KleanNara halves SAP & Oracle support costs with Rimini

KleanNara has appointed Rimini Street to provide third-party support for its SAP ECC 6.0 and Oracle Database systems, replacing support from the original software vendors. The South Korean paper and hygiene products maker aims to cut IT running costs and redirect resources to newer projects.

The agreement covers core systems used across finance, accounting, sales, and customer data management. SAP ECC 6.0 serves as the company's ERP platform alongside Oracle Database, which together sit at the centre of day-to-day operations.

KleanNara reports that consolidating support under one provider has cut annual vendor support fees by 50%. It also says incident response has improved, including for issues involving customised code and complex environments.

Founded in 1966, KleanNara makes paper and hygiene products and holds a 25% share of South Korea's white cardboard market, according to the company. It has also positioned itself around sustainability and ESG-linked product development as it expands internationally.

Support shift

Large organisations that rely on long-established ERP and database platforms face growing pressure from support and maintenance costs. Many also cite limited flexibility when support terms require upgrades that add time, risk, and disruption to business operations.

KleanNara described its previous approach as a traditional support model that became harder to sustain as it expanded. It pointed to high costs, what it viewed as low-value support services, and vendor-led upgrade requirements as an ongoing burden.

Hongjun Jang, Digital Experience Manager at KleanNara, said the company wanted stable operations while adopting new technologies and setting a business-led roadmap.

"To accelerate digital transformation and to remain competitive in a rapidly changing market environment, it was imperative to increase the flexibility and efficiency of our IT systems," Jang said. "We needed to keep current systems stable while adopting new technologies and establishing a business-driven roadmap."

Cost and service

Rimini Street provides third-party support for enterprise software, including SAP and Oracle products. Its business focuses on maintaining older versions for longer, appealing to customers that want to avoid large-scale upgrades while keeping existing environments running.

KleanNara moved to Rimini Support for SAP and Rimini Support for Oracle. It cited service levels, structured SLAs, and the ability to support customised environments as key selection criteria.

Jang said the company has seen faster issue resolution.

"Rimini Street is quick and accurate, especially when working with customised code and complex systems," he said. "Issues that would have taken days to resolve with a traditional vendor are often resolved within hours with Rimini Street."

Reinvestment plans

KleanNara said savings from lower support fees and reduced maintenance effort are being redirected into technology initiatives, including AI-driven analytics, a broader cloud footprint, and greater use of IoT in production environments.

The company said an AI-powered analytics platform is a priority, with a focus on demand forecasting and faster response to market signals. It also highlighted operational efficiency goals, including production cost reduction and tighter inventory management.

On the factory side, KleanNara is implementing IoT to improve visibility into production operations, linking the work to efficiency gains and better planning. It also said some savings have gone toward recruitment and skills development as part of its wider technology strategy.

Jang said reducing fixed IT costs has changed how KleanNara allocates resources.

"Reducing fixed costs and optimising IT operating expenses has paved the way to reinvest resources in core business objectives, including digital transformation, developing eco-friendly products, and streamlining production processes," he said. "Stabilising our core systems created space to innovate-Rimini Street has become a key partner in helping us modernise while maintaining the reliability we need."

Rimini Street said the engagement can help organisations avoid disruption from frequent platform migrations and upgrade cycles.

"Mandatory migrations and frequent upgrade cycles often expose organisations to unnecessary risks, unexpected costs, and operational disruptions-threatening business continuity and slowing innovation," said Hyungwook Kim, GVP and Regional GM, Rimini Street Korea. "We're proud to partner with KleanNara and help them break free from these constraints, enabling their IT teams to focus on priority initiatives and drive measurable business outcomes. Rimini Street delivers the stability, flexibility, and expert guidance needed to support and accelerate KleanNara's growth and digital transformation goals."