// Projects / Digitalization and Industry 4.0

Digital Shopfloorboard at Medical Technology Manufacturer

How does state-of-the-art shopfloor management work? Digital, of course! But depending on the existing system landscape, different technical solutions are possible. In this case, we decided to implement the board using the BI tool Jedox for a medium-sized medical technology manufacturer. In addition to its interfaces to the ERP system, Jedox also allows direct input via customized forms. So, a digital board can be created in a short time. It is capable to link data from various sources (e.g. ERP) with manual inputs. The board then displays live key figures for the department and the company as a whole, as well as centrally managed information such as intranet news or the cafeteria menu. In addition, department-specific entries can be made – so the board can also visualize a continuous improvement process. So tasks can be recorded, assigned and scheduled. The result is not only a modern and visually appealing solution – but also one that is highly accepted by employees in practice.
As a PA business unit, we offer our customers the advantage of being a one-stop shop for the design and implementation of such digitized solutions!

End-to-end process analysis in the context of an S4/HANA rollout

Any decision to roll out an ERP system has far-reaching consequences. First and foremost, it requires a high level of resources for implementation and high costs. But is the effort worth it? To find out for and with our customer, the BLSG consultants organized a series of workshops. In a review of all logistical and value-adding processes of the JIT/JIS automotive supplier, the project team defined all end-to-end processes covered in the ERP and evaluated the savings potential both monetarily and qualitatively. The process description also proved helpful in the subsequent rollout for qualification, testing and acceptance. So there were no obstacles in the way of a successful SAP implementation!

Digitization in logistics – from project definition to trouble-free rollout

An Eastern European automotive plant is gearing up for e-mobility. In the course of this, an automated warehouse is being built. In the process, investments are being made in digitization. From goods receipt to the automated warehouse, via order picking on tugger trains to the production line, each package is seamlessly traceable and intelligently controlled. BLSG is playing a leading role on the board: We ensure that the various IT systems, from the retrieval system to the transport control system, the material flow computer of the automated warehouse and the warehouse management system, all work and interact smoothly with each other. BLSG consultants manage the project from order clarification via technical conception to implementation, including the following start-up support. In addition, we set up master data and logics in the systems and advise and qualify key users. This is how digitization works in practice!

Implementation of SAP S/4 Hana for the production of electric vehicles and batteries

The transformation from combustion engine to the battery-powered electric motor poses major challenges for the automotive industry. In the course of this, numerous new production sites are being built for the manufacture of e-vehicles.

A trend-setting decision in this context is the IT system design of such a new plant. To identify the optimal system, BLSG supported a German premium OEM in the selection of the ERP for production & logistics. In addition to FIT/GAP analyses based on master process lists, various scenarios were evaluated and compared based on specific criteria (e.g. costs, resources, opportunities, risks, etc.).

The final scenario, which is technically feasible and meets the requirements, is based on SAP S4 Hana. The approval process for the budget as well as the required resources was supported by BLSG through various committees up to board level.

KPI-board connected supply chain at a leading freight forwarding company

An international freight forwarding company was selected by an OEM as a pilot freight forwarder for a project called “Connected Supply Chain”. The aim of this project was to provide the OEM with an ETA (estimated time of arrival) of the delivering trucks every 5 minutes based on GPS data. The OEM divided the project into three phases, the hypercare phase, stabilisation phase and series operation, which lasted a total of 16 weeks. To ensure process and data quality, approx. 30 key performance indicators (KPIs) were defined for these phases, e.g. each status message transmitted by a truck should contain a geo-location. To do so, BLSG’s experts developed a KPI board in cooperation with the client. The data recorded by the trucks was accessed by means of various SQL queries. To be able to influence the KPIs, one or more reports were created for each KPI. These reports provided detailed information that was used to derive subsequent measures.