At LeapGreat, we take a make-to-order manufacturing approach to delivering SAP ERP. This contrasts sharply with the conventional engineering mindset that dominates our industry—collecting numerous engineer CVs, beginning with blueprinting, and then specifying and architecting the system collaboratively. This approach is akin to crafting a unique, custom-built product from scratch.
In contrast, LeapGreat adopts a manufacturing mindset. This shift is inspired by the automotive industry’s transition from engineer-to-order projects to make-to-order manufacturing. Let’s explore how this manufacturing approach benefits ERP implementations, drawing parallels with automation in BASF’s chemical manufacturing and Coca-Cola’s bottling and packaging processes.
The Make-to-Order Manufacturing Approach to ERP Implementation
Early Visibility and Continuous Improvement:
LeapGreat emphasizes early visibility in ERP projects, akin to modern manufacturing practices. Instead of following the traditional phased approach where detailed system visibility comes late, LeapGreat implements a working system early. This method allows immediate interaction, feedback, and iterative refinement, significantly reducing risks and costs.
Example:
Imagine the complexity and efficiency of today’s car manufacturing. Initially, car manufacturing was an engineer-to-order process, much like traditional ERP implementations. Every car was custom-built, resulting in high costs, long lead times, and unpredictable quality. Over time, the automotive industry evolved into a make-to-order manufacturing process, where standardized components and automated production lines enable customized cars’ rapid and cost-effective delivery.
Similarly, LeapGreat’s FrontLoad™ approach transforms ERP implementation from an engineer-to-order to a make-to-order process. By starting with a running system and refining it through iterative cycles, LeapGreat reduces project duration and cost while enhancing system quality and user adoption.
LeapGreat’s Automated Factory and Test Drive:
- Automated Factory: LeapGreat’s automated factory iteratively manufactures the customer’s working ERP system, incorporating feedback and making necessary adjustments.
- Risk-Free Test Drive: Before committing to the project, customers can take their system for a free ‘test drive.’ This risk-free trial provides an authentic experience with the system’s capabilities, ensuring informed decisions about the project’s scope and requirements.
LeapGreat’s manufacturing approach to SAP ERP implementation offers significant benefits through early visibility and continuous improvement. By adopting methodologies from advanced manufacturing processes, LeapGreat ensures that ERP projects are cost-effective, efficient, and aligned with business needs. This innovative approach positions LeapGreat as a catalyst for the industrialization of the ERP industry, mirroring the transformation seen in car manufacturing.
BASF’s Automation Enhancements
Overview:
BASF, the world’s largest chemical manufacturer, partnered with Emerson to modernize its automation systems at the Lampertheim facility in Germany. This upgrade involved installing Emerson’s DeltaV PK Controllers and replacing older programmable logic controllers. The new system integrates with BASF’s existing infrastructure, reducing modernization costs and complexity.
Benefits:
- Early Visibility into Production Processes: Enhancements provide BASF with early visibility into its production processes, enabling minimal start-up times for new production batches and efficient production switches.
- Cost and Complexity Reduction: Integrating existing infrastructure lowers modernization costs and complexity.
- Advanced Cybersecurity Measures: Upgraded systems include advanced cybersecurity measures to protect automation systems from potential threats.
Parallels to LeapGreat:
Starting with LeapGreat’s FrontLoad™ approach offers early visibility into the SAP system, similar to BASF’s real-time production process insights. This early visibility enables timely adjustments and optimizations, reducing start-up times and increasing efficiency.
Coca-Cola’s Automation in Bottling and Packaging
Overview:
Coca-Cola has significantly benefited from automation in its bottling and packaging processes. Partnering with Siemens, Coca-Cola implemented a standardized automation and control process to increase production capacity and reduce maintenance levels. This standardization provides early visibility into production, allowing for dynamic schedule adjustments and effective supply chain management.
Benefits:
- Early Visibility in Production: Standardized automation processes provide early production visibility, enabling dynamic schedule adjustments and effective supply chain management.
- Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility: Coca-Cola Consolidated adopted the FourKites solution for real-time supply chain visibility, integrating with truck carriers’ GPS and electronic logging devices to provide estimated arrival times and enhance warehouse scheduling.
- Improved Logistics and Inventory Management: Investments in automated guided vehicles and fully automated warehouses improve efficiency and capacity, ensuring prompt customer demand fulfillment.
Parallels to LeapGreat:
LeapGreat’s FrontLoad™ approach offers similar early visibility into the SAP system, allowing organizations to adjust configurations and manage processes effectively and dynamically. This insight optimizes schedules, manages resources, and ensures the SAP system aligns with business needs.
By embracing early visibility and iterative refinement, LeapGreat helps organizations achieve successful, cost-effective, and timely ERP transformations without disruption, setting a new standard in SAP ERP implementations.
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