Implementation of SAP® WM and Offline Mobility
Customer: Saint-Gobain Isover G+H AG
Project duration: 11 months
Our customer:
SAINT-GOBAIN ISOVER G+H AG (ISOVER for short) has been developing and producing high-performance insulation materials for more than 140 years. A wealth of experience that makes the company a reliable partner for the German construction industry. Mineral wool insulation materials from ISOVER make a multifaceted contribution to the planning and construction of particularly sustainable buildings.
Initial situation:
Project aims:
Focus on core processes:
Clear focus on core processes in the plants according to frequency and number. Marginal processes should and can continue to be operated conventionally.
Traceability:
Continuous one-to-one traceability of all carriers (pallets) from acceptance at the end of the production line through all internal warehouse movements, loading to the end customer.
Offline operation:
“Offline operation” – due to the very large surface area of the plants, both indoors and outdoors, mobile solutions are to be selected that can handle the current IT infrastructure with manageable investment.
IT infrastructure:
Due to the very large area coverage and, in part, non-uniform IT structure, it is not economically feasible to equip the plants with a complete new WLAN structure..
Challenges:
- Non-uniform network infrastructure
- Large open space area
- Possible interference with the WLAN signal
- WLAN APs at important location zones
- No automated storage location recognition
- Use of existing storage bin numbers
Implementation of the HPC.Warehouse Monitor
The advantages of the control options and automation functions of mobile processes of the warehouse monitor developed by HPC were convincing and were extended for ISOVER by the following functions:
- Overview of open WM transfer orders incl. customer-defined fields
- Status management at WM transfer order level
- Increasing/decreasing the priority of a WM transfer order
- Resetting the status
- Assign pre-pick location and forklift driver
- Assign forklift driver for e.g. truck loading
- Each status receives a timestamp
- Quantities actually removed are noted in the control station
Warehouse overview stock information
Custom transaction
- Warehouse overview with fast change of units of measure (e.g. pallets/package quantities)
- Direct integration to create a stock transfer WM transfer order incl. forklift driver assignment
Block storage info
Custom transaction
- Possibility of entering a material and displaying where the material may be stored
- Visual indication of possibly incorrect master data
Mobile prcoesses with MSB® FIVE
The process integration of scanners and forklift terminals was realized with MSB® FIVE, a certified SAP add-on from Mobisys GmbH that is directly integrated into SAP® without middleware.
- Goods receipt for order, returns
- Storage external
- Goods receipt from production
- Stock transfers
- Goods issue for delivery
- Pre-picking
- Loading
- Storage bin info, block storage bin, inventory
- NVE label
Example of the goods receipt process from production
What did HPC do?
- Analysis of the processes and creation of a specification sheet as the basis for the tender documents
- Implementation SAP® WM
- Implementation of HPC.WM warehouse monitor
- Integration with mobile processes based on MSB® Five
Design and implementation of mobile paperless picking processes
- Current state analysis and process definition for the mobile warehouse solution
- Creation of a specification sheet
Process improvement and project experience
- Positive experience by conducting an asset count for inventory purposes as part of the GoLive.
- KPI: SRA indicator inventory from 80% to almost 100%.
- "Offline" WMS in SAP® WM in combination with the mobile solution MSB® FIVE is an alternative option for more plants and companies with similar framework conditions
Hardware
- Forklift terminals: Zebra ET-50/51
- Bluetooth-Scanner: Zebra DS 3678-ER
