Overview

Digital manufacturing in mechanical engineering with SAP: Modern store floor at DMG MORI AG

top MES creates consistent transparency worldwide for DMG MORI AG, reduces coordination effort and enables more efficient decisions thanks to digital manufacturing in mechanical engineering with SAP. The plants in Seebach and Bielefeld are examples of how a uniform production standard works in practice.

From the very first step into the production halls of DMG MORI AG in Seebach, Thuringia, you can feel the special dynamics of production: machines whirring, around 30 driverless transport systems moving through the plant at a steady pace. Together they form the FlowLine – the production line for highly varied 5-axis machines. Teams assemble large machines in separate assembly islands, while workers manufacture components for the DMG MORI machines in another hall. Automation solutions connect the machines and keep the entire process flowing.

The picture is similar in Bielefeld, but with a different approach: the focus is on the timing of the employees, according to which the machines are built at fixed, structured and well-organized assembly islands.

Despite the different approaches, both plants have one central point in common: the machines are produced in a wide range of variants, often as individual configurations or even with a special design component. The employees accompany each machine throughout the entire process, test assemblies, assemble components and integrate customer-specific automation solutions.

It is precisely this diversity that makes Seebach and Bielefeld the ideal reference plants for a global rollout – and the perfect starting points for modernizing the store floor in parallel with the Group-wide S/4HANA transformation.

 

top MES: One platform for all production worlds in digital manufacturing in mechanical engineering with SAP

DMG MORI therefore decided to initially introduce a modern Manufacturing Execution System (MES) in the European plants of DMG MORI AG. It was to serve as a central integration and information platform and bundle all data and functions directly relevant to the store floor in one place. At the same time, the company needed a solution that met three requirements:

• It supports both mechanical production and the highly varied assembly of individual machines.
• It fits seamlessly into SAP S/4HANA.
• It can be applied to all of the Group’s plants – including those of the Japanese parent company.

DMG MORI AG found this solution in top MES from top flow. “We needed a system that understood both mechanical production and the highly varied assembly of individual machines,” says Yannic Reese, Head of IT SCM. “top MES seemed to be exactly the right choice: flexible and adaptable, yet easy to administer. As an SAP add-on, it also fitted in perfectly with our overall IT strategy.”

 

On the store floor – for the store floor

With this decision behind them, the mechanical engineering group and top flow quickly began implementing digital manufacturing in mechanical engineering with SAP. Both teams worked closely together right from the start. Departments, IT and production worked side by side, recognizing many issues early on and solving them directly on the store floor. This allowed them to try out and adapt new solutions immediately.

To ensure that planning and execution run at the same pace, the project team linked top MES closely to SAP PP/DS and added SAP-integrated employee scheduling. Changes to priorities or processes appear immediately on the terminals and mobile devices. This creates clarity for the workers, stability for the foremen and a continuous flow for the plants as a whole.

 

Single machine assembly, digitally decrypted

Even the first tours of the halls in Seebach and Bielefeld clearly showed that default settings are not enough here. The assembly of highly varied machines and the mechanical production make requirements that are too specific for this. The joint project team therefore took a close look at processes, exceptions and real error cases – and developed functions that make both complex batch size 1 assemblies and diverse small series manageable.

• Integrated web apps – everything in one place

Many existing applications are based on SAP Fiori. Now they are embedded directly in top MES – including the transfer of relevant parameters. Workers no longer switch between systems, but work consistently via one interface.

• UI guidance – clear entry, less training

The interface proactively shows the entry point, next steps and the currently installed variant. This stabilizes the cycle, reduces queries and makes it easier for new employees to get started.

• Process-relevant information – directly visible in the MES

All important information for the respective machine is now available directly in the MES. The workers can see at any time which steps and components are required for the current machine – even with high variance in assembly and production.

• Traceability at component level – every part with a digital history

For DMG MORI AG, it is crucial to be able to track installed components seamlessly – internally for quality assurance, and in regulated industries additionally due to legal requirements. Today, the workers record serial numbers directly via hand scanners in top MES. This means that every component can be traced back to the customer.

• Plausibility checks – clean messages instead of error chains

The MES automatically checks every confirmation for completeness. If an assembly is missing or a serial number is incorrect, the worker is notified immediately. In this way, typical errors are intercepted directly on the line – before they continue through logistics, quality or controlling.

• Production dashboards – orientation instead of lists

Dashboards show the entire process as a visual map. The interface follows DMG MORI’s CI – familiar, functional, fast. DMG MORI AG uses the dashboarding solution from top flow for the creation, with which new visualizations can be developed flexibly. And: The terminals also work with gloves.

 

Digital manufacturing in mechanical engineering with SAP – top MES convinces right from the start

These measures quickly had an effect on the employees. When the Bielefeld team saw the dashboards for the first time, something atypical for IT projects happened: Satisfied faces from everyone involved. Perhaps not the kind of jubilation that comes with a pleasant private experience, but genuine joy at a much more employee-friendly working environment. The tenor: “At last I can see where my job is”; “At last I no longer have to ask”; “At last everything fits together.”

The employees in Seebach reacted in a very similar way: easier to use, cleaner data, greater transparency. A key success factor was the early establishment of a key user network and the involvement of the Local Process Integration Managers. They were present on the store floor every day, helped immediately with questions and ensured that knowledge was created where it was needed.

But it’s not just the workers who see the benefits of the new system: “Managers now have a complete and reliable overview of machines, orders and performance,” emphasizes Yannic Reese. “They can now make decisions based on clean and consistent data, identify bottlenecks more quickly and plan capacities better.”

 

Conclusion: Digital manufacturing in mechanical engineering with SAP as a guide to the future

In short, both plants now provide real-time data on machines, orders and employee deployment. Decisions are based on facts, not gut feeling. Documentation is paperless and error-free and standardized interfaces facilitate training and flexible resource planning.

Seebach and Bielefeld thus stand for a new standard that DMG MORI wants to use worldwide in the future – as a reference plant and blueprint for the further digitalization of production. Five plants are already working with top MES, two more will follow in 2026. Around 2,000 employees will be using the system by 2027 – and in the medium term, the company wants to use top MES in all 18 production plants.

In the future, top MES will ensure orientation, consistency and efficiency worldwide, making it the digital bracket for global production.

“We always had the feeling that top flow was not simply selling a solution, but working with us to develop the best solution for DMG MORI,” summarizes Yannic Reese.

 

The highlights for DMG MORI

• Common digital basis for different production worlds
• Consistent transparency across machines, orders and processes
• Fewer errors and rework thanks to plausibility checks and clean data
• Reduced workload for employees thanks to intuitive interfaces and integrated tools
• Basis for international rollouts and further digitalization steps

 

“With top MES, we now have a system that connects our plants, simplifies processes and puts decisions on a reliable data basis.”

Yannic Reese, Head of IT SCM at DMG MORI

 

 

 

 

 

 

DMG MORI STOCK CORPORATION

• Registered office: Bielefeld / Headquarters: Munich*
• Industry: Mechanical engineering
• Portfolio: Machine tools with automation and digitalization solutions, services, spare parts
• Locations: 128 locations, incl. 18 production plants
• Employees: approx. 13,500 worldwide
• Internet: en.dmgmori.com

* DMG MORI AG is part of DMG MORI. The ultimate parent company is DMG MORI CO. LTD (Tokyo).

Success Story DMG MORI AG



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Overview