Aiming to migrate from SAP R/3 to S/4 HANA, Schaeffler extensively reviewed all available options to ensure a smooth transition. With 75 plants worldwide, Industrial Engineering (IE) is one of the most complex areas within Schaeffler. The area of responsibility includes the basis of our processes, more precisely the IE master data: parts lists, work plans, work centers and production versions. To achieve our goal, we must ensure correct and complete master data for all our products. Such a measure requires intensive efforts, as Schaeffler currently has around 400,000 work plans and parts lists, as well as more than 2.5 million internal processing steps, and the challenge of creating and maintaining master data is crucial to our future success and competitiveness. Therefore, the search for the ideal solution was given high priority.
As a result of a comprehensive market analysis, Schaeffler initiated a collaboration with APICON, which immediately provided us with a promising tool: Data Master. Initially, only a limited number of functions were used, mainly routing mass changes. Slowly but steadily, Data Master developed into an all-in-one solution for Schaeffler. Due to its great flexibility in customizing and its user-friendly interface, Data Master has proven to be the perfect solution for our data cleansing initiative in preparation for S/4 Hana. The implementation of this tool for all production plants and experienced IE key users was a high priority for us and therefore determined the definition of a new data quality process. With monthly regularity, Data Master 23 provides quality checks across all IE master data objects and delivers detailed and accurate error logs as an integrated function of the data analysis module. As a perfect complement, task management allows us to trigger the person responsible for each plant/segment and IE object to initiate the data cleansing process. Finally, data maintenance completes the Data Master tool by providing a simple and efficient solution for the mass maintenance (changes and mass creation) of errors identified using the other modules. Starting with the ability to make predefined changes with a simple right-click of the mouse, through convenient working with Excel templates, to pure data analysis in the embedded dashboards, the advantages of the Data Master have quickly spread and achieved 100% acceptance at Schaeffler. The Data Master is the perfect tool for all master data-related activities, from quality checks and triggering the necessary resources to integrated corrections.
The story of the Data Master @ Schaeffler does not end here, because we are still striving to expand the capabilities of this tool and add new functions. One of our big goals for the future of the Data Master is to enable automatic error correction in business scenarios for which Schaeffler has already defined a standard solution. This would mean even more efficiency and higher master data quality through a modern tool, the Data Master. Our commitment to Master Data Excellence does not end with the transition to S/4 Hana, but is confronted with new and more challenging goals as part of our strong, long-term and innovative collaboration with APICON.
The Schaeffler Group is a global automotive and industrial supplier. With precision components and systems in engines, transmissions and chassis as well as rolling and plain bearing solutions for a wide range of industrial applications, the Schaeffler Group makes a decisive contribution to mobility. Since its beginnings, Schaeffler has been characterized by groundbreaking innovations and global customer orientation.
The Schaeffler Group's main development locations in Germany are Herzogenaurach, Schweinfurt and Bühl, which are networked with other development centers in Europe, Asia and North and South America.
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"With the APICON Data Master, we have found an SAP-integrated solution for master data management in the central area of industrial engineering for our globally active users. The excellent cooperation with APICON and the joint further development of the Data Master for our requirements have been brilliantly successful. We have achieved an enormous reduction in the effort required to maintain and manage production master data. The solution is already in use worldwide." Calin-Adrian Pintea, Project Manager at Schaeffler
"With the APICON Data Master, we have found an SAP-integrated solution for master data management in the central area of industrial engineering for our globally active users. The excellent cooperation with APICON and the joint further development of the Data Master for our requirements have been brilliantly successful. We have achieved an enormous reduction in the effort required to maintain and manage production master data. The solution is already in use worldwide."
Calin-Adrian Pintea, Project Manager at Schaeffler