CONSULTING

Implement SAP ECTR to integrate engineering activities with the supply chain

The need to reduce lead times each year is driven by the need to introduce new products and provide customized solutions to our clients. This applies to new products as well as different configurations of existing products. These are based on variable characteristics that define the final configuration.

Our product lead times are getting tighter every day. To meet our clients’ needs, we must reduce lead times and improve quality from the outset. We must minimize rework through optimal design.

There is a clear need to integrate our product development engineers with other parts of the company. We need to design products quickly and efficiently and ensure that information is available to purchasing, manufacturing, and quality. In addition, our products need to be adaptable, and we need to facilitate configuration by our sales engineers in collaboration with the engineering department.

It is critical to abandon one-dimensional processes and adopt cyclical models, where results are produced in multiple iterations in collaboration with suppliers and customers.

Non-integrated tools

In all this confusion, our main problem is that we often find ourselves with non-integrated tools. Our SAP system based on S/4HANA or SAP ERP brings together the main processes related to the supply chain. It is usually integrated with our MES systems of the production plant, but PLM systems and design tools such as SolidEdge, SolidWorks, Catia have different levels of integration that often do not allow collaborative work with other areas.

As a result, Excel becomes our main ally and often our undoing. From the engineering side, we get partial statements that often end up being outdated, and there can be cases where the different areas are working with information that is not correctly updated because the latest versions of these files do not always arrive when they should.

And if this is a problem in the product development part, when we are already facing the customer and we want to make a configuration based on features and we need to give a quick response, we cannot think of Excel and email or maybe some workflow system as a possible solution.

Solutions based on SAP environments

For S/4HANA as well as for the early versions of SAP R/3 and SAP ERP, the paradigm of process integration has been central. The question here is how to accomplish seamless integration with other tools, such as product lifecycle management (PLM) or computer-aided design (CAD) systems.

There are two main approaches to achieve this integration:

Direct integration between SAP and design systems: It is possible to connect SAP systems directly to design platforms such as SolidEdge, Solidworks, and Catia through the Engineering Control Center (ECTR) functionality. This allows for a constant flow of information between engineering and ERP. Departments receive the latest versions of designs in real time. There is also a direct link between Siemens PLM (Teamcenter) and SAP PLM functionality.

Bi-directionality of information: The system allows annotation of design elements using redlining tools. In addition, a visualizer (Visual Enterprise) allows users to create sections and exploded views of each element, facilitating its presentation or use in production. To customize products according to specific characteristics, SAP provides a commercial configurator. This configurator makes it possible to set up approval processes based on the various options selected.

In conclusion, the integration of PLM, CAD and ERP systems in the SAP environment is essential to optimize processes and ensure smooth communication between the various departments.

Our implementation process

From IDOM we consider the special relevance of the implementation process of this solution, since it requires combining process skills and engineering tools together with the needs of defining a coherent process for the release and availability of each of the elements. The definition of the Engineering Change Management processes, with their approval flows, the use of new manufacturing versions and their integration with the design processes, and all this under a common environment makes the combination of different specialties in a single project particularly relevant.

The key aspects are as follows:

• End to end process definition
• Coordination of knowledge of SAP tools together with design tools.
• Definition of the information storage strategy and access proxies to the plans based on content server or other document managers.
• Definition of the document management strategy and the taxonomy of each document to facilitate searches.
• Definition of product configuration strategies and workflows.

IDOM’s experience in implementing solutions is fundamental to achieving success in projects related to the production chain. Our knowledge gained from several implementations of these tools is a valuable asset.In addition, our best practices in project management avoid deviations during implementation and allow us to achieve the objectives set in terms of time and budget.