: From the field: Adaptable ERP guarantees precise delivery dates worldwide

The key to this success story also lies in the digitalization of the various production areas. The areas of engineering, logistics and production are closely and flexibly interwoven. "The company's dynamic development has made digitalization one of the core topics of our corporate strategy," says Head of Global IT Achim Stapf.

"This includes, for example, the automated customer-specific documentation and certification of our products. This is based on RFID marking of the relevant components and their serialization during the production and assembly process, which is carried out using a reading and writing device developed in-house." The heart of the IT landscape is the PSIpenta ERP system. In conjunction with its adaptive extension modules, the software controls the various processes globally, such as warehouse management or export control, and communicates with other MES modules.

The "Multisite" module enables precise control of the locations in all countries. This centralizes data maintenance. Costly and time-consuming processing in the individual plants is no longer necessary. "In an international context, for example, the different legal and tax requirements of the various countries come into play, which the ERP system covers flexibly," explains Achim Stapf.

Gerade auf die angepeilte hundertprozentige Termintreue bei Lieferungen gilt es standortspezifische und globale Daten, wie zum Beispiel das Datum, optimal in Bezug zu setzen.

"Our aim is to be able to determine reliable delivery dates across plant boundaries as early as the order entry stage in the ERP system. To do this, we need a transparent representation of the demand, scheduling and stock situation, again across plant and national borders," says Achim Stapf, describing the approach.

Adaptive modules supplement detailed production planning. Capable-to-Promise (CTP), for example, is used for precise deadline commitments. For this purpose, it compares the need for resources with the storage capacities and production volumes at the start of the order and secures the required stocks. A side effect: bottlenecks are avoided and capacity utilization is increased.

In addition, the "Dynamic Production Alignment" (DPA) module identifies any obstacles and critical paths that could jeopardize the schedule.

The "Self-Regulating Mechanisms" (SRM) module rounds off the process by ensuring precise stocking and corresponding batch sizes. It schedules all parameters relevant to an order and automatically controls the necessary variables.

The result pays off for GEMÜ every day. All areas of the company are connected to each other via the ERP system. Resources, such as stock levels, are bundled at specific geographical hubs. One result: all customers in Europe receive their deliveries directly from the German production and logistics center.

Achim Stapf comments: "In this way, we save resources and effort and have been able to reduce the proportion of tied-up capital. Another decisive factor for us is the transparency in all departments, which is ensured by the optimized interaction between the ERP core and the adaptive modules. The data does not have to be laboriously transferred to a separate system. Instead, the information from the integrated extension modules automatically enriches the data in the ERP core and is immediately available to all users.

The Baden-Württemberg-based company wants to reach the next level in its digital development with an upgrade to PSIpenta 9. "The Camunda workflow engine promises to make adjustments faster and with less risk. We expect this to result in significant time and cost savings," says Stapf, analyzing the new ERP version. It also promises additional benefits for employees thanks to PSI Click Design.