Whitehaven Coal - SAP Innovation Awards 2025
Whitehaven successfully implemented RISE with SAP to manage the transition after acquiring two BHP mines. The ambitious project, completed in six months, ensured safe and stable operations by Legal Day 1. Key achievements included the seamless transition of 150 mining applications, onboarding of over 400 suppliers, and timely payroll for thousands of new employees. The project set an industry benchmark for ERP implementations, maintaining high data integrity with zero errors post go-live, and establishing a new remote operations center in Brisbane. Entry ID5327 Dokument herunterladen
Whitehaven successfully implemented RISE with SAP to manage the transition after acquiring two BHP mines. The ambitious project, completed in six months, ensured safe and stable operations by Legal Day 1. Key achievements included the seamless transition of 150 mining applications, onboarding of over 400 suppliers, and timely payroll for thousands of new employees. The project set an industry benchmark for ERP implementations, maintaining high data integrity with zero errors post go-live, and establishing a new remote operations center in Brisbane. Entry ID5327 PUBLIC
Entry Pitch Deck
Whitehaven Coal
In Partnership with DXC Technology
Energy, Utilities, Oil & Gas
Seamless SAP Deployment and successful
business integration in just six months
Entry Pitch Deck
Whitehaven Coal
In Partnership with DXC Technology
Energy, Utilities, Oil & Gas
Seamless SAP Deployment and successful
business integration in just six months
COMPANY NAME:
HEADQUARTERS:
INDUSTRY:
WEBSITE:
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
Company information
2
Whitehaven Coal
Sydney, Australia
Energy, Utilities, Oil & Gas
whitehavencoal.com.au
5,000
Whitehaven Coal operates six cost-efficient mines producing high quality
coal to meet the energy needs of our customers. We have a reputation for
excellence in project delivery, safe operation, and sustainability.
Throughout our 25-year history, Whitehaven has powered emerging
economies in Asia where there is strong demand for high-efficiency, low-
emissions energy.
In 2023, to increase our diversification into metallurgical coal, Whitehaven
acquired two new coal mines which needed to be integrated with existing
operations within a six-month time frame.
PUBLIC
HEADQUARTERS:
INDUSTRY:
WEBSITE:
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
Company information
2
Whitehaven Coal
Sydney, Australia
Energy, Utilities, Oil & Gas
whitehavencoal.com.au
5,000
Whitehaven Coal operates six cost-efficient mines producing high quality
coal to meet the energy needs of our customers. We have a reputation for
excellence in project delivery, safe operation, and sustainability.
Throughout our 25-year history, Whitehaven has powered emerging
economies in Asia where there is strong demand for high-efficiency, low-
emissions energy.
In 2023, to increase our diversification into metallurgical coal, Whitehaven
acquired two new coal mines which needed to be integrated with existing
operations within a six-month time frame.
PUBLIC
CHALLENGE: SOLUTION: OUTCOME:
Seamless SAP Deployment in Just Six Months
3
Elapsed time for designing, building and
fully deploying a comprehensive SAP
solution to integrate two newly acquired
coal mines and their employees while
maintaining day-to-day operations
Mining operational applications
successfully integrated using a hybrid
methodology and SAP best practices
Regional employees and contractors
successfully transitioned to new SAP
systems with seamless payroll processing
and no production disruptions
6 months
Whitehaven Coal
150+ 6,200+
After the strategic acquisition of two mines from
BHP that effectively doubled the size of the
company, Whitehaven needed to implement a new
business operations system that would ensure the
safe and stable transition of operations. As part of
the agreement, the transition and applications
integration needed to be completed on Legal Day 1,
which was an ambitious time frame of just six
months. There was an urgent need for a reliable
ERP foundation to support essential business
processes and the transition of thousands of new
employees and contractors with no business
interruptions.
RISE with SAP was identified as the ideal solution
for migration to a mature, reliable cloud-based
platform. Numerous SAP applications were
deployed and integrated to support critical business
functions such as finance, procurement, supply
chain, asset management, HR, and payroll.
Adopting an MVP approach, complex program
delivery was accomplished by close collaboration
between Whitehaven, DXC and SAP using a hybrid
methodology including SAP application services,
training, managed services, organizational change
management, data management, security services,
and project governance.
One of Australia’s largest ever greenfield ERP
implementations set an industry benchmark by
being completed in a record-breaking six months.
Safe and stable operations were achieved on Legal
Day 1 with all new employees and contractors paid
on time without disruption and coal shipping on
trains within the first week. More than 150 mining
applications were fully transitioned, and more than
400 suppliers onboarded seamlessly to maintain
business continuity. High data integrity and accuracy
were also maintained, with zero errors reported post
go-live. In addition, a new remote operations center
was established at Whitehaven’s Brisbane office.
PUBLIC
Seamless SAP Deployment in Just Six Months
3
Elapsed time for designing, building and
fully deploying a comprehensive SAP
solution to integrate two newly acquired
coal mines and their employees while
maintaining day-to-day operations
Mining operational applications
successfully integrated using a hybrid
methodology and SAP best practices
Regional employees and contractors
successfully transitioned to new SAP
systems with seamless payroll processing
and no production disruptions
6 months
Whitehaven Coal
150+ 6,200+
After the strategic acquisition of two mines from
BHP that effectively doubled the size of the
company, Whitehaven needed to implement a new
business operations system that would ensure the
safe and stable transition of operations. As part of
the agreement, the transition and applications
integration needed to be completed on Legal Day 1,
which was an ambitious time frame of just six
months. There was an urgent need for a reliable
ERP foundation to support essential business
processes and the transition of thousands of new
employees and contractors with no business
interruptions.
RISE with SAP was identified as the ideal solution
for migration to a mature, reliable cloud-based
platform. Numerous SAP applications were
deployed and integrated to support critical business
functions such as finance, procurement, supply
chain, asset management, HR, and payroll.
Adopting an MVP approach, complex program
delivery was accomplished by close collaboration
between Whitehaven, DXC and SAP using a hybrid
methodology including SAP application services,
training, managed services, organizational change
management, data management, security services,
and project governance.
One of Australia’s largest ever greenfield ERP
implementations set an industry benchmark by
being completed in a record-breaking six months.
Safe and stable operations were achieved on Legal
Day 1 with all new employees and contractors paid
on time without disruption and coal shipping on
trains within the first week. More than 150 mining
applications were fully transitioned, and more than
400 suppliers onboarded seamlessly to maintain
business continuity. High data integrity and accuracy
were also maintained, with zero errors reported post
go-live. In addition, a new remote operations center
was established at Whitehaven’s Brisbane office.
PUBLIC
4
Undertaking a greenfield end-to-end
SAP S/4HANA implementation of this
scale in just six months was a bold
move. It demanded us to challenge
ourselves, our processes, and our
technology partners, fostering an
environment of trust and smart
decision-making.
Nick Zafiris
Chief Information Officer, Whitehaven Coal
PUBLIC
Undertaking a greenfield end-to-end
SAP S/4HANA implementation of this
scale in just six months was a bold
move. It demanded us to challenge
ourselves, our processes, and our
technology partners, fostering an
environment of trust and smart
decision-making.
Nick Zafiris
Chief Information Officer, Whitehaven Coal
PUBLIC
COMPANY NAME:
Participating partner information
We chose DXC due to their extensive
experience in SAP implementations,
application integration, and strategic vision.
DXC has proven to be a trusted partner,
supporting Whitehaven’s business-critical
modernization and goal to grow our
metallurgical coal business, helping us
achieve a more balanced portfolio.
-Nick Zafaris, Chief Information Officer,
Whitehaven Coal
5
DXC Technology
DXC delivered a comprehensive SAP ERP environment to support
Whitehaven’s operations without disrupting production. DXC implemented
the following:
• SAP platform
• Network
• Middleware
• Program management
• Organizational change management
• Remote operations center
A team of 270 DXC specialists guided a complex program delivery using a
hybrid methodology to integrate the SAP applications.
PUBLIC
Participating partner information
We chose DXC due to their extensive
experience in SAP implementations,
application integration, and strategic vision.
DXC has proven to be a trusted partner,
supporting Whitehaven’s business-critical
modernization and goal to grow our
metallurgical coal business, helping us
achieve a more balanced portfolio.
-Nick Zafaris, Chief Information Officer,
Whitehaven Coal
5
DXC Technology
DXC delivered a comprehensive SAP ERP environment to support
Whitehaven’s operations without disrupting production. DXC implemented
the following:
• SAP platform
• Network
• Middleware
• Program management
• Organizational change management
• Remote operations center
A team of 270 DXC specialists guided a complex program delivery using a
hybrid methodology to integrate the SAP applications.
PUBLIC
GLOBAL CHALLENGES
Challenges
BUSINESS CHALLENGES
PUBLIC 6
Whitehaven is challenged to play an important role in supporting
economic development and a reliable energy supply, while helping
our customers reduce emissions by providing high-quality products.
We are challenged to support the energy transition by increasing
production of metallurgical coal that is necessary for steel, which is
essential for building renewable power sources, including wind
turbines and solar power structures.
We understand the importance of mining to regional areas, and our
commitment to building stronger local communities is part of our
DNA. Protecting the safety of our people and workplaces, and the
communities around us is our top priority.
Prior to implementing SAP S/4HANA, we were not positioned to
leverage existing ERP-related systems to handle the complexities
and scale of our evolving business, including strategic acquisitions
where timeframes are fixed, and ERP resourcing capacity is critical.
With the size of our operations doubling, we needed a solution that
could support safe and stable operations, pay our employees
accurately, manage cash flow efficiently, and streamline supplier
payments.
Most importantly, the solution needed to be implemented in just six
months, meaning we were challenged to have no disruptions to our
essential business functions such as payroll and coal deliveries.
Challenges
BUSINESS CHALLENGES
PUBLIC 6
Whitehaven is challenged to play an important role in supporting
economic development and a reliable energy supply, while helping
our customers reduce emissions by providing high-quality products.
We are challenged to support the energy transition by increasing
production of metallurgical coal that is necessary for steel, which is
essential for building renewable power sources, including wind
turbines and solar power structures.
We understand the importance of mining to regional areas, and our
commitment to building stronger local communities is part of our
DNA. Protecting the safety of our people and workplaces, and the
communities around us is our top priority.
Prior to implementing SAP S/4HANA, we were not positioned to
leverage existing ERP-related systems to handle the complexities
and scale of our evolving business, including strategic acquisitions
where timeframes are fixed, and ERP resourcing capacity is critical.
With the size of our operations doubling, we needed a solution that
could support safe and stable operations, pay our employees
accurately, manage cash flow efficiently, and streamline supplier
payments.
Most importantly, the solution needed to be implemented in just six
months, meaning we were challenged to have no disruptions to our
essential business functions such as payroll and coal deliveries.