SKF is the world’s largest bearing manufacturer based out of Gothenburg, Sweden with 27% market share, 44,000 employees and 17,000 distributor locations serving 130 countries. SKF manufactures and supplies bearings, seals, lubrication, mechatronics, maintenance products & services starting from 8 tons weight bearing used in the largest Ferris wheel in Las Vegas to the smallest bearing with an inner bore of 3mm.
SKF Global ERP Template went live in Jan 2017, changing tool and working procedures for 1800 end users. Around 800 end-users are machine operators on the shop floor, working in three different factories in Gothenburg. Unfortunately, SKF had to face a production efficiency decrease by 20% reasoned by poor user experience issues of Global ERP Template, leading to process inefficiency and increased training needs.
To help increase production efficiency, the SAP AppHaus were asked to support SKF together with SAP Mobile/UX teams to come up with a solution. Utilizing our design-led approach, we engaged over nine weeks with end-users, key stakeholders and design teams.
The real openness for our approach from the customer side giving us the access to talk and learn about their several machine operators’ activities from the very beginning to better understand the needs and pain points were essential for us. Having this access would ensure project success.
In the end, we were able to replace the error-prone manual processes with automated workflows by pushing the relevant information to mobile devices leveraging SAP Cloud Platform and SAP Fiori for iOS. This solution was gradually being crafted through visualization- and feedback sessions with end users and other relevant stakeholders of different levels and delivered a clickable prototype.
With the SAP Design Thinking approach, our people – the users of the solution – were truly involved and at the core of influencing function and design. This was clearly a success factor.
– Gunilla Nilsson, Managing Director at SKF Sverige AB
The benefits achieved with this solution were: the time for system-related work was reduced by 70% and the error rate in the first month after launching it went down from 23% to 0%. There was virtually no end-user training required. Meanwhile, for The Global ERP Template, more than 50 pages of paper documentation were required.
The most significant thing for us is that we help the machine operators in their daily job. To quote one of the operators, “Easier to do right, which means that we don’t need to spend a lot of time to correct errors.”
Easier to do right, which means that we don't need to spend a lot of time to correct errors.
– Machine Operator
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Due to the power of design-led approach, our well-designed IOS app was able to help solve the complex and challenging tasks of raising SKF’s production efficiency. Imagine the possibility of using this approach in combination with all the technology and product ingredients SAP offers to help build your intelligent enterprise.
There are no limits! And we are happy to start this journey with you.