Strong combination: SCHÄFER WERKE rely on people, machines and ifm supply chain solutions
SCHÄFER WERKE: comprehensive product portfolio for various industrial sectors – from raw materials to finished products
For more than 85 years, SCHÄFER WERKE has stood for one thing: tradition in steel processing. Today, the success of the group, which employs more than 1,100 people in Germany, the Czech Republic, and the USA, is primarily due to the wide range of products for a wide variety of industries and applications. To ensure that the latest technologies are also used on the IT side and, in particular, that the supply chain is seamlessly integrated, SCHÄFER WERKE has been using ifm’s software tools for production planning, procurement and inventory management for quite some time – and describes them as the “best overall package”.
SCHÄFER WERKE, headquartered in Siegerland town of Neunkirchen in Germany, is an impressive example of what a successfully diversified company can look like. As a member of the SCHÄFER Group, with the business units EMW Steel Service Centre, SCHÄFER Office and Factory Equipment, SCHÄFER Container Systems IBC, SCHÄFER Container Systems KEG, SCHÄFER IT-Systems and SCHÄFER Perforated Metal, the medium-sized company is active worldwide and consistently impresses with outstanding product quality using state-of-the-art-technology. Close cooperation with business partners and the mix of different business units and sister companies, which act independently of each other but always use synergies for the benefit of the customers, also contribute to the company's sustainable success and continuous growth.
ifm solutions make the SCHÄFER supply chain future-proof and sustainable
Josephine Weber, who is responsible for production planning and control and the key users of ifm products at the Betzdorf site, explains why the long-established family-run company chose ifm solutions: “We use the software modules Planning, Operations and Controlling at the three sites in Neunkirchen, Betzdorf and Ledeč nad Sázavou in the Czech Republic. I work a lot with the modules Planning and Operations and enjoy using them to control stocks, deliveries, and outputs – and they work consistently, quickly, and reliably.
The IT basis for this is currently still SAP ECC 6.0, but even after the current switch to SAP S/4HANA, the ifm solutions Planning and Operations will remain an integral part of the software inventory of the medium-sized group of companies.
SCHÄFER IT-Systems: Reliable, modular enclosures designed to meet the demands of modern data centers and IT infrastructure.
Implementation, training, usability, benefits: thanks to software support, everything runs like clockwork
Josephine Weber's colleagues are also satisfied with the supply chain solutions. In addition to optimised production areas with simultaneous inventory optimisation and improved on-time delivery performance, there are other convincing reasons: on the one hand, ifm was available on-site during the implementation and provided the users with comprehensive, one-to-one training on the system; on the other hand, the go-live was uncomplicated and if questions arose, the ifm expert was also immediately available. Furthermore, all SCHÄFER processes were and are precisely aligned with the tools, so that user-friendliness and user experience (UX) have been at an all-time high since the tools were implemented. However, the benefits of the software can also be seen in hard facts, as stocks have been significantly reduced and productivity has increased considerably.
ifm software: the ideal overall package for clarity and efficiency
For the production planner, the software solutions have also provided further advantages in the following processes: “Above all, the daily routines for all users have improved in that it is now possible to switch quickly to other transactions, for example, or to display and overview our processes in a way that gives us a precise overview,” says Josephine Weber, summarising: “ifm simply offers the best overall package for SCHÄFER WERKE. We also looked at alternative solutions, such as the SAP planning board, but it was not effective enough for us and was too cumbersome to use.” Another crucial point was and is the futureproofing of the products: the software tools can continue to be used without any problems after the switch to SAP S/4HANA.
The benefits of Planning, Operations and Controlling for SCHÄFER WERKE
Optimisation of
- Production: fewer backlog hours, more transparency
- On-time delivery performance: significantly increased
- Stocks: fewer shortages, more transparency
Controlling, production and planning will continue to run with ifm solutions in the future
With the planned go-live of SAP S/4HANA in January 2025, Josephine Weber and her colleagues are currently terribly busy. Due to the many different plants, there are many smaller groups with permanent responsibilities in the department and key users. “At the moment, we are still in the free design phase, i. e. entering, adjusting, and creating. Of course, our focus is currently on the master data. We are working hand in hand and coordinating closely, but we also know that there are still several to-dos ahead of us. It is reassuring for us to know that the ifm solutions can easily keep pace with us,” summarises Josephine Weber.
Lessons learned
- Cooperation with an experienced partner with industry expertise
- Continuously train and involve employees and partners
- Company processes and software must be in harmony
- Usability and user experience are essential to success
