Overview

More transparency in the processes

Digital files in SAP for purchasing and sales at ZOLLERN

When the two halves of the world’s largest domed roof open, precise forces are at work: 16 cable winches, each with a pulling force of 50 tons, have been installed by the long-established company ZOLLERN in Singapore’s National Stadium. They reliably ensure that up to 55,000 spectators in the multi-purpose stadium are protected from the monsoon rain – or that the grass surface gets sun and fresh air when needed.

Cable winches for special applications are just a small part of what the metalworking company has to offer: the spectrum ranges from the series production of millions of turbocharger wheels just a few centimetres in size to individually manufactured ship propellers weighing several tons. With 15 production sites, ZOLLERN has a global presence and supplies customers from demanding sectors such as power generation, automotive engineering, aerospace, marine industry and mechanical engineering. At the same time, the Swabians have remained true to their roots: ZOLLERN has been managed from its headquarters in Sigmaringen since the company was founded over 300 years ago.

Complex processes with a high level of documentation

ZOLLERN supplies a wide range of industries with products, some of which are highly specialized. This makes for complex processes. “The requirements for gearboxes for wind turbines differ fundamentally from investment castings for aviation. The project processes are correspondingly complex – from sales to production to purchasing,” says Norbert Geiger. He is head of the IT department at ZOLLERN and is deeply involved in the processes. “To ensure that everything runs smoothly, the unhindered exchange of information between the company divisions is crucial.” For example, a sales employee first records customer requirements and technical details for an investment casting housing. The project team then determines the conditions under which the project can be implemented before the sales employee prepares quotations and specifies them with the customer. Numerous documents that are important for different departments are created at this stage. When concrete contract negotiations start and production finally begins, many more are added.

Mergingdigital information

Previously, employees at ZOLLERN created paper-based files – for customers and suppliers, among others. All information and correspondence was managed in hanging folders. When sales employees communicated with their customers, they would then print out the emails and attachments and file them. As a result, it could happen that quotation letters that were originally already available digitally were printed first, only to be scanned in again for a later work step and sent by email. But if a colleague had taken a technical drawing from the folder, it was not available to anyone else. Then there was only a note stating who had the paper. As a result, quotation and order processes were not transparent and the current status could only be queried through time-consuming and cumbersome searches.

Over time, individual filing systems and workflows developed side by side. For Norbert Geiger, this was an unsatisfactory situation: “Individual employees may have found a workable way for themselves. For example, colleagues managed purchasing projects via their Windows Explorer. But there was no central place where all information on customers, projects or suppliers could flow together digitally and be easily accessible.” The impetus to fundamentally tackle digitization finally came at the beginning of 2010: “Colleagues in accounting were already managing outgoing invoices with archiving software and we talked about ways to extend digital data organization to other areas,” says Norbert Geiger. Together with other departments, the IT manager drew up a comprehensive list of requirements for a suitable ECM solution.

High level of integration for seamless document exchange

In addition to the required transparency, simple and consistent operation was at the top of the list for Norbert Geiger: “Some users had reservations about the previous user guidance in SAP ERP. But only software that is easy to use will be accepted by users.” Things like comprehensive drag & drop between Windows Explorer, Microsoft Office and SAP ERP were also required. All document types such as emails, Office files, PDFs, CAD drawings or ERP documents had to be able to flow into electronic workflows. To achieve this, the ECM solution had to be able to be deeply integrated into the SAP system and at the same time be easily connected to Microsoft Windows. Norbert Geiger: “Only a few providers were able to offer seamless integration into SAP ERP.”

ZOLLERN sounded out the market and finally shortlisted three providers. top flow was given the opportunity to present the ECM software top xRM in a sandbox system. “We were immediately impressed by the combination of deep integration, functional diversity and ease of use,” says Norbert Geiger. “We also noticed in our discussions with top flow that we received plausible answers to our questions. They showed how flexibly the software can be adapted to special requirements – without having to program a new release first.” This is where top flow played a special trump card: Because top xRM is written in the SAP programming language ABAP. There are no error-prone and performance-hungry interfaces. As a result, top flow was awarded the contract to map the entire sales and purchasing processes via digital files.

Silent implementation

In September 2010, the go-ahead was given for the implementation of the new ECM software. In order to conserve resources at ZOLLERN, only two other employees were involved in the project alongside Norbert Geiger. The project team was always kept up to date by top flow with VISIO presentations. “Our involvement was very manageable and in line with what top flow had announced,” says the IT manager. During the entire time, colleagues from Purchasing and Sales were able to continue working unhindered. ZOLLERN was particularly pleased that the costs for top flow also remained clearly within the previously mentioned framework. Norbert Geiger emphasizes: “When you see that the provider calculates seriously, it naturally creates trust.”

The go-live for top xRM took place on March 1, 2011 – initially at the headquarters in Sigmaringen. Norbert Geiger and his colleagues created training documents that key users used to quickly familiarize their colleagues with the software. This also made it possible to prepare the roll-out for the twelve sales branches and several purchasing branches.

“Thanks to top xRM, we now have an ECM solution that makes the entire business process available at a glance via its digital files. It has enabled us to establish cross-location and highly efficient workflows.”

Norbert Geiger, Head of the IT department at ZOLLERN

Today, a total of 150 employees from Sales and 50 employees from Purchasing use top xRM. In addition, there are a further 350 colleagues who need sporadic insight into the processes or access to files. For all of them, the convenience and speed gains are enormous, says Norbert Geiger. They can now view customer data and immediately switch to the status of the associated production order. Or they can write quotation emails directly from the file and all the necessary documents are automatically attached. “Functions like this make work much easier,” says Norbert Geiger with satisfaction. “Above all, we have the current status of information at a glance. This speeds up workflows and makes us more productive.”

Users appreciate convenience and speed

The employees at ZOLLERN are correspondingly impressed. Encouraged by their positive experiences, the company decided to digitize its contract management as well. Previously, there was no quick overview of terms, deadlines and approvals in the contracts, which were managed decentrally. Merging order or project-related contracts was time-consuming: all documents, draft versions or additional agreements first had to be requested and sent. Today, ZOLLERN manages the contract originals centrally at its Swabian headquarters. Their digitized versions, on the other hand, can be retrieved from any location. They are logically linked to the associated customer information and project data via the contract file from top xRM. Even complex issues can now be clarified much more quickly. “In fact, we also manage all defined contract templates and drafts from the file,” says Norbert Geiger. And when the IT manager wants to react to new requirements, he is supported by two particular strengths of top xRM: firstly, the extensive parameterization of functions and secondly, the ABAP programming language used. This makes top xRM an open system for every SAP developer.

Success Story top xRM – ZOLLERN GmbH & Co. KG



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Overview