How CANCOM Implemented SAP EWM Without Interrupting Operations as Part of its S/4HANA Strategy
With its supply services for configuring and providing various IT components, CANCOM SE shows the extent to which goods and services can be merged. In the area of warehouse logistics, this leads to interesting demands and at the same time a very central role – so central that CANCOM tackled the switch to SAP EWM while operations were ongoing. And it was a success!
CANCOM SE
The internationally operating CANCOM Group specializes in IT systems for business clients. The hybrid IT integrator and service provider is always on hand with business solutions and managed services such as hosting, IT security, cloud computing, and enterprise mobility as and when they are needed. At around 80 locations in Central Europe, more than 5,600 employees provide consulting and operate B2B IT solutions. At the central warehouse in Jettingen-Scheppach in the German region of Swabia, CANCOM stores and retrieves thousands of hardware components every day in order to supply companies, organizations, and public sector customers with the appropriate equipment.
Objectives of the Project
CANCOM has grown rapidly in recent years. The group of companies now has 80 locations in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Belgium, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia. In order to have all data available at all times and to exploit synergies, CANCOM rolled out SAP S/4HANA to all its branches. The existing warehouse management system was to be replaced by an efficient and sustainable solution.
CANCOM’s daily business includes providing hardware and software components tailored to each individual client. As a result, the company handles thousands of items every day in its central warehouse. Employees receive deliveries, store the various products, and assemble new systems from existing components for delivery.
As part of the process of transitioning the company’s entire software to SAP S/4HANA, SAP EWM (Extended Warehouse Management) was considered the only viable solution for warehouse management. To ensure that the system would be as close to the standard as possible CANCOM brought the SAP professionals from prismat on board. Their prismat/RAKETE uses preconfigured processes to significantly accelerate the introduction of SAP EWM. Tried and tested plug-and-play solutions reduce the testing effort, yet can still be easily adapted to individual requirements.
»We have to keep delivering« was one of the key priorities that CANCOM communicated to the SAP professionals. This meant that the switch to SAP EWM had to be carried out quickly and the go-lives were to take place during operation. »A lot of organizational preparation was required; however, this enabled us to continue operations«, says Thomas Ziegler, Business Service Management at CANCOM GmbH. »The prismat/RAKETE was the deciding factor for us.«
In addition to the warehouse management system, CANCOM replaced its automated small parts warehouse (AS/RS) in the main distribution center with an AutoStore solution implemented by Swisslog. The new aspect about this is that instead of the person-to-goods principle, AutoStore works on the goods-to-person principle. Robots deliver boxes of stored components to the workstations where the orders are processed and the stocks are replenished.
The Result
The prismat/RAKETE is, so to speak, the »Best of« resulting from years of experience and know-how gained from numerous client projects. It includes many close-to-standard extensions as well as proven standard processes that prismat has implemented for various clients in the past: from goods receipt dialog via an input mask for picking to printing labels. »To enable CANCOM to achieve more efficiency with the software, the EWM has to map the processes as they are actually utilized,« explains Heiko Hilmes, Head of SAP Consulting at prismat in Stuttgart. »That’s why we started by consulting with the specialists to understand all the processes and put them into proper and efficient practice.« With this knowledge, prismat optimized, for example, the range of functions and the layout of the user interfaces.
Since the migration, CANCOM has been working with SAP’s Fiori web interface, which is characterized by its user-friendly guidance. Employees are thus able to interact intuitively with the software. In addition, the specialists receive all the information they need via well-structured dashboards. The so-called cockpit, for example, displays current assignments to the employees working in production. In the warehouse, staff conveniently manage all incoming and outgoing goods via a Fiori app. CANCOM saved around 25 percent of the project costs by using the standardized components of the prismat/RAKETE. Since the kick-off in February 2020, the go-lives have been carried out step by step as planned during ongoing operations.
The Next Step: SAP PP
CANCOM is looking to further optimize its logistics systems and will continue to rely on prismat’s expertise in the future. The SAP professionals are currently supporting the company in the introduction of the PP (Production Planning) module. It will be used at the Jettingen site, among others, where the CANCOM team sets up laptops and assembles complete rack cabinets, etc. To do this, the specialists are to take inventory of the components in the clients’ systems and manage them. SAP PP simplifies and accelerates production planning and control, as well as order processing; thus, CANCOM will be able to make its processes even more efficient.
Customer Testimonial
»With the resource management, we can now identify peaks and bottlenecks at an early stage and have the ability to optimally utilize personnel and hardware with foresight. The introduction of SAP EWM with prismat/RAKETE has definitely paid off for us.«
Thomas Ziegler
Business Service Management
CANCOM SE
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