Correct master data in SAP is necessary, but time-consuming and often laborious to implement. The automotive supplier MEKRA Lang GmbH & Co. KG decided to optimize its SAP master data maintenance processes with a digitalized task management system. The APICON Data Master clearly maps workflows for this purpose and optimally controls the data maintenance processes.
Without organizational process support, the creation and permanent maintenance of material numbers in SAP at MEKRA Lang is not feasible. Therefore, before the introduction of a solution integrated into SAP, the necessary activities were entered manually into an Excel list. The problem was that the list could only be opened and edited by one employee at a time. Therefore, the employees saved the file locally at the beginning of the week - and at the end of the week, the many local Excel lists were merged back into one file. This cumbersome procedure resulted in errors. A simple and reliable solution for task management in material creation needed to be implemented.
The first contact between MEKRA Lang and APICON was made during a congress. Soon afterwards, APICON presented its software solution on site at MEKRA Lang, discussed the requirements with all those involved in the project and discussed the possible next steps. The Data Master software proposed by APICON is a certified solution for master data management that is fully integrated into SAP. Data Master offers extensive functions for this, including task management for master data maintenance.
A major advantage over other solutions is the simple mapping of processes in a tree structure. Users can find the tasks they need to complete in their worklist at the click of a mouse. A double-click on a task leads directly to the standard SAP transaction for processing. Further arguments were the simple administration of responsibilities and the fast and cost-effective implementation of the solution by APICON.
MEKRA Lang produces more than eight million exterior mirrors for commercial vehicles every year. Buses, trucks and motorhomes, as well as construction and agricultural machinery, are equipped with mirrors from MEKRA Lang. In addition, there are new products such as camera monitor systems, which are designed according to the latest processes from development to series production. Continuous improvements to products and processes ensure the company's quality leadership. A “Global Player - Made in Germany”.
All users process their tasks directly in SAP. As the SAP standard transaction is used for this, the training required was minimal. Thanks to the intelligence of the Data Master, a fully processed task is automatically completed without the need for any further work by the user. This eliminates the need to update and merge Excel lists in the past. All entries made can be traced both in the SAP history and in a special Data Master log in an audit-proof manner. MEKRA Lang thus achieves the desired simplification and acceleration of data maintenance and at the same time increases process reliability.
Even if MEKRA Lang only uses a small part of the Data Master functionality today, the effect is already enormous. The introduction of the intelligent editor, for example, is conceivable in the future.
This automatically determines field values using rules and thus further automates data maintenance. The modular software concept of the Data Master makes it possible to start small and gradually expand functionality. In this respect, MEKRA Lang still has a lot of potential to exploit.