And every day the groundhog says hello – why inventory optimization and process harmonization need a good system

Nils Wehning, KTR Systems GmbH

As a globally operating manufacturer of drive technology, brake, and cooling systems as well as hydraulic components, KTR realized years ago that the processes of the supply chain have to be interlinked and optimized to be able to operate economically in the future and to be one step ahead of the competition.

Numerous projects started with the goal of becoming even better. This was achieved in many places, but internal project groups and external consultants repeatedly reached their limits "on the last mile". There was a lack of transparency as well as analysis and management options to be able to prove or disprove the assumptions made quickly, flexibly, across processes, and in a focused manner.

As a result, neither concrete recommendations for action could be derived nor could the identified optimization projects be implemented in reality. Nils Wehning reports on the arduous journey as well as on gaining knowledge and explains why GIB SCX finally became a companion in the SAP S/4HANA world.

CHEERS S/4 – how Krombacher mastered the changeover on time and budget

Jan Beerwerth, Krombacher Brauerei Bernhard Schadeberg GmbH & Co. KG

Have you ever heard of a changeover to SAP S/4HANA that was plug-and-play? Smoothly and without complications? No? Neither have we!

Jan Beerwerth will describe how the changeover from R/3 to S/4 went at Krombacher Brauerei. The challenges he was confronted with as project manager, the stumbling blocks that had to be overcome, and the time it took to work from milestone to milestone.

He will also report on how important partners are during the changeover, how essential the involvement of the departments is, and how indispensable it is to have support from the management.  

In the end, the project team succeeded in implementing the changeover successfully as planned. How many cases of beer were required for this, however, remains unclear.

Business Health Check – Are you fit for the future?

Prof. Tim Bruysten, richtwert gmbh & Sascha Barbas, GIB S&D GmbH

In recent years, many a company has had to cough up: Shortages of raw materials, skyrocketing prices, delivery problems – the list is long. As an entrepreneur, you did not cause most of these challenges and cannot influence or even prevent them, but every company has the opportunity to prepare its strategy and processes for them, i.e. to strengthen its defenses or even immunize itself. An external view of the company is very helpful in identifying workarounds, questioning processes, recognizing strengths, and uncovering weaknesses. Impulses and new perspectives can also help to become even healthier and fitter through one's efforts.

With the Health Check for Business and Supply Chain, ifm has developed a questionnaire in cooperation with richtwert gmbh that offers an entry point for taking a critical look at one's company and getting initial answers and food for thought. In the lecture, Sascha Barbas and Prof. Dr. Tim Bruysten will show what the Health Check can and cannot do and provide information about the results and findings so far that can be aggregated from the existing checks.

Business Health Check

Values in Change – digital transformation meets values discussion

Dr. Jörg Wallner

In times of skills shortages and more mobile workers, companies need to find new ways to attract or retain employees. Customers are also becoming more value-oriented and demanding when it comes to product selection. In the future, therefore, a strong corporate culture with a focus on sustainability, transparency, and other contemporary values will play an even greater role alongside the actual purpose of the company.

This concerns not only the way they are presented to the outside world but above all how these values are lived out internally – because in a digitalized, networked world, reckless business practices, and greenwashing will be directly exposed and sanctioned by society in the future.

So how can companies face the challenges of digital transformation and at the same time use their values for success and carry them to the outside world?

SAP Business Technology Platform & ifm supply chain XLNce solutions – a symbiosis in a class of its own

Björn Dunkel, ifm business solutions gmbh

"Available on SAP Store" – this has been the motto for the MRP view XLNce app since the beginning of the year. What makes this app so special, given that it is "only" a "spin-off" from the GIB SCX Procurement area?

What are the advantages of public cloud applications and why is the entire suite not directly available on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP)?

Björn Dunkel answers these questions and gives an outlook on how and when ifm and SAP want to move even closer together.

Panel discussion: Crisis management in the supply chain – the biggest challenges in the course of changing values

Björn Dunkel, ifm business solutions gmbh, Moderator Gerlinde Comisel and guests

New values have become increasingly relevant, both in the private sphere and in business. Companies cannot avoid dealing with climate protection, fair working conditions and wages as well as social tasks and taking a stand on social and political events.

How does this affect global supply chains? What are the experiences of our panelists? Gerlinde Comisel and Björn Dunkel ask!

Factory Optimisation Excellence – Optimising inside the supply chain

Björn Knabe, ifm business solutions gmbh & Dr. Alexander Hoffmann, statmath gmbh

Material shortages, delivery delays, energy crises – many external influences on the supply chain can neither be averted nor influenced. However, excellent supply chain processes are not only lived out externally. It also depends on the functioning of the internal supply chain. A central linchpin for more profitability is smooth production processes without time hang-ups.

With GIB FOX you can plan your production process across all workplaces and all orders. No more delays because no material is available, the machine is occupied or the operations of the order chains are not exactly coordinated.

The AI-based algorithm plans with daily updated data from the SAP system take restrictions into account and give you the security of having planned all orders sensibly.

Self-sufficient replenishment & real-time monitoring of production – science fiction in production!

Nikolaj Schmitz, ifm business solutions gmbh

Production lines that independently request new material and provide real-time information on their condition and current production orders. Sounds like science fiction?  

Nikolaj Schmitz shows you how this vision can already become a reality today.

Even without any ESA technology at all, but using standard components.

ifm SCM AWARD 2023

Bilgin Kilic, GIB S&D GmbH

Great success in difficult times – investing in the crisis? New software for unclear processes? Right now, many companies are relying on software that offers transparency, a reliable data basis for decision-making, and uses algorithms and AI to continue where the interrelationships are too complex to play out all the what-if scenarios on the flipchart.

The most successful GIB users will be honored again this year with the brand-new ifm SCM AWARD!

Moving into a new dimension – Roadmap SCX on SAP S/4HANA & GIB Suite on ECC 6.0

Felix Grab, ifm business solutions gmbh

What is in store for you in 2024? Which trend-setting topics are already on the agenda for the coming years? We will take you on a journey to more usability, modern interface designs, high-performance functionalities, and networked systems from OT and IT.

Partner presentation IDI GmbH: Cross-plant production planning and control at the HOMAG Group

Michael Sommerer IDI GmbH, Lukasz Gebicki HOMAG Polska Sp. z o.o.

The year 2022 was characterised by global supply bottlenecks and broken supply chains. Short-term delivery failures led to massive disruptions in the production process, production downtimes or unfinished products for many companies. Robust planning processes and a holistic view of all relevant data are the basis for reliable statements regarding adherence to delivery dates.

In this customer presentation, we will show you how HOMAG has realised a sustainable increase in productivity as well as OTD (on-time delivery) by sequencing production orders in the field of switch cabinet construction.

Partner presentation MEHRWERK GmbH: Unlock the full potential of your business processes: The power of data-driven insights with process mining

Philipp Schmidt MEHRWERK GmbH; Simon Wettach MEHRWERK GmbH

Companies have to cope with a wide variety of challenges in their business processes daily and often lack a sound basis for decision-making. Potential thus often remains undiscovered and unused.

By using process mining, however, it is possible to monitor and optimise business processes in real-time to increase efficiency and competitiveness.

This presentation will use case studies to demonstrate the benefits of process mining in various industries, including supply chain management.

Partner presentation Miller Leasing: Mirroring milestone planning of on-premise and cloud projects into project financing

Stefan Reinsch Miller Leasing Miete GmbH

This is how software leasing works: licences, services, maintenance and even the user's services: all this can be combined in one contract - for cloud solutions or on-premises use.

Partner presentation aflexio - Gesellschaft für Management- und Prozessberatung mbH: S&OP - does anyone need it or can it go away?

Martin Pesch aflexio - Gesellschaft für Management- und Prozessberatung mbH

Although the current form of the S&OP process has existed since the 1950s, the question remains today whether successful and sustainable process implementations are rather the exception. Furthermore, it is questionable whether simply the same mistakes are always made or whether the process is simply old news. Thus, the S&OP process remains the supreme discipline in supply chain planning.

In an overview filled with practical insights, you will learn which 5 points are important for successful implementation and which potentials they open up.

Keynote: stabilize. balance. reimagine. How stable is your supply chain?

How vulnerable are our globally networked supply chains? Do the strategies that have been successful so far need to be changed or is it better to wait and see? Was it all due to the pandemic? Or have existing weaknesses rather been uncovered?

The Managing Directors Volker Blöchl, Nadine Rahman and Björn Dunkel

Keynote: GIB goes ifm

30 years after the company was founded, GIB is finally disappearing from the market. This not only makes sense for the company and its services but also brings many advantages for the customer.

Nadine Rahman, Managing Director GIB, Global Head of Sales, Digital Business ifm