Case Study
Digital Manufacturing for Howdens Kitchens
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Real-time product traceability and production model transformation from make-to-stock to make-to-order at a greenfield factory
Where: France
Where: France
Challenge
Howdens Joinery is a leading fitted-kitchen manufacturer, serving in the United Kingdom and France at more than 800 depot locations and more than 10,000 products across kitchens, joinery, white goods, work surfaces and hardware. The company asked for an integration among existing SAP ERP and MES with a new supply chain, to ensure real-time product traceability and transform their production model from make-to-stock to make-to-order.
Approach
First, our experts delivered a proof-of-concept based on one of Howdens Joinery existing production lines, which operated on an on-premises SAP MES solution. Our proposed solution leveraged SAP Digital Manufacturing (SAP DM) to transition the customer’s production model, connect MES and ERP via the cloud and create a closed-loop supply chain. Following customer approval, the solution delivery and integration phase took place at their greenfield site.
Digital Ecosystem
Solution
Digital Ecosystem
To expand the variety of kitchen colors offered to customers, we transformed the manufacturing from a make-to-stock to a make-to-order model. To face the increased complexity that comes with targeted manufacturing, we delivered end-to-end system integration and developed a new supply chain process for manageable, traceable, efficient production.
We integrated SAP DM with the customer’s existing SAP ERP Central Component to enable the automatic sharing of product information in real-time as well as access to advanced analytics that support informed decision-making. Now, at the end of production, the customers customized order can be tracked in the supply chain, aggregated, packed and delivered to customers through an easy-to-use digital ecosystem of integrated SAP products.
Results
Simplyfied product offering management
Traceability of customized parts in the supply chain
Increased efficiency in the production of customised orders
Connection of production and supply chain processes to reap the benefits of the Digital Thread
Impacts
Technologies
Cloud
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