Harmonization and optimization of warehouse processes
About ITT Inc.
ITT Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of sophisticated, customized technology and component solutions for key industrial sectors such as energy infrastructure, electronics, aerospace, defense, and transportation. The company is organized into three value centers:
- Industrial Process
- Motion Technologies
- Connect and Control Technologies (CCT)
CCT Europe operates an SAP ECC 6.0 system at its locations in Germany and Italy, which is hosted in the Corporate Data Center (CDC) in the USA. Following the successful SAP implementation in April 2023, ITT Cannon decided to harmonize its warehouse and inventory processes in a follow-up project and make them future-proof.
What were the challenges?
After the initial rollout, it became apparent that various processes deviated from the SAP standard solution due to customer-specific Z programming. These individual enhancements led to complex workflows, limited transparency, and higher maintenance costs.
The goal of the new project was therefore to place the internal and external procurement processes as well as the warehouse and inventory processes on a stable, transparent, and future-proof ERP basis—in other words, “back to SAP standard”—in order to facilitate future developments.
Key challenges:
– High degree of customer-specific programming
– Lack of transparency and standard compliance
– Limited user-friendliness in existing dialogs
– Need for change management that involves international teams
The solution
For the realignment, ITT Cannon decided to work closely with us because, as an experienced SAP consulting partner, we focus on process harmonization and standardization.
We relied on a combination of in-depth analysis, SAP standard orientation, and agile implementation:
- Fit-to-standard workshops with the specialist departments to record processes.
- Replacement of unnecessary developments with SAP standard processes.
- Analysis of existing in-house developments and database tables to identify optimization potential.
- Hybrid project approach based on SAP Activate with short, agile iterations for early quick wins.
- Adaptation of mobile SAP dialogs to improve daily work processes.
- Change management with a focus on user-friendliness and multilingualism, including regular onsite meetings and direct collaboration with warehouse staff.
In addition, we provided an add-on as a process accelerator for mobile workflows to map new requirements flexibly and efficiently in SAP.
The results
Thanks to the close collaboration between ITT Cannon and us, the project team was able to make significant progress in a short period of time:
- Processes were unified and standardized, significantly reducing maintenance effort and system complexity.
- User-friendly mobile SAP UI5 dialogs that make warehouse and subcontractor processes more intuitive and secure.
- Increased transparency and stability in warehouse management thanks to the new monitoring tool.
- Rapid implementation of improvements thanks to an agile approach and direct feedback from the specialist departments.
- Strong acceptance in change management, supported by bilingual communication (German/English) and regular on-site support.
Outlook for the future
With the successful launch of the project, ITT Cannon has laid the foundation for sustainable process harmonization. The company is now able to independently map future requirements in the areas of warehouse logistics and subcontractor management in the SAP standard – in an agile, transparent, and user-centered manner.
Two additional add-ons are to be set up:
- HPC.Warehouse Management Monitor – a powerful monitoring tool as an alternative to the SAP EWM Monitor, specifically for ECC systems.
- Mobile Builder – for the rapid development of customized mobile dialogs for warehouse processes, directly by the IT department at ITT Cannon based on SAP UI5.
Thanks to the successful process optimizations, a rollout is planned for the plant in Italy in 2026.
