Jane Edwards 
- C5MI has completed DOW’s largest SAP S/4HANA deployment to date
- The six-year modernization effort spans all 113 DLA sites worldwide
- The 2026 Navy Summit will explore AI, digital engineering and more
C5MI, a certified SAP partner and digital transformation firm, has achieved full operational capability, or FOC, for the Defense Logistics Agency’s SAP S/4HANA Warehouse Management System, or WMS.
As DLA advances enterprise modernization across its global supply chain, government and industry leaders will gather at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Navy Summit this Thursday, Aug. 27 — POC’s final Department of War summit of 2026 — to discuss artificial intelligence, digital engineering, shipbuilding, autonomy, unmanned systems and other priorities shaping the future of the maritime force. Brandon Wehler and Nick Saputo, both executive directors at C5MI Insight, will speak at the summit. Register now to join the conversation at this C5MI-backed event.
C5MI said the milestone caps a six-year transformation effort, from the initial deployment of a minimum viable product to the full decommissioning of DLA’s legacy Distribution Standard System.
What Are the Program’s Milestones & ROI?
C5MI said the effort marked the first SAP S/4HANA migration in DOW, completed in half the expected time and finished in just 32 weeks — the fastest SAP S/4 migration in the federal government, according to the company. The team used a wave-based deployment cadence across every DLA region and a milestone-based payment approach tied to completed deliverables. The largest single-site go-live came at Defense Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, DLA’s highest-volume hub, in February. The system is now live at all 113 sites worldwide, supporting a $46 billion-plus global supply chain.
On return on investment, C5MI said retiring the legacy system eliminates sustainment costs, while real-time inventory visibility improves auditability and accelerates materiel delivery to the warfighter. The company also reported a 50 percent reduction in system defects versus the legacy baseline, along with gains in warehouse productivity and space utilization.
How Was the Deployment Delivered?
DLA, SAP, NS2 and C5MI jointly carried out the rollout. DLA led mission ownership and change management through its WMS Task Force. SAP NS2 supplied the secure S/4HANA platform. C5MI handled execution on the ground, running data migration, preparing sites, training users and supporting go-live activities across all 113 locations.
What Did C5MI Officials Say About the FOC Milestone?
“Full Operational Capability across DLA is more than a technology milestone, it is proof that government and industry, working as one team, can modernize at the speed the mission demands,” said C5MI CEO Don Young. “DLA has set the standard for what SAP modernization looks like in the Department of War, and C5MI is honored to have served in partnership with SAP as the delivery engine behind it.”
Aaron Kirkham, managing director of C5MI, credited the team’s six-year push across 113 centers to close coordination between government and industry toward a common goal.
“This effort demonstrates what is possible when government and industry partners together around a shared mission,” Kirkham added.
How Does the FOC Milestone Build on C5MI’s Recent Momentum?
The full operational capability achievement follows a string of recent developments for C5MI, which earlier this year partnered with DLA to deploy its SAP S/4HANA WMS at the Defense Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania facility, laying early groundwork for the broader rollout now complete across all 113 sites.
The company has also moved to strengthen its executive bench during this period of expansion, promoting Garth Sanginiti to chief growth officer to oversee enterprise growth strategy and naming Deven Joshi as chief AI officer to lead enterprisewide AI adoption across the organization.
