needs. TOPPAN leadership decided it needed to modernize the system infrastructure to integrate management systems across the newly consolidated companies.
Executive Officer, Digital Innovation Division, TOPPAN Holdings
Modernizing system infrastructure with help from SAP solutions
To strengthen its management foundation, TOPPAN set four priorities: strengthen HR, boost R&D, become an intelligent workplace, and modernize the system infrastructure that supports the entire company. Emphasis was placed on the modernization of its system infrastructure, which the company knew was necessary to integrate management and systems and unify management information.
Three SAP solutions enabled TOPPAN to modernize its management infrastructure so it can support each business line and the company’s future growth goals. (See the figure below.)
SAP S/4HANA became the company’s ERP system for administrative tasks such as finance and accounting, while SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud served as the operating environment for SAP S/4HANA. Both leverage premium engagement services from SAP. In addition, TOPPAN deployed SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), which helps companies connect processes, data, and experiences for specialized application development and process automation.
Executive Officer, Digital Innovation Division, TOPPAN Holdings
Empowering dynamic management decisions through centralized business insights
SAP S/4HANA helped TOPPAN gather management information into a centralized place, which allows it to make faster and better management decisions across each company in its holdings.
Implementing SAP solutions has also freed up TOPPAN engineers to focus on other important tasks, creating more flexibility and speed. SAP BTP provided TOPPAN engineers with leading application development capabilities, including Node.js and Java. In addition, the company has developed workflows and interface screens that have doubled business productivity.
Executive Officer, Digital Innovation Division, TOPPAN Holdings
Becoming a leader in digital transformation and sustainability
TOPPAN’s main vision for the future is to become a leading company that solves social issues worldwide through digital and sustainability transformation. The critical element is creating a corporate structure that can adapt to the ever-changing times through digital and sustainability transformation.
The company will partner with SAP for technology solutions to power this ongoing transformation, including business processes that help proactively reduce emissions, waste, and environmental impact. TOPPAN believes that sustainability is essential for future business. That’s why TOPPAN also plans to develop sustainable materials for packaging materials used in food, medical, and other applications.
In the near term, the company is pursuing further digital transformation by strengthening its digital business Erhoeht-X, with a goal of achieving a 30% company-wide operating profit in fiscal year 2025. TOPPAN plans to continue to transform from its traditional system into a cutting-edge organization in the new digital era.