soetek × 5 STARLIMIT POT Restaurant Group Implementing SAP Cloud Systems and Leveraging AI-Driven Data with soetek to Accelerate Operational Upgrades

Originating from Kaohsiung, the 5 STARLIMIT POT International Dining Group was founded in 2015 and has become the largest hotpot brand in southern Taiwan in terms of directly operated stores.
Upholding the philosophy of “ 5 STARLIMIT POT prices, five-star flavors,” the group ensures consistent soup quality.
In response to market changes in the post-pandemic era, 5 STARLIMIT POT continues to expand its dining presence, actively developing its five major brands in 2024 and launching high value-for-money dishes.
The founder firmly believes that digitalization is the key to corporate upgrading.
Under the leadership of General Manager Ke, a cross-departmental project team was established, bringing in financial and IT talent to fully drive digital transformation and build a flat, efficient operational structure.

soetek

soetek supported the 5 STARLIMIT POT International Restaurant Group in implementing SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP.
In the first phase, the project focused on financial objectives, integrating operational data from 63 stores.
This enabled millions of daily transaction records from locations across Taiwan to be automatically uploaded to the ERP system, significantly enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Driving Digital Transformation

"Founded in 2015 and originating from the port city of Kaohsiung, 5 Star International Restaurant Group is a leading hotpot brand.
Currently, it operates over 63 direct and franchised stores across Taiwan, holding the record for the most direct-operated outlets in Southern Taiwan.
The brand's philosophy is to offer "5-star flavor at budget-friendly prices" (a play on its name "Woo Sen Ji," which sounds like "saving money" in Taiwanese Hokkien).
To ensure consistent quality, the group has established its own central kitchen for soup base production."
In the post-pandemic era, as market conditions continue to evolve rapidly, 5 STARLIMIT POT aims to deliver the highest CP-value offerings across different dining categories.
In 2024, the group continues to expand its restaurant portfolio, developing five brands under its umbrella.

The founder of 5 STARLIMIT POT International Catering Group firmly believes that 'digitalization' can optimize business operations, driving a top-down digital transformation to flatten the organizational structure.
In 2024, led by General Manager Ke, the group established a cross-departmental project team, recruiting top financial and IT talent to spearhead this digital transformation initiative.

Challenge: Difficulty in Integrating Operational Data in Real Time

The food and beverage industry is generally resistant to digitalization.
However, as market competition intensifies and the group continues to expand, 5 STARLIMIT POT made the bold decision to invest in digital transformation in order to improve efficiency and move toward internationalization.
The existing ERP system was no longer able to support increasingly complex operational requirements, and report reconciliation relied heavily on manual effort, making real-time data integration difficult.

As a result, 5 STARLIMIT POT implemented SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP, integrating finance, procurement, inventory, sales, and production processes.
Leveraging the flexibility and scalability of cloud deployment, the system now provides a solid foundation to support the group’s future growth.

Precisely Connecting Operational Data Across All Stores

Xu, Vice President of Finance at 5 STARLIMIT POT, noted that in order to accelerate transformation at the core of operations and integrate information and cash flows, 5 STARLIMIT POT partnered with soetek to implement SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP in phases.
The first phase focused on deploying the FI/CO modules, with an emphasis on financial process integration and data accuracy.

General Manager Ke acknowledged that previous system implementation attempts had failed, and identified three key factors behind the success of this rollout.
First, having clear objectives with a strong focus on financial data.
Second, an internal technical team capable of handling system integrations.
Third, soetek’s ability to approach the project from the customer’s perspective and quickly resolve issues.

Ke explained that in the past, delays in operational data meant that strategic and marketing decisions often relied on intuition.
After implementing SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP, operational efficiency improved significantly.
soetek successfully integrated sales and financial data from 63 stores, strengthening internal controls.
Millions of transactions are now automatically uploaded each day, achieving 100% data accuracy and enabling more flexible and precise operational and marketing strategies.

Xu further added that the new system has greatly reduced duplicate work.
Monthly financial closing has been brought forward from the 21st to the 10th of each month, saving more than two hours of manual processing time per day.
Accounting entries are now generated automatically, effectively reducing the burden of manual data entry and calculations.

Moving Toward Data-Driven Governance

5 STARLIMIT POT aims to surpass 101 stores across Taiwan and drive its brand toward international markets, positioning itself as a globally recognized restaurant brand representing Taiwan.
Looking ahead, the group will continue to deepen its application of SAP Cloud ERP, advancing data governance and technology-driven management to further optimize operational processes.

To address supply chain challenges, the next phase will focus on improving the accuracy of ingredient ordering and warehouse management.
By integrating SAP S/4HANA, 5 STARLIMIT POT plans to establish a central command center that enables real-time visibility into ingredient pricing and supply-demand dynamics.
Through AI-driven analysis of store sales data, the group will intelligently optimize ordering processes and comprehensively enhance operational efficiency.

Throughout the SAP implementation journey, soetek gained a deep understanding of 5 STARLIMIT POT’s business processes and practical needs, designing tailored solutions accordingly.
In response to the complexity and redundancy of legacy systems commonly found in the food and beverage industry, soetek provided professional recommendations and carried out system validation, user training, and testing.
This enabled the successful integration of 5 STARLIMIT POT’s self-developed POS system data into SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP.
The soetek team also provided patient, end-to-end guidance on the new system, ensuring a smooth cloud migration and clear, tangible transformation results.