RRC power solutions: SAP ERP rollout and ORBIS MES for seamless connection of ERP and shop floor levels
ORBIS Solutions: ORBIS Distributed Shopfloor Processing, ORBIS Manufacturing Execution System
Sectors: Electro and electronic industry
Processes: Rollout, Manufacturing
References: RRC power solutions
RRC power solutions is establishing end-to-end processes between the ERP and shop floor levels at its plant in Vietnam through an SAP ERP roll-out and the decentralized installation of the ORBIS MES solution optimized for battery production. This enables a clear overview of the production work at all times and seamless documentation of the production steps. ORBIS SE competently supported the SAP rollout as well as the conception and realization of the MES.
Sector: Energy and power supply
Production sites: Homburg
Products: from standard and custom battery packs and chargers to car adapters and other relevant accessories
Employees: 250 to 500 employees worldwide
Website: www.rrc-ps.com
Ventilation equipment maintains the breathing function of patients who can no longer breathe independently and ensures that the lungs are supplied with oxygen. During the coronavirus pandemic, artificial respiration was able to save the lives of many people whose lung function was severely impaired by a COVID-19 infection.
Market leader for batteries for ventilation equipment
One thing that most people don’t realize is that in order to work reliably around the clock, without risk of failure, this equipment needs special lithium-ion batteries like the kind developed, manufactured, and marketed by RRC power solutions GmbH (RRC). The lithium-ion battery systems of the internationally active company based in Homburg, Saarland, are used in three quarters of all the world’s ventilation equipment. The company is the market leader in this sector. RRC’s battery packs and energy solutions are also used in other fields of application in medical technology, such as in defibrillators, infusion pumps, and patient monitors. They are used in a wide range of test and measurement devices, in satellite telephones, in robots and drones, and in IoT products.
To secure and systemically expand on its leading position as a battery pack manufacturer, the company, which was founded in 1989, pursues an internationally oriented expansion strategy. RRC also makes major investments in its research and development capacities, especially at its site in Vietnam (Hai Phong City), which is its hub for Southeast Asia.
An important factor when it comes to efficiently advancing growth and business development, however, is having an integrated and future-proof IT landscape with integrated digital and transparent processes from the ERP back end down to the shop floor. RRC has set up the foundations for this in good time. For many years now, the company has mapped its commercial processes in the business solution SAP ERP (SAP ECC 6.0), which is installed centrally in Homburg and brings the sites in the US, Hong Kong, and China together under one IT roof. The new site in Vietnam is now also connected to the central SAP ERP system following a recent rollout.
In the course of the rollout, the SAP system was customized to suit the processes used in Vietnam, the local account plan was set up in the FI module, and the EDI interfaces were configured to map the intercompany processes. The battery pack and charger manufacturer also integrated the SAP PP module for production planning at the Vietnam site and the SAP CO module for financial control purposes.
Optimized MES for a clear overview of production
In parallel with the SAP rollout, RRC installed a manufacturing execution system (MES) in Vietnam based on the solution ORBIS MES, which is precisely tailored to the process requirements that apply there and which can be seamlessly integrated into the SAP ERP system. The MES is implemented locally on a decentralized basis, so the systems in production are able to run regardless of the availability of the central ERP system in Germany.
„The decentralized MES solution ORBIS MES gives us a clear overview of production at all times. End users, from machine operators to production and plant managers, are thus able to monitor shop floor processes seamlessly.“
Dr. Jens Müller-Iden, Director Digital & IT at RRC power solutions GmbH
„The decentralized solution ORBIS MES gives us a clear overview of the production at all times. End users, from machine operators to production and plant managers, are thus able to monitor shop floor processes seamlessly“, says Dr. Jens Müller-Iden, Director Digital & IT at RRC power solutions GmbH. Thanks to this transparency, all production components are also fully traceable. This is important with regard to the quality standards and certifications that are needed to supply international customers in the medical technology and medical equipment industry.
Data hub between shop floor and SAP ERP
The seamless integration between ORBIS MES and SAP ERP also provides a consistent process and data flow from the commercial level down to the connected plants, and vice versa. „ORBIS MES functions as a ‘hub,’ transferring product and process data from the plants in Vietnam directly to the SAP back end in Homburg and, in the other direction, supplying the machines with jobs and planning data from SAP ERP,“ explains Dr. Jens Müller-Iden.
ORBIS MES also provides important event data and key figures (KPIs) in real time that are used by production engineering to identify additional optimization potential on the shop floor and to continuously increase the efficiency of plants and processes.
An optimized MES in just three months
To help it tackle the challenges involved in rolling out the SAP, designing and developing an ORBIS MES optimized for battery production and integrated into SAP, and setting up the shop floor reporting in Vietnam, RRC was looking for a suitable IT partner. They opted for ORBIS SE, a company that won them over with its expertise in SAP solutions and shop floor processes.
Thanks to the collaborative partnership and extreme dedication of the RRC and ORBIS teams and the rigorous project management, the SAP ERP rollout and the SAP PP and ORBIS MES launch were concluded successfully on schedule in just three months. The planned budget was also adhered to.
One particularly big challenge was realizing the specific MES add-on functions for battery production. The RRC-ORBIS project team were able to define the production processes, complete the technical design of the operating and machine data logging, and implement everything in ORBIS MES on schedule, however, thanks to their close collaboration and iterative approach.
ORBIS DSP links plants to ORBIS MES
The plants, starting with the testing and welding equipment, were linked via the „asset units“ of the new EDGE components of ORBIS Distributed Shopfloor Processing (ORBIS DSP), which enable real-time interoperability between the machines and the production and logistics processes. „The ORBIS MES components were then installed by our internal IT team independently, with support provided by ORBIS at various points. We also map technical operations and initial support internally, with ORBIS on hand to help us as a partner with in-depth analysis as needed,“ explains Dr. Jens Müller-Iden.
And it doesn’t stop there, with new developments including an expansion of production cost management in SAP ERP. ORBIS is also providing support with the creation of the annual financial statements in SAP CO and is helping in the shop floor area by implementing further developments in ORBIS MES in connection with change requests.