Seamless SEEBURGER BIS Upgrade for Southco

Southco, headquartered in Concordville, operates its core B2B integration processes on the SEEBURGER BIS platform. The system is a central component of Southco’s global IT landscape, connecting numerous internal systems with external business partners. It supports business-critical integration processes across the United States and worldwide.

Over time, a noticeable version gap developed within the SEEBURGER BIS environment, making an upgrade to the current release necessary. At the same time, one requirement was non-negotiable:
Business operations had to continue without any disruption.
All integration processes needed to remain fully available, stable, and performant throughout the entire upgrade phase and beyond.

Challenge

The project was defined by several demanding conditions:

• Multiple version upgrades to reach the current SEEBURGER BIS release

• High dependency of international business processes on the BIS platform

• Tight maintenance windows with virtually zero tolerance for errors

• High expectations regarding security, stability, and transparency

Even short interruptions or unexpected side effects would have had an immediate impact on ongoing operations.

Approach

Working closely with Southco, Aurebus developed a detailed and realistic upgrade plan that addressed both technical and operational requirements.

The approach included:

• Clear definition of the target version and all required intermediate steps

• A technically sound and well-sequenced upgrade order

• Structured preparation of each individual upgrade step

• Close coordination with Southco’s IT and business stakeholders

• Step-by-step execution with full transparency and clear decision criteria

Each upgrade step was implemented only after all dependencies, risks, and potential impacts were thoroughly assessed.

Results

The upgrade was completed entirely without disruption.

• Business operations continued uninterrupted throughout all upgrade phases

• No outages, delays, or functional limitations occurred

• All existing integration processes remained stable and fully operational

• Southco’s international B2B operations remained fully uninterrupted during each phase of the upgrade

From the perspective of the business teams, the upgrade was effectively unnoticeable.

Value for Southco

Following the project, Southco now operates:

• A fully up-to-date SEEBURGER BIS system

• With all relevant security patches and functional updates applied

• On a stable and upgrade-ready foundation for future releases

The platform now meets the requirements of a mission-critical, global integration solution, both today and in the long term.

The upgrade was carefully prepared and executed in clearly defined steps. Each version transition was well planned, technically sound, and aligned with our operational requirements. From a business perspective, the work was virtually unnoticeable — our integration processes continued to run reliably and without any disruption or delay.

Today, we operate a fully updated, stable, and upgrade-ready BIS environment. All relevant security patches and functional updates are in place, providing us with a sustainable foundation to apply future updates in a controlled and low-risk manner.

Our collaboration with Aurebus was characterized by a high level of technical expertise, a deep understanding of complex integration landscapes, and thorough, well-structured planning. Especially for business-critical and complex systems, this level of professionalism represents a clear added value for us.”

Core Services:

• EDI (Electronic Data Interchange): Consulting, implementation, and managed operations of EDI solutions — both on-premise and as a cloud full-service offering

• B2B Integration: Connecting ERP systems, cloud platforms, and business partners through standardized data formats and APIs

• SEEBURGER BIS: Deep expertise in the SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite

• Process Automation: Automation of procurement, logistics, and invoicing processes

With over 20 years of experience in B2B integration and EDI, aurebus serves a diverse client base ranging from mid-sized enterprises to globally operating corporations, including Bossard AG (CH/USA), CEWE (DE), Southco (USA), and Bell Group (CH).

Contact: contact@aurebus.de | aurebus.de/en |