Rollout of a modern supply chain management system at Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH: With the reorganization of its supply chain management system, initiated in collaboration with Wassermann AG, and the accompanying introduction of the planning and scheduling software wayRTS (Real Time Simulation), Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH has been able to achieve the long-term improvements in efficiency it had been aiming for.
Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH-a company with a long tradition in the sector-produces approximately 70 million threaded fittings each year from malleable cast iron and compression fittings for steel and polyethylene pipes at its production site in Traisen, Austria. The company's wide product range encompasses more than 3,000 items. In order to ensure strict adherence to delivery deadlines and to optimize warehousing and production flows, Georg Fischer Fittings reorganized its in-house logistics and production processes last year in collaboration with Wassermann AG. This new operational structure, designed to be process-oriented from end to end, has been live since May 2008. The new approach is supported by Wassermann's standard software wayRTS, which allows for the optimal planning and scheduling of all processes affecting the company's profitability.
Release of Capital Tied up in Large Warehouse Stocks
The company has been able to significantly reduce stock held by optimizing production and warehousing and has been able to increase turnover through effective supply chain management. Georg Fischer has been able to reduce warehouse and revolving stock by over 20 percent, with the capital tied up in materials and goods reducing by several million euros. "We are extremely satisfied with these figures-the optimization project has had a very positive impact on unrestricted cash flow," says Peter Maiwald, General Manager of Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH. "Our products are associated with a high level of quality and an ability to deliver. The supply chain management processes that have been introduced in collaboration with the Wassermann consultants also help us to safeguard our ability to perform well when it comes to logistics and allow us to react much more quickly to future changes in the market, without compromising productivity."
Optimization of IT by the Wassermann Software Consultants
As part of the reorganization project, Wassermann's software consultants upgraded the existing ERP solution proAlpha that was in use at Georg Fischer Fittings to include powerful real time scenario technology in order to optimize planning and scheduling processes in the supply chain. Using wayRTS, the Advanced Planning and Scheduling software (APS), which was integrated as a bidirectional add-on, the value-added process becomes completely transparent. New or modified data is integrated in real time. The simulation of various scenarios allows the best courses of action to be chosen. The impact of decisions taken on the entire supply chain can be examined thoroughly in advance, without these results being incorporated directly into operational planning. Visualization functions present the planning results in the best possible way, providing users with a completely transparent view of the company's processes. By focusing on flows in the supply chain that are currently critical, bottlenecks can be identified and removed quickly. The use of wayRTS will also help Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH to retain, in the long-term, the level of performance that has now been achieved with regard to warehouse stocks, lead times and adherence to delivery deadlines.
For more information, please contact Wassermann or visit www.wassermann.com.
Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH
Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH currently employs approximately 520 people and produces around 14,600 metric tons of fittings each year (equivalent to roughly 70 million items), ranging from 1/8 to 4 inches in size. 90 percent of the company's output is exported, with Switzerland and the E.U. being its main export markets. As part of the Georg Fischer Piping Systems Group, Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH is the center of excellence for malleable cast iron fittings in the Georg Fischer Corporation and falls under the building technology branch of the business.
Georg Fischer is a leading industrial corporation, focusing on three key business areas: GF Automotive, GF Piping Systems and GF AgieCharmilles. The company was founded in 1802 and is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Its annual turnover is 4.5 billion Swiss francs and it employs around 13,000 people worldwide.
Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH-a company with a long tradition in the sector-produces approximately 70 million threaded fittings each year from malleable cast iron and compression fittings for steel and polyethylene pipes at its production site in Traisen, Austria. The company's wide product range encompasses more than 3,000 items. In order to ensure strict adherence to delivery deadlines and to optimize warehousing and production flows, Georg Fischer Fittings reorganized its in-house logistics and production processes last year in collaboration with Wassermann AG. This new operational structure, designed to be process-oriented from end to end, has been live since May 2008. The new approach is supported by Wassermann's standard software wayRTS, which allows for the optimal planning and scheduling of all processes affecting the company's profitability.
Release of Capital Tied up in Large Warehouse Stocks
The company has been able to significantly reduce stock held by optimizing production and warehousing and has been able to increase turnover through effective supply chain management. Georg Fischer has been able to reduce warehouse and revolving stock by over 20 percent, with the capital tied up in materials and goods reducing by several million euros. "We are extremely satisfied with these figures-the optimization project has had a very positive impact on unrestricted cash flow," says Peter Maiwald, General Manager of Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH. "Our products are associated with a high level of quality and an ability to deliver. The supply chain management processes that have been introduced in collaboration with the Wassermann consultants also help us to safeguard our ability to perform well when it comes to logistics and allow us to react much more quickly to future changes in the market, without compromising productivity."
Optimization of IT by the Wassermann Software Consultants
As part of the reorganization project, Wassermann's software consultants upgraded the existing ERP solution proAlpha that was in use at Georg Fischer Fittings to include powerful real time scenario technology in order to optimize planning and scheduling processes in the supply chain. Using wayRTS, the Advanced Planning and Scheduling software (APS), which was integrated as a bidirectional add-on, the value-added process becomes completely transparent. New or modified data is integrated in real time. The simulation of various scenarios allows the best courses of action to be chosen. The impact of decisions taken on the entire supply chain can be examined thoroughly in advance, without these results being incorporated directly into operational planning. Visualization functions present the planning results in the best possible way, providing users with a completely transparent view of the company's processes. By focusing on flows in the supply chain that are currently critical, bottlenecks can be identified and removed quickly. The use of wayRTS will also help Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH to retain, in the long-term, the level of performance that has now been achieved with regard to warehouse stocks, lead times and adherence to delivery deadlines.
For more information, please contact Wassermann or visit www.wassermann.com.
Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH
Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH currently employs approximately 520 people and produces around 14,600 metric tons of fittings each year (equivalent to roughly 70 million items), ranging from 1/8 to 4 inches in size. 90 percent of the company's output is exported, with Switzerland and the E.U. being its main export markets. As part of the Georg Fischer Piping Systems Group, Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH is the center of excellence for malleable cast iron fittings in the Georg Fischer Corporation and falls under the building technology branch of the business.
Georg Fischer is a leading industrial corporation, focusing on three key business areas: GF Automotive, GF Piping Systems and GF AgieCharmilles. The company was founded in 1802 and is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Its annual turnover is 4.5 billion Swiss francs and it employs around 13,000 people worldwide.
