Cognizant Supports Migration of Kohler’s Energy Business

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., a technology consulting firm, has helped Kohler Co. establish its energy business—Kohler Energy—as a standalone entity with independent operations.

Kohler Co. had announced the decision to set up Kohler Energy as a separate, independent business in November 2023 to support long-term growth strategies. The carve-out process had an expected completion timeline of six to eight months. The transaction closed in May 2024.

Cognizant worked with Kohler to evaluate the approach for the carve-out, plan, and execute the separation of systems within the timeframe. The technology ecosystem involved 400+ IT applications across SAP ECC, Salesforce sales and marketing, customer relationship management, integration, and the data and analytics space.

“Historically, such complex separation projects require at least 14 to 20 months for successful implementation,” said Anup Prasad, senior vice president and head of Cognizant's consumer business unit. “However, we had a narrow window of six to eight months to deliver results for Kohler. Our collaborative strategy with Kohler's team and the rapid deployment of systems like SAP and Salesforce ensured uninterrupted business continuity."

By focusing on managing operational risks, ensuring business continuity, and implementing financial and data separation principles, Cognizant and Kohler achieved segregation of all essential systems. IT systems enablement and equipping business users for regular operations were completed by May 1, 2024, Cognizant said in a press release.

“This was one of the more strategic and demanding programmes we've tackled,” said Paul Ryan, chief digital officer, Kohler Co. “The successful transition, underpinned by Cognizant's technological acumen and operational efficiency, exceeded our expectations.”