The volume of spare parts in mechanical engineering is huge and continues to grow. However, many companies are still managing their complex databases of suppliers, product groups and brands in outdated product data systems, some of which are still supplemented by Excel spreadsheets.

Intelligent data management is therefore immensely important for the manufacturing and mechanical engineering industries. Companies that fail to bring flexibility and transparency to their supply chain suffer from competitive disadvantages.

This is because inconsistent product information can very easily cause errors and lead to inefficient work processes. Where there is no central product database, additional costs are automatically incurred; the traditional management of data records is inefficient and uneconomical.

Global, lean and transparent

The global flow of information must be streamlined and transparent, and the IT infrastructure must be resilient enough to cope with all new requirements - even with increasing data volumes and new types of use.

The benefits of intelligent data management are demonstrated very well by the example of automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen. The company is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology. Transmissions, steering systems and axles manufactured here are used in cars, trucks, buses, construction and agricultural machinery. One of the foundations of its success is efficient and centralized product data management for the global development and marketing of spare parts.

The volume of spare parts is huge and continues to grow. And around 180 new cars are launched on the market every year. ZF Services claims to cover 95 percent of the vehicle population with its products. After the launch of new models, the corresponding spare parts must be developed and offered as quickly as possible. A successful time-to-market strategy is crucial for this.

To be successful here, the company needs an efficiently organized flow of information relating to development and marketing. Errors that can occur due to system breaks or duplicate product data maintenance in different systems must be avoided.

High complexity of information

ZF Services decided to centralize the global processes relating to the maintenance of product master data. One challenge here was the high complexity of the information.

Different product groups with individual development processes had to be adequately mapped in the internal data process. At the same time, the global flow of information had to be kept as lean as possible and the IT infrastructure had to be resilient enough to cope with increasing data volumes and future types of use.

ZF Services opted for the Step Master Data Management (MDM) platform from Stibo Systems to manage its product information worldwide. At ZF, the central Step system replaced 15 individual databases over a period of 18 months.

The first phase comprised the management of all product and development information, vehicle data, product relationships and specifications as well as market and measurement data for the largest product sectors, cars and trucks, with around one million items.

From the first development step for a new product, the product managers can create the article centrally in the system so that parallel developments are avoided. This data is then further developed and supplemented until the product is ready for the market.

Data is maintained in the system throughout the entire life cycle until the item is removed from the range. Other systems such as the SAP system are also supplied with information from the MDM system.

Information for the publishing system

The new platform also supplies the publishing system, which is used to develop sales catalogs and materials and provide information for TecDoc. To avoid system discontinuities, these processes will also be carried out directly from Step.

The rollout was accompanied by a change management process supported by the Stibo Systems team, in which the company reorganized its processes relating to product development and data maintenance.

In the beginning, five key users used the system. Today, around 40 ZF Services employees maintain the data. Eventually there will be around 100. ZF Services plans to gradually manage all of its 32 subsidiaries and product groups via the Step platform, so that the system will eventually manage around five million items centrally.

Time-to-market

The system thus provides the basis for the efficient central development, control and distribution of large volumes of data and therefore the basis for a faster time-to-market.

Although the data volumes at ZF are in the terabyte range, the network load remains comparatively low. The solution only sends the data that is actually required via the network. Expanding the system to five million items is therefore economically feasible.

With regard to the management of product information, those responsible believe that they are well equipped for the future, when electromobility and the hybridization of drive systems will lead to a significant increase in new vehicle models.

This example clearly shows how the introduction of an MDM platform as a "single source of truth" for the global control and distribution of product information leads to improved accuracy and validation of product data.

Flexibility and transparency in the supply chain and faster time-to-market ultimately pay off in the form of a higher return on sales. In this way, the manufacturing and mechanical engineering industries can intelligently meet the challenges posed by the increasing volume of data to be managed while at the same time meeting growing customer requirements.

By Christian Oertzen, President EMEA & APAC and Managing Director Stibo Systems Germany