Data management for manufacturing companies | D&TS

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MASTER DATA SOLUTIONS FOR THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

D&TS offers individual solutions for various industries:

food
pharmaceuticals
medical technology
energy suppliers
chemicals
automotive
consumer goods
packaging

The challenge of data quality in spare parts management

For you, as a manufacturing company, it is essential that your plants and machines operate 24/7. The most important prerequisite for this is an efficient spare parts management and an optimal warehousing. From practical experience, we can report that material master data is often inadequately maintained, especially in manufacturing companies. The biggest challenges in data quality are in product and plant data. The most common causes of bad data are human error, lack of understanding, lack of standardization, unclear responsibilities, and lack of processes. The implications for maintenance alone are numerous and result in high losses.

Optimize MRO through good data quality

MRO is the abbreviation of maintenance, repair and overhaul/operation. This refers to everything that concerns procurement for the maintenance of an operation. The availability of spare parts in particular plays a major role here because they ensure that production will continue. But (too) high inventories can cause significant costs. So, maintaining the motto “As many spare parts as necessary, as few as possible!”, it is crucial to find a good balance that optimize inventories and costs, avoid ad hoc ordering, and ensure plant availability.

We support you in sustainably improving the data quality of your spare parts and thus achieving various savings and efficiency increases for maintenance, procurement and purchasing.

D&TS also helps you automate your digital procurement processes via online stores and build a catalog strategy for C-parts and operating materials.

The right solution for every problem

Many manufacturing companies face the same challenges in optimizing the data quality of their spare parts. Which ones are you facing? With our customized and field-tested solutions, you can achieve high and sustainable data quality in your material master data.

Challenge 1:

Unstructured data storage, duplicates and data silos

Material master data is created and maintained at different locations and in local systems. This has created data silos that reduce the quality and reliability of your data. Sources of error arise in business processes, which may lead to wrong strategic decisions.

Solution 1:

Data harmonization, duplicate cleansing and migration to a single point of truth

D&TS creates a common database so that high-quality, cleansed, harmonized and standardized master data is available throughout the company. This increases data transparency, provides greater flexibility and reduces complexity.

Challenge 2:

Lack of transparency in spare parts management

The situation in the warehouse is anything but transparent as spare parts are not clearly identifiable. The result is numerous duplicates. This leads to high costs and a high capital commitment. Missing manufacturer specifications increase expenses by up to 300% as spare parts and accessories are purchased expensively from mechanical engineering companies.

Solution 2:

Classification for unambiguousness and transparency in spare parts management

Increasing the availability of assets and at the same time reducing costs and capital commitment is only possible if the basis, i.e., the data quality (?) is right. With a classification (such as ECLASS), D&TS ensures order in your data. It provides an easy way to search for the right spare parts.

Challenge 3:

Manual processes of material creation and maintenance

Your master data management does not have clear rules and workflows. Duplicates, incorrect and outdated master data slow down their processes. You still manage and maintain your master data using many individual Excel spreadsheets.

Solution 3:

Automated processes for material creation and maintenance

#With D&TS’ IT solutions and selected partner solutions, you can maintain your material master data throughout the company and with maximum data quality. These integrated systems support the traceability of your materials and the ongoing digitalization in your company.

Challenge 4:

Poor supplier integration

Insufficient data quality from suppliers and poor onboarding mean that purchasing cannot fully exploit its potential. Digital procurement processes via data exchange platforms, cloud-based B2B marketplaces (such as Ariba) and catalog systems are not fully utilized due to a lack of acceptance.

Solution 4:

Integration of suppliers into processes

The use of data exchange platforms for suppliers and cloud-based e-procurement solutions improve data quality, ensure transparency and increase the level of automation.

Challenge 5:

Differences in terminology and material short texts

Unlimited terms/designations are entered via your ERP system, including neologisms, incorrect entries or arbitrary changes in designation. In addition, purchase order texts and material short texts are still created manually and are therefore inconsistent and contradictory.

Solution 5:

Generating standardized texts automatically

The “Material short text generation” tool allows you to automatically derive the material short text and the order text in the material master based on defined classification properties. Manual input is unnecessary and material descriptions can be harmoniously built up automatically in all relevant languages.

Challenge 6:

Missing/insufficient product group codes

Your purchasing department struggles with the lack of a suitable basis for strategic initiatives and/or for negotiations. The prerequisite for this is the possibility of a clean and company-wide standardized spend analysis. However, the spare parts are so poorly maintained that the current situation is non-transparent.

Solution 6:

ECLASS as a product group structure

Thanks to AI and IT solutions from D&TS, you can obtain a uniform structure for your data by deriving an industry standard such as ECLASS. You thus achieve maximum data transparency which enables you to perform a clean spend analysis and thus act strategically. This results in cost savings and underscores the value of procurement at the executive level.

D&TS recognizes and understands your challenges!

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Are you facing a data transfer?

Remember that data is the content of your systems. To exploit its potential, i.e., to achieve maximum added value, the quality of your data must be optimal. You are making the most serious mistakes in transferring data when you try to transfer poor quality data into your system. It also does not matter whether you are migrating your master data from SAP R3 to S/4Hana, transferring new data from company acquisitions or implementing an entirely new leading system.

Start on time and, above all, work cleanly because poor data quality inevitably affects the processes and reduces the performance of the system.

We support you in cleansing the master data of your products.

Contact us today

What good data quality does?

Your advantages of cleansed and classified spare parts are clearly optimized processes, less effort and reduced costs in the individual departments

In maintenance

  • Preventive maintenance
  • Inventory reduction with the same spare parts availability
  • Finding spare parts instead of searching for them
  • Increase in availability of plants, i.e., fewer failures and shorter downtimes
  • Inventory optimization
  • Improved know-how through detailed product information

In purchasing and procurement

  • Higher purchasing volumes and better conditions
  • Improved comparability and evaluation of offers
  • Clear order information reduces the communication effort (queries)
  • Reduction of operational costs and efforts around the procurement process
  • Digitalization of procurement processes via data exchange platforms, cloud based B2B marketplaces (such as Ariba) and catalog systems

In production

  • Shortened throughput times in production
  • Reduced machine failures
  • Minimized downtimes
  • Increased productivity

In the warehouse

  • Reduced storage costs
  • Optimized inventory by eliminating duplicates
  • Efficient warehouse utilization
  • Optimized transport of goods
  • Improved incoming goods inspection

Software for your MDM

D&TS IT solutions are specialized systems designed to meet the requirements of material master data and product master data management. They consider all key aspects such as: flexible transfer of material master data, mapping of data to different classification standards, data quality control and a wide range of data migration options via special import and export functionalities.

Learn more

OUR TIP

You can only manage your master data project with a clear plan!

Master data management software is not a panacea, but merely an important component on the path to high data quality. Organization, processes and the integration of the software into the existing IT landscape must also be considered. Prepare carefully: Because without clear goals, without a vision, there is no clear route for your master data management journey.

Do you already know our Workshops?

You need assistance in optimizing your product master data and digitalizing your processes?

Please feel free to call us or simply send us your request by mail.

Sebastian Böttjer

Head of Sales & Project Management