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SAP Challenge: Product Lifecycle Management in R&D
Besides on-going process improvement for CE and other divisions, the challenge facing P-BAS in the coming years lies in the leap forward to the next level. Advances like the next generation SAP and new SAP applications (e.g. BW, SEM, MDM, CRM and ICH) offer scope for working on a higher platform, bringing new opportunities within reach of both IT and the business. Closer cooperation between parties in the market (customer collaboration, supplier collaboration, vendor managed inventories) will be possible because IT can help make the processes much more transparent. The great challenge in this is to keep a grip on the operations while at the same time relinquishing direct control. Clear, open communication with third parties, sharp focus on and strict control of our own processes and trust in those we collaborate with are key concepts in this respect.
Implementing SAP PLM is therefore a logical step, particularly since DAP is strategically committed to SAP. PLM manages information about a product from idea generation through development, manufacturing, marketing and sales right on to when it is phased out of production. This project initially focuses on the development process, and embodies aspects like integrating the CAD tools, 3D visualization, and managing engineering changes. The tool has been extensively evaluated, and will be implemented on a trial basis in Klagenfurt early in 2008, and thereafter rolled out in four other sites. A few years ago Hung Kung Yeung (37) – ‘HK’ to his colleagues – stepped over from a role in R&D in Singapore to become Product Lifecycle IT manager for Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care (DAP) in Drachten. HK tells about his work: “The complexity of the project is one of the major challenges. We are dealing with multiple organizations that each do things slightly differently. We have to take into account the individual requirements of the development centres, and end up with a common concept that all can work with”.
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