Case Study ERP release change as a lever for sustainable value creation
Keller Lufttechnik leveraged the release change of the PSIpenta ERP system to implement consistent, cross-departmental project management. This allows for the efficient combination of product and project views.
To make its project-based processes more transparent, Keller Lufttechnik introduced the Project Structures module as part of an ERP release change. The module provides the company with an integrated view of deadlines, budgets, and milestones, strengthening its control over value creation.
About Keller Lufttechnik
Since 1903, Keller Lufttechnik has developed and produced customized extraction solutions for industrial applications, ensuring clean air in industrial environments. Headquartered in Kirchheim unter Teck, the family-owned company serves customers in the metalworking, chemical, plastics, and wood industries. These industries use dry, wet, or oil mist separators. Keller Lufttechnik employs a total of around 365 people, including its subsidiaries in Switzerland, the USA, and China.
Challenges
As a project-oriented plant manufacturer, Keller Lufttechnik has a long tradition of developing and manufacturing complex extraction solutions. Over the years, customer-specific requirements and the wide variety of variants have led to many in-house developed solutions for scheduling, feedback, and evaluation, among others. While these systems were effective in their respective areas, an overall view of the entire process was lacking.
During the planned migration to a new ERP version, it became clear that the existing structures only represented a small part of actual value creation. Processes such as engineering, assembly, and commissioning, which play a key role in project success, were barely mapped in the ERP system. This resulted in media discontinuity, duplicate data entry, and a lack of transparency, especially regarding project-related deadlines, budgets, and responsibilities.
Therefore, the goal was to map the entire project process—from the initial customer inquiry to receipt of payment—in a uniform system that actively involved all participants. This required shifting the mindset away from individual solutions and toward consistent, structured overall processes.
Objectives
Keller Lufttechnik took advantage of the release change of its ERP system to create a consistent view of all projects, from initial inquiries to production, commissioning, and invoicing. The focus is on transparently mapping the entire value chain across all departments and process phases.
The main objectives
- Consistent project management with milestone planning
- Visualize key success factors
- Identify optimization potential
- Reduce overhead costs through fair project calculation
- Involve all departments in project management
- Cross-project capacity planning
- Integration of existing structures and systems
Solution approach
As part of the ERP release change, Keller Lufttechnik introduced the PSIpenta/Project Structures module. This solution provides a foundation for comprehensive project management throughout the entire value chain, offering consistent structures, clearly defined milestones, and adaptable customization options for each project.
Implementation
The project structures were introduced as part of a release change. Keller collaborated with PSI to develop a standardized project structure. The top level includes key milestones such as the approval of circuit diagrams, delivery dates, and commissioning of the plant. These milestones are supplemented by business targets, such as incoming payments or sales, which can also be tracked via the system. Below that are the relevant activities and process steps, to which responsibilities, deadlines, and status values are assigned. Time budgets are allocated via production orders at another level. Employees record their time directly to these orders.
This well-thought-out structure enables Keller to analyze projects as a whole or in specific dimensions. Responsibilities, deadline compliance, budget status, and critical points can be evaluated and controlled. Additionally, a graphical shop floor tool from Berghof provides an overview of project statuses, and the UCM middleware ensures seamless data exchange with existing systems.
The result
Keller Lufttechnik has taken project management to a whole new level with the new PSIpenta/Project Structures module. All relevant aspects of a project, from technical approval to payment receipt, are systematically recorded, linked, and visible to everyone involved. Specific feedback is provided on prepared structural elements, milestones are monitored, and critical paths are identified early on. This benefits customers as well: Overhead costs are no longer distributed on a flat-rate basis, but rather, are calculated on a project-specific and cause-related basis - an important step towards greater transparency and fairness in pricing.
- A uniform project structure creates cross-departmental transparency
- Clear responsibilities replace individual workarounds
- Understanding overall value creation establishes a foundation for targeted optimizations
- Transparent project costing strengthens customer confidence
The introduction of project structures has changed both our processes and our way of thinking. We have shifted our focus away from departmental boundaries and the end product to a shared understanding of overall value creation.
Experience gained
The changeover demonstrates the importance of having a common understanding of processes. Cross-departmental workshops create transparency about key areas and foster a new awareness of company-wide optimization. This project sparks networked thinking across processes, structures, and IT.
Conclusion
By introducing project structures, Keller Lufttechnik modernized its ERP landscape and initiated a shift toward integrated processes and cross-departmental collaboration. This combination of technical clarity and strategic controllability opens up new possibilities for more efficient processes, transparent value creation, and the sustainable development of project-based business.
