Scaling with SAP ERP Cloud (public edition)

Name: Implement Consulting Group
Price range: $

Building the right foundation for an ambitious growth journey

Published

19 March 2026

Circle Consult stands at a defining moment in its evolution. For more than two decades, Circle has supported the industry across hardware, software, artificial intelligence, mechanical design, and project management – backed by a reputation for technical excellence and a methodical, standards-driven approach. Alongside this legacy business, Circle Scope has rapidly emerged as a leading provider of AI-based detection and tracking systems, designed for use as standalone solutions or integrated seamlessly into complex environments.

Though distinct in purpose, both business areas share a common requirement: a scalable, reliable, and future-fit operational backbone capable of supporting a shift from low-volume production towards high-volume manufacturing – without losing the precision, agility, and innovation that define Circle today.

We have two very different business areas – but we wanted one unified, standardised ERP platform. A system that could support us from small-scale, specialised production into a future with scaling in both volume and functionality.

Asger Rønnow, Chairman of the Board, Circle Consult

This article explores how Circle chose to modernise its operational foundation with SAP ERP Cloud (public edition) at a pivotal moment in its growth journey in collaboration with Implement. It explores how Circle’s Cloud-centric mindset debunks some perceived narratives associated with SAP implementation, and what it looks like when a fastmoving organisation and a local implementation partner work side by side towards a shared goal. The result is a transformation delivered in eight weeks – and a platform designed for the scale ahead.

Choosing an implementation partner: trust at the centre

Across the small and mid-market segment, SAP is often associated with long timelines, heavy customisation, and complex implementations. For Circle, this perception stood in contrast to their own experience. The leadership team knew that SAP – implemented in the right way – could offer exactly the scalability and operational clarity they needed.

We knew from earlier experience that SAP is scalable – both in volume and in functionality. Choosing SAP ERP Cloud (public edition) made sense for us.

Asger Rønnow, Chairman of the Board, Circle Consult

The decision to implement SAP ERP Cloud (public edition) was therefore as much a strategic choice as a technological one: a deliberate move to build a modern operational foundation that could support Circle’s long-term ambitions.

And they knew that selecting the right system was key to a successful transformation. But selecting the right implementation partner was another matter.

Circle emphasised three must-have qualities when selecting an implementation partner: trust, competence, and flexibility. They wanted a partner who would challenge them constructively, move quickly, work transparently, and understand that time-to-value was nonnegotiable.

When you enter a project like this, it fundamentally comes down to trust. You need competent and flexible people beside you. We chose a partner who could deliver exactly that.

Asger Rønnow, Chairman of the Board, Circle Consult

Implement was chosen as the local implementation partner – not only because of our technical expertise, but also for our ability to work shoulder to shoulder with Circle’s team and maintain momentum throughout the project.

It’s all about the mindset

When working with SAP cloud transformations, a cloud-centric mindset is a fundamental criterion for overcoming pitfalls. A cloud solution brings structure, standard processes, and predictability, but it also requires an organisation to rethink how it approaches processes, decisions, and system ownership. Success depends less on technical configuration and customisation and more on the organisation’s willingness to adopt modern ways of working.

From the outset, Circle committed to a true cloud mindset. Rather than customising the system to match existing processes, they focused on adopting best-practice processes and keeping the system core clean. This decision removed the need for lengthy fit-gap exercises and stripped away unnecessary complexity, allowing the project team to move quickly and with clarity. It also marked a cultural shift for Circle: instead of shaping the system around legacy routines, the organisation leaned into standardisation, transparency, and modern operating principles – a shift that made the accelerated timeline both realistic and sustainable.

Working side by side: a war-room designed for progress

To maintain momentum and ensure close collaboration, Circle and Implement established a shared war-room at Circle’s site in Nærum. Over the following weeks, the teams worked together in an intensive, co-located format that enabled quick decisions, immediate clarification, and a unified focus on moving forward.

A shared war-room: accelerating collaboration and decisions

The implementation

The implementation progressed in a structured and high-paced rhythm. During the first two weeks, the team configured the system based on SAP best practices, set up the organisational structures, and established the financial foundation. At the same time, Circle’s team was introduced to SAP’s AI assistant, Joule, which was activated early in the programme to support navigation, guidance, and in-system learning.

By surfacing relevant help materials directly within the user interface and responding to natural-language queries, Joule reduced the time spent searching for documentation and helped new users understand processes as they worked. For a fast-paced implementation with a compact core team, Joule became a practical enabler, lowering the learning curve and giving Circle’s users greater confidence as the system took shape.

Once the core processes were in place, the focus shifted to hands-on exploration. Circle’s key users carried out unit testing, refined their master data, and gradually built confidence in the new workflows. This phase was followed by an intensive user acceptance testing period, where end-to-end processes were validated across both business areas. In the final days leading up to go-live, attention shifted to data migration, final checks, and coordinated cutover planning, marking the transition into the operational environment.

Throughout the implementation, Circle allocated a small, empowered core team with the authority to make rapid decisions. This degree of ownership and availability proved decisive in sustaining momentum and meeting the ambitious eight-week timeline.

With SAP ERP Cloud (public edition) now live, Circle runs both its consulting-based business and its product-intensive manufacturing business on a single, standardised platform. Integrating these two very different operational models was a key strategic intention, enabling Circle to scale without fragmenting processes or data.

The new platform ensures coherent financial management, consistent procurement processes, reliable inventory handling, and streamlined production flows. It also enables Circle Consult’s project-driven operations to coexist seamlessly with Circle Scope’s growth-oriented product business, creating clarity across the entire organisation.

A scalable foundation for the future: a fast, modern SAP transformation

Today, Circle benefits from a modern, cloud-based ERP foundation designed to grow with the business. The company now operates with clearer structures, more reliable data, and processes that are both stable and scalable. This foundation is not just an IT achievement; it is an organisational milestone that positions Circle to expand production capacity, respond to market opportunities, and activate new capabilities as needed.

The foundation is now in place. We have established the roads and the maps that will guide our growth journey. Both the system and the collaboration have given us a platform we can truly scale on.

Asger Rønnow, Chairman of the Board, Circle Consult

As SAP ERP Cloud (public edition) continues to evolve through regular release cycles, Circle can activate new processes and innovations without major development projects, ensuring that the platform remains aligned with its future ambitions.

The transformation proves that when a business adopts a cloud mindset, commits to standardisation, and collaborates closely with the right partner, SAP ceases to be a heavy enterprise project and instead becomes a powerful enabler for growth, adaptability, and operational excellence.