Ascheim/Dornach, 11 July 2024 – The fischer group is a leading global supplier of longitudinally welded stainless steel tubes and components. According to its own figures, the group, based in Achern-Fautenbach (Baden-Württemberg), manufactures 127 million metres of tubes per year. The workers handle more than 162,000 tonnes of material. This results in products that go beyond the standard and are customised to customer requirements. The entire process – from slit strip to the manufacture of complex components – is monitored and continuously refined by specialists. In addition, the fischer group is involved in the development of high-performance battery storage systems.
In order to future-proof its ERP system so that innovative technologies such as analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, supply chain planning and the latest FI/CO topics are covered in the medium to long term, the fischer group has decided to switch to S/4HANA.
Because the tried-and-tested system had already been in place for several years and the company wanted to start the new era with a fresh approach, the management opted for a greenfield approach. The goal was to create a production environment that is also equipped for future technologies, provides better transparency and traceability on the shop floor, in production and in the MES, and reflects the latest developments and technologies in the field of quality management – such as the connection of measuring machines in production and laboratories.
Working on a project with CONSILIO means a good fit both professionally and personally. They are competent consultants who know what they are talking about – and they engage with you as an equal.
The changeover not only consolidated the entire system, i.e. replaced third-party systems or integrated parts of them into S/4, but the SAP experts also adapted the planning interfaces to customer requirements. The overall result is a comprehensive system with improved transparency on the shop floor, in production and in the MES.
At the beginning of April 2024, the four main plants in Achern-Fautenbach were converted to S/4 in a big bang approach, with smaller plants in the surrounding regions following suit.
During the S/4 Greenfield Private Cloud implementation, CONSILIO provided support in the areas of production, planning, quality management, technology & development, EWM & logistics, and finance, thereby contributing significantly to the successful go-live.
In the weeks that followed, all production facilities and areas at the Achern site were scaled up to full capacity and reached the same volume as before the changeover. CONSILIO supported this process by providing training for key users.
CONSILIO is now taking over the hypercare phase. CONSILIO's SAP specialists are optimising new processes, rectifying any errors that arise and adapting the process structures to everyday business operations to ensure a smooth project completion.
Transparency in logistics and manufacturing has increased enormously at fischer. Friction losses between processes have now been minimised and those responsible can say straight away how and where their goods are being produced – this makes scheduling much easier.
Further cooperation is assured
In July 2024, the fischer group will transfer its entire AMS service across all areas, including consulting and optimisation, to CONSILIO. This lays the foundation for a long-term, trusting partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to further develop and jointly manage and implement projects with the fischer group in the areas of SD, PP, QM, PP/DS, EWM, procurement, GTS, technology & development, finance, controlling, and basis & authorisations. CONSILIO will also provide support for further rollouts at companies worldwide in the future.