Production logistics

Production logistics that keeps pace with the line.

From the production order and detailed scheduling to the finished part: we connect SAP with the shop floor so that planning, machines and material supply speak the same language.

Selected clients

We do production logistics – everything from production planning (in-house manufacturing) through the production order and detailed scheduling to execution at the line, plus material supply.

Typical topics

Where the line loses time today

  • Planning wall with sticky notes in a workshop
    Planning and execution

    “Detailed scheduling is done by the foreman on the magnetic board. SAP only finds out at the end of the shift what actually happened.”

    Production control
    Planning & detailed scheduling
  • Hall with stacks of material and pallet trucks in front of a roller door
    Planning and execution

    “We change over several times a day because nobody can see the sequence across all orders.”

    Production management
    Set-up & sequence
  • Employee resting his head in frustration in front of a spreadsheet
    Planning and execution

    “Every new variant means creating the bill of materials and routing by hand. With hundreds of combinations, we can no longer keep up.”

    Process planning
    Variants
  • Employee with a tablet in the warehouse
    Planning and execution

    “The production order goes to the line as a printout, and someone types in the confirmation in the evening.”

    Production management
    Paper at the line
  • Hall with conveyor systems and automated equipment
    Planning and execution

    “The machine knows exactly how many parts it has produced. SAP only knows once someone confirms it.”

    IT management
    Machine data
  • Employee taking handwritten notes next to a monitor covered in sticky notes
    Planning and execution

    “Inspections happen at the line, documentation in Excel, and the photos of the workpieces sit on some drive or other.”

    Quality management
    Quality at the line
  • Forklift with a pallet at the loading dock
    Supply and IT transformation

    “The line is at a standstill because the material is still in the warehouse – even though it has been needed since yesterday.”

    Production management
    Production supply
  • Employee in a high-visibility vest at a laptop in the server room
    Supply and IT transformation

    “Today, SAP MII connects our machines to the ERP. Maintenance is running out, and Digital Manufacturing is not a one-to-one successor.”

    IT management
    ME/MII replacement
Solution overview

Production logistics with SAP, from the plan to the finished part

Next level production logistics

  • Rough-cut & detailed scheduling with capacities and set-up times on one planning board.

  • Order, work instructions and confirmation paperless at the workstation.

  • Quantities, states and faults straight from the machine into the system.

  • Record inspections, photos and deviations directly at the workpiece.

  • Key figures and visualisations in real time.

  • The right goods at the right time in the right place, controlled via SAP EWM.

  • Variant configuration LO-VC.

Team discussing a process flow on screen, the warehouse in the background

IT transformation

  • SAP Digital Manufacturing, your own MES or a combination.

  • From in-house developments or SAP ME/MII to a future-proof architecture.

  • Transfer PP and detailed scheduling cleanly into the new standard.

  • Transparency about your own solution and know-how in your own team.

Consultant in conversation with a client
Systems & technology fit

From monthly planning to the individual operation

Each planning level has its own tool. What counts for the line is that the levels mesh.

  1. Month and year
    SAP IBPtogether with partnersSales & capacity planning at monthly and annual level
  2. Planning
    SAP S/4HANA PPProduction planning and production order
  3. Detailed scheduling
    PP/DS in SAP S/4HANADetailed scheduling against finite capacities & set-up optimisation
  4. Execution
    SAP Digital ManufacturingDaily execution, worker dashboards, machine connectivity, quality
  5. Extension
    Custom apps & MES extensionswhere the standard ends

Let's talk about the line

Portrait of Jan Fischer

Jan Fischer

Managing Partner

Contact for production logistics, MES and Digital Manufacturing.

Get in touch
References

From the field: projects that move logistics

Tech blog

Latest news from the world of SAP logistics

FAQ

Frequently asked questions on production logistics

Do we need an MES, or is SAP S/4HANA enough?

Confirmations for the production order are possible in S/4HANA. An MES pays off when workers are to be guided at the line, machine data is to flow in automatically or inspections are to be documented within the process.

Is SAP Digital Manufacturing the direct successor to SAP ME and MII?

SAP positions Digital Manufacturing as the strategic successor. However, there is no technical one-to-one migration: Digital Manufacturing is a cloud solution, and existing in-house developments have to be re-evaluated and usually rebuilt. Maintenance for ME and MII ends at the end of 2030 at the latest.

Does PP/DS need a separate licence?

Yes. PP/DS is technically included in SAP S/4HANA, but activating advanced planning requires a separate licence. This should be clarified before the design phase.

Is variant configuration only for make-to-order production?

No. It is often used in make-to-order production, but is also suitable for make-to-stock production: with material variants, frequent configurations are created as separate materials and produced for stock.

LO-VC or AVC?

Both run in S/4HANA on-premise and private cloud. In the public cloud there is only AVC, and LO-VC no longer receives new functions. For new modelling or a move to the public cloud, AVC is worth a look.

Does Flowprime also support maintenance?

No. Our focus is purely on production and warehouse logistics.

Supervisor and worker in a hard hat discussing results on a tablet

Where does the line lose time today? In planning, at the machine or with the material: we walk through production together and show which lever works first.