Silhouette Group standardises SAP output and extends automation with Interform
A structured SAP evaluation led to a reusable, trusted output platform that now supports finance and wider automation needs
Customer Overview
Silhouette Group is an Austrian, family-owned eyewear manufacturer headquartered in Linz. Known for premium frames, the group has also supplied complete eyewear with lenses since 2017. Production takes place in Linz and at an additional site in the Czech Republic, with subsidiaries operating across Europe and beyond.
The IT organisation consists of more than 20 people covering service desk, infrastructure, and business-facing roles. As IT Business Partner for Production, Engineering, and Logistics, Roman Wingert took responsibility for bringing critical document output into the SAP landscape, building on earlier experience with Interform on IBM i.
The Challenge
As part of a broader transformation, Silhouette consolidated three finance systems into SAP S/4HANA. Previously, document output had been handled differently across platforms, including Microsoft-based tools and RPG-heavy approaches on IBM i. This resulted in fragmented templates, inconsistent processes, and growing maintenance effort for documents such as dunning letters and open item lists.
Beyond simply replacing existing forms, the team needed confidence that document output would not become a bottleneck during the SAP rollout. SAP’s native form technologies were considered, but questions remained around development speed, flexibility, and how easily forms and logic could be reused across future rollouts and subsidiaries.
The Solution
Interform was selected after a structured and deliberate evaluation. Despite prior Interform experience on IBM i, the decision was not assumed. Silhouette organised a two-day on-site workshop with Interform and involved an experienced SAP forms specialist to provide an independent, neutral technical assessment.
The workshop demonstrated that Interform could meet SAP requirements while enabling fast development and a clear structure. The external specialist confirmed that form development progressed quickly and in a way that was easy to understand and maintain. This gave the IT team confidence that Interform could support SAP both technically and operationally.
Implementation began with a pilot dunning form. After the initial workshop, Interform provided standardized template structures and a starter workflow, defining clear sections for headers, line items, and footers. The setup was documented jointly, creating a repeatable approach.
After the pilot, Silhouette developed additional forms largely in-house. By reusing workflows, naming conventions, and modular components, new forms could be created quickly and consistently. Interform’s modularity made it easier to maintain and extend templates as requirements evolved.
Beyond SAP, the team also applied Interform to an IBM i-based process. Scheduled Excel exports are now ingested by Interform, converted, and written back into database tables for downstream use. That initial example has since been reused in many variations and has become a stable part of daily operations.
The Results
- Faster form development after the initial pilot, driven by reusable workflows and components
- High reliability, with no downtime, performance, or stability issues reported
- Greater self-sufficiency, as the IT team develops and maintains outputs independently
- Broader automation value, with Interform now considered first for new requirements instead of custom RPG solutions
Just as importantly, the platform proved trustworthy. Interform quickly became a reliable foundation rather than a point of risk within the SAP landscape.
Looking Ahead
Silhouette is preparing further SAP rollouts in sales, purchasing, and materials management while carefully managing risk for production processes. Interform is positioned as the standard output and workflow platform across future rollouts and subsidiaries.
The group also sees strong potential to harmonise templates internationally while still supporting controlled local variations and multilingual output, using a single, consistent approach.
Quotes – Roman Wingert ‑ Head of IT‑Competence Center
“Interform is something we can rely on. Once it is set up, it just works.”
“After the first form, we were able to develop new outputs ourselves and move very quickly.”
“With Interform in place, output is no longer a risk factor for us.”
“What started as a SAP forms project quickly became a broader automation platform for us.”