SAP for Automotive
SAP for Automotive is the answer to the specific needs of the automotive industry. The three most important requirements are:
- Fast product development, assembly and delivery to the dealerships and customers
- Process optimisation throughout the entire supply chain
- Smooth cross-company cooperation between suppliers, manufacturers, dealers and customers
With SAP for Automotive all business processes of car manufacturers, components suppliers, dealers and service companies can be managed efficiently and reliably – from supply chain management and logistics planning to integrated production management. In addition: the new features of SAP for Automotive now allow previously required system levels to be integrated into SAP. That saves considerable costs.
Cirquent: Long-term expertise in SAP consulting
As a former subsidiary of the BMW Group, Cirquent has long-term, extensive expertise in optimising the business and IT processes of car manufacturers and components suppliers on the basis of SAP – in procurement, production, logistics, sales and customer support. Cirquent supports its customers in the automotive industry in all issues as regards the strategic, operative and technical deployment of SAP. Better processes, more efficiency and lower costs – this is what the Cirquent consultants will achieve. Cirquent's core SAP competencies include:
- Feasibility studies
- Planning and implementation of business and IT processes
- Testing and start-up
- Planning, consulting and implementation of material flows and warehouse processes
- Management of automatic production and warehouse systems
- Use of transponders (RFID)
- Connecting external systems to SAP
Cirquent for the BMW Group: Efficiency and transparency in warehouse management
The BMW Group has built a new delivery warehouse for rear axle differentials at its Dingolfing location. The car manufacturer asked Cirquent to develop and implement a system for end-to-end IT-supported process control.
Read more about how Cirquent ensures more efficiency and transparency in warehouse management for the BMW Group
The requirements: more efficiency and transparency in the workflows – that was the key task for Cirquent. Among other things, with the new processes the BMW Group wanted to reduce inventories and lower the number of system entry errors. The SAP-based IT landscape was also to be harmonised and heterogeneous stand-alone systems were to be replaced.
The results: warehouse processes are now much more transparent. It was possible to reduce stocks by a third on average. Lead times were also reduced - thanks to optimised driving routes. The first in – first out principle can now be used consistently, which means that parts leave the warehouse faster. This, in turn, reduces the costs for removing rust.
Cirquent's services: Cirquent had responsibility for SAP project management. The consultants handled the IT planning and implementation and provided advice to the BMW Group in terms of process design. Cirquent drafted the start-up plan and carried out and supported the productive start, including training and coaching. Cirquent also provides 3rd-level support.
Cirquent for Modine: Profitable production
Components manufacturer Modine supplies the BMW Group throughout the world with cooling modules and spare parts from its production plant in Wackersdorf in southern Germany. A new system for production management will make workflows more secure and economic.
Read more about how Cirquent developed a new production management system for Modine
The requirements: the most important goal was sequence-related production that manages the many different variants and also remains economic with lot sizes as low as 1. Reliability and dependability during delivery also had to be ensured. The legacy system was to be replaced by an integrated SAP system incorporating the existing forecast delivery schedule processing features.
The results: Modine now produces completely according to the build-to-order principle. It was also possible to more than halve stocks of finished goods from an average of 1.8 days coverage to 0.8 days. Parts can now be produced profitably even with lot sizes as low as 1 and with more variants. With the new system the company is able to deliver just in sequence over several hundred kilometres, which means that no additional sequence delivery warehouse is necessary.
Cirquent's services: Cirquent handled the entire project management and also created and implemented the IT concept. The Cirquent consultants also provided Modine with helpful advice as regards the process design.
