Brenntag Creates Long-Term Strategic Value Across the Business

Brenntag, a global leader in chemical and ingredient distribution, set out to modernize and simplify its financial consolidation and reporting processes. Operating across more than 70 countries with hundreds of entities, the company needed a more efficient and scalable approach to managing financial data. By implementing OneStream, Brenntag replaced multiple legacy systems with a single, unified platform, improving efficiency, strengthening data quality, and creating a flexible foundation for future growth.

“OneStream has noticeably simplified and accelerated our closing processes. Shortly after the rollout, we observed a significant increase in efficiency in preparing financial statements. Thanks to the flexibility OneStream offers, we are well equipped to connect new sources and meet future reporting requirements.”

- Holger Strunk, Director Reporting Corporate Controlling at Brenntag SE

1. Replacing Disconnected Systems to Simplify Global Reporting.

Before its transformation, Brenntag operated with two separate systems: Oracle Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) for internal management reporting, and SAP SEM-BCS for legal group consolidation. While each system fulfilled its purpose, together they introduced a significant operational burden. Teams were required to maintain duplicate data, reconcile results across systems, and manage differing charts of accounts, all of which slowed down processes and increased the risk of inconsistencies.

“Just the reconciliation between the systems costs us five to six working days per quarter internally. Additionally, each entity had to ensure that the same figures were present in both systems.”

- Holger Strunk, Director Reporting Corporate Controlling at Brenntag SE

This complexity was compounded by a diverse system landscape, including multiple ERP systems and local solutions. As a result, achieving a unified and transparent view of financial data across the organization was both time-consuming and resource-intensive.

2. A Strong Design and Phased Rollout Strategy Drove Success.

To address these challenges, Brenntag selected OneStream as a single platform to unify financial consolidation, reporting, and data integration. The goal was not only to replace existing systems, but to create a standardized and future-ready environment that could support evolving business needs.

From the outset, Brenntag aligned key stakeholders across Controlling, Accounting, Tax, and Sustainability to define a shared vision for reporting. A critical early milestone was the creation of a unified chart of accounts, which established consistency across both internal and external reporting processes. Through a series of collaborative workshops, teams aligned global data structures, standardized mappings, and defined how financial data would flow from local systems into OneStream. This upfront investment enabled the company to build a harmonized data model that could accommodate regional differences while maintaining global consistency.

The deployment itself followed a phased approach. In the first phase, Brenntag transitioned its internal reporting processes to OneStream, deliberately avoiding a prolonged period of running multiple systems in parallel. In the second phase, the company replaced its group consolidation system. This stage included parallel validation cycles and early auditor involvement to confirm accuracy and compliance. Throughout the process, Brenntag remained focused on building internal expertise to ensure long-term independence.

“It was important to us from the start that the system could be both operated by us and further developed independently afterwards. In the beginning, it was an adjustment for many. Today, everyone is glad they only have to use one system. Data entry is easier, reports are better, and results are more transparent.”

- Holger Strunk, Director Reporting Corporate Controlling at Brenntag SE

3. A Unified Platform Improved Efficiency, Transparency, and Control.

Today, OneStream serves as Brenntag’s central platform for financial consolidation, reporting, and analysis, supporting hundreds of users worldwide. By moving to a single system, the company has eliminated duplicate data entry, standardized its chart of accounts, and significantly improved data transparency and traceability. Closing processes are now faster and more controlled, with approximately one week saved each quarter. At the same time, automated workflows and integrated data mapping have reduced manual effort and strengthened governance across the organization.

The benefits extend beyond finance. With a centralized and consistent data foundation, teams such as Tax and Accounting can access the information they need in real time, improving collaboration and enabling more informed decision-making. Audit processes are now more efficient due to improved transparency and traceability, while the organization benefits from a scalable platform that can adapt to new reporting requirements.

“OneStream was not just a system change for us, but also a know-how project. Today, we largely operate and carry out developments in OneStream on our own. Around 85% of adjustments and further developments are implemented internally.”

- Holger Strunk, Director Reporting Corporate Controlling at Brenntag SE

With a strong foundation in place, Brenntag continues to expand its use of OneStream. The company is exploring additional capabilities, including lease accounting, tax reporting, and ESG reporting, with the goal of bringing even more processes into a single, unified platform. As Mr. Strunk concludes:

“We are far from finished. More projects are already in the pipeline.”