09.09.2025
Success Story: Digitizing Production Control
Science fiction or reality? A production order comes in, and within seconds every machine, every tool, every workstation knows exactly what to do. No manual entries, no queries, no errors. What sounds like science fiction has already become reality at a leading automation group with annual sales of €6.2 billion.
The starting point: complexity as a daily challenge
The international industrial group, with over 30,000 employees worldwide and a presence in more than 30 countries, faced an enormous challenge: in modern manufacturing, countless product variants in different configurations have to be produced every day. The product portfolio covers eleven different areas – from assembly technology and electric drives to mobile robotics.
Each order required individual adjustments – from selecting the right tools to configuring complex manufacturing parameters for NC machines or assembly robots. The problem was not only the sheer complexity, but also the high manual work preparation effort. Every time a product was changed, documents and data had to be manually updated in work preparation – a time-consuming and error-prone process that severely limited the company's agility.
Particularly challenging: each individual customer order requires a customized configuration before the product can be manufactured. Variant-rich products in small quantities require maximum flexibility and precision.
The turning point: Three years of development lead to the solution
After three years of internal project development, the company chose SAP Product and Process Governance (PPG) as the optimal solution. The goal was ambitious: a fully automated process was to take over program selection, parameter configuration, and the transmission of work instructions completely.
For the “factory of the future,” digital manufacturing is the key element in realizing personalized, customer-specific configured products.
The solution: Intelligent five-component system
The solution implemented by BDF EXPERTS seamlessly connects five core components:
1. SAP ERP – The central database for all production orders
2. SAP PPG – Intelligent configuration logic with relationship knowledge
3. SAP BTP / Production Data Management Connector – System integration
4. SAP DM – Production control and shop floor connection
5. Shop floor components – Direct machine connection (tool selection, NC controls, test stations, etc.)
Three-phase implementation with expert knowledge
The project was implemented in three different phases:
Phase 1: Requirements gathering and analysis
All requirements were gathered, analyzed, and categorized according to their importance.
Phase 2: Prototype development
A prototype platform was developed to determine the optimal approach by considering existing possibilities and consolidating the actual requirements.
Phase 3: Detailed optimization and go-live
Detailed optimizations were carried out based on the insights gained. The go-live initially took place in a pilot application with complete PPG-DM integration.
Automated control of complex production lines – technical implementation in detail
Up to 300 production orders are processed daily on the production lines, with essentially similar end products configured differently in each individual case. A typical production line consists of a large number of individual work steps at several interlinked stations. Although SAP ERP manages the entire line as a single work center, SAP PPG enables detailed data preparation for each individual work step and transfer of the results in accordance with the organization of production order processing in the SAP DM system.
The system automatically generates set point groups (configurations) and work instructions for each work step. In the first part of the program run, various configurations are generated fully automatically from a production order on the PPG side according to the number of individual work steps (= PDP = Production Data Package) and transmitted to the production line via a data file in JSON format that SAP DM can process automatically.
Production Operator Dashboard: Focus on user-friendliness
The Production Operator Dashboard makes complexity manageable for workers and supports various user groups:
For production managers:
- Manage and approve orders
Comprehensive reports and real-time analyses
Monitoring of all production lines
For prodction employees:
- Manage SFCs (shop floor controls) – designations for material instances in the manufacturing process
- Intuitive process control (start, stop, complete)
- Digital work instructions in the form of documents, videos, or 3D animations
- Automatic error messages and data collection
- Four clearly arranged dashboard areas with all relevant information
The breakthrough: measurable success
The result of the implementation is impressive: what used to require manual effort in work preparation now runs fully automatically. The system enables:
- Drastic reduction in error rates through validated configurations
- Significant increase in process reliability through automated parameter transfer
- Considerable reduction in work preparation effort in all departments
- Improved responsiveness to product changes through centralized data management
- Automatic generation of work instructions in various formats
Centralized data management revolutionizes working methods
By using SAP PPG, all parameters are managed and documented centrally in the ERP system. Adjustments no longer have to be made manually in different departments—all parties involved work on the same data and system basis. If a change is made, it is automatically visible to everyone.
The relationship knowledge and its central mapping enable the correct configuration to be automatically generated and transmitted to the DM as soon as a specific product design is to be manufactured.
Future-proofing through digitalization
This project exemplifies how Industry 4.0 works in practice. With 40 locations worldwide, one-third of which are in Germany, and sales and service partners in 80 countries, the automation group has not only mastered its current challenges but is also optimally positioned for future requirements.
Centralized management of all manufacturing parameters enables the company to respond quickly and flexibly to market changes. The production data management system makes it economically feasible to produce personalized, customer-specific products of the highest quality.
Intelligent production control is more than just a technical innovation—it is the key to sustainable competitiveness in an increasingly digitalized industrial world.
Ready for your production revolution?
Are you facing similar challenges in your manufacturing operations? Would you like to automate manual processes and prepare your production for the future?
BDF EXPERTS can help you with:
- Analysis of your current production processes with detailed identification of weak points
- Development of customized digitalization solutions based on SAP PPG
- Implementation with SAP PPG and Digital Manufacturing Cloud in proven project phases
- Sustainable support for long-term success and continuous optimization
Let us work together to make your vision of smart manufacturing a reality—just like we did for this leading automation group.
More about BDF EXPERTS
BDF EXPERTS is the brand name of bdf consultants GmbH, a leading SAP Silver/SolEx partner with comprehensive expertise in the areas of digital supply chain and corporate finance & treasury. For more than 25 years, BDF EXPERTS has been helping companies achieve measurable value creation through end-to-end digitalized processes based on SAP ERP and S/4HANA.
In the area of digital supply chain, BDF EXPERTS has developed particular expertise in holistic data management. With SAP PPG (Product and Process Governance), BDF EXPERTS offers an innovative solution for the central control of all product and process data in SAP, thereby creating the basis for data-driven business models.
Its customers range from innovative medium-sized companies such as Groz-Beckert and Thermofin to global corporations such as Schüco, Haniel, Hilti, Bitburger, thyssenkrupp, and many more. The company employs 65 people at its locations in Düsseldorf and Munich.
Website: https://bdfexperts.de/en#home
