Shared services hub scaling AI adoption and manufacturing execution systems
KOSTAL's Budapest-based business services center operates as a backend for the larger KOSTAL Group, running SAP financial and operational systems across Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. The tech stack reveals a hybrid cloud-on-premises footprint (Azure, Kubernetes, SAP S/4HANA, Workday) paired with an active AI initiative: multiple concurrent projects span internal GPT deployment, broader AI platform development, and structured AI adoption roadmaps — suggesting the organization is moving beyond point use cases toward systematic capability building.
KOSTAL Global Business Services Center (KBS) provides finance, HR, operations, procurement, and sustainability functions for the KOSTAL Group. Headquartered in Budapest with additional sites in Bulgaria and Ukraine, the center supports parent-company operations across multiple geographies. Core systems include SAP (FI/CO, S/4HANA), Workday for HR, and a manufacturing execution system (MES/Hydra) deployed across production facilities. The organization is 201–500 employees and structured around functional teams — finance, engineering, data, HR, ops, procurement, and sustainability.
Core infrastructure: Azure, Windows Server, Kubernetes. Enterprise applications: SAP (FI/CO, S/4HANA), Workday, SAP SuccessFactors. Collaboration: Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams. Project/resource management: Project Server, Jira, Git. Talent management: SmartRecruiters, Cornerstone OnDemand. AI tooling: OpenAI.
Primary focus: enhancing internal KostalGPT self-service AI and broader AI platform development with structured adoption roadmaps. Operations: rolling out Hydra MES to new production sites and optimizing performance across multiple MES instances. Governance: annual risk assessments, internal control planning, and ESG report development.