Optimal communication processes: Disruption management at MAN Energy Solutions Schweiz AG, Zurich

MAN Energy Solutions Schweiz AG (“MES”) and its employees manufacture turbo compressors for the steel and oil and gas industries at its Zurich site. It has now introduced a tool for disturbance management with Simmeth.

Each of these compressors is a complex project with dozens of milestones, hundreds of components, thousands of work steps and required materials. In order to meet the highest quality standards and strict deadline requirements, each individual production component must be perfectly integrated into the overall project. Even the slightest deviation from the deadline for a single work step can jeopardize the overall project schedule. Countermeasures must therefore be taken immediately, purposefully and in coordination with the other specialist departments.

This is precisely where the “disruption management” successfully introduced by MAN ES with the software company Simmeth System in 2014 comes in. The aim of the project was to optimize communication processes at the value chain level while at the same time automatically informing the strategic levels.

The disturbance variable process

So how does such a process work in practice? It’s quite simple: if an employee in a specialist department realizes that a planned deadline cannot be met, for example because a material does not arrive on time, they enter a rescheduling request with a new deadline request via an input screen in the planning tool wayRTS. A so-called “disturbance variable” is then automatically created in the central database. An email is then immediately and automatically sent to the planner responsible for this project with the relevant information. The planner approves or rejects the new appointment with a click of the mouse. The responsible departments are immediately and automatically informed by an email from the database and can react without delay. The causes of the disruption and reasons for the respective decisions are documented. This documentation is the prerequisite for a continuous improvement process. All communication steps are recorded in the database and automatically processed in reports. They serve as the basis for regular meetings from store floor level to the weekly divisional managers’ meeting and the report to the management.

The project

The project was implemented with the “SC-Communicator”, a module of the “SC-Manager” software solution from Simmeth System. The “SC-Manager” is a central database solution for controlling the supply chain. It is integrated into the existing IT landscape and permanently exchanges data with the ERP systems, production control and planning.

“More than 250 employees now access the disruption management system as a central communication tool for value creation,” says Michael Budimir, Head of Planning at MES. “The detailed planning and approval process for value creation has been optimized and an information tool has been created for all hierarchical levels, from planners to management.”

Reporting

Last but not least, the 100% automated reporting allows reports and KPIs in any aggregation level at the touch of a button. As a result, this project not only ensured a return on investment in a very short time, but also a sustainable process improvement for years to come. Thanks to the automatically generated reports and the directly available data, divisional manager meetings now take place much more frequently than before.

Conclusion

Dr. Christian Lazar, CFO of MAN Energy Solutions Schweiz AG, summarizes: “The tools that have been introduced allow process issues to be measured transparently. Any problems can be measured in real time. On the basis of evaluated facts, process improvements are targeted and implemented immediately.”