GF Cloud Migration of Corporate ERP System for an International Corporate Transaction

The Challenge

Founded in 1966, GF is an Italian company specializing in the production of plastic items for irrigation, garden care, and outdoor living. With a presence in over 50 countries worldwide, GF has built its business model on flexibility, efficiency, quality, and innovation.

In 2022, the company went through an M&A operation joining Exel Group, a French group leader in the Garden sector. As a consequence of that extraordinary operation, ERP harmonization became a strategic topic to face. Indeed, until that point, GF used to have an Oracle JD Edwards system of its previous parent company, operating on a shared tenant without autonomy over its own IT systems.

The group identified two main options to manage the ERP actual situation with the entrance of GF:

• SAP Rollout, the system was already in use among Exel Group subsidiaries . This option offered the advantage of uniformity but posed risks of high costs, lengthy timelines, and adoption complexity for GF users accustomed to JD Edwards.
• JD Edwards retention, this system was obviously familiar to GF users, but would require an ad-hoc and highly sensitive project: upgrading to release 9.2 and segregating data and proprietary developments from the previous parent company.

After a careful evaluation, Exel’s board chose the second option, approving Alfa Sistemi’s project for the JD Edwards 9.2 upgrade and migration to Oracle Cloud: a cost-effective and timely solution capable of ensuring operational continuity and independence for GF.

The Solution

The project was launched in December 2023 in co-leadership with a fully dedicated Alfa Sistemi team. The chosen approach was “Lift & Shift”—upgrading and migrating the ERP system to the cloud without disrupting operational continuity.

Key activities included:

• Upgrade from JD Edwards 9.1 to 9.2
• Migration to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
• Architecture change from Windows to Linux
• Data segregation, with mass extraction and deletion of the previous parent company’s data while retaining only GF’s data
• Software segregation, with depersonalization of the previous ownership’s developments and release of GF’s proprietary software
• Restyling of existing integrations to improve efficiency and reliability

Project management was based on a structured governance model, with monthly steering committee meetings between Alfa Sistemi and GF to monitor progress, share achieved results, and align on follow up activities. This approach ensured transparency, ongoing dialogue, and the ability to advance certain milestones ahead of the original schedule.

Users also played a decisive role, being extensively involved in testing activities: between July and September 2024, over 800 functionalities were validated—a process that not only verified proper system operation but also increased internal knowledge of JD Edwards.

After the go-live phase, an extended hypercare phase supported the company in daily management of the new environment, including assistance during critical periods related to fiscal and calendar year-end closing.

Thanks to this approach, the project, originally planned for November 2024, was successfully completed in October—one month ahead of schedule and with no impact on business continuity.

The Benefits

The Lift & Shift project was not merely a technical upgrade and migration exercise, but a true turning point for GF. After years of being tied to a shared tenant with limited evolutionary possibilities, the separation from the previous parent company’s system and adoption of JD Edwards 9.2 on Oracle Cloud delivered tangible benefits across multiple dimensions:

The results

The result, achieved one month ahead of schedule, is an ERP that not only ensures stability and improved performance but also serves as an innovation enabler. GF can finally look to the future with a solid platform capable of supporting business growth and adapting to the challenges of a constantly evolving market.