Produce in real time

Currently I can think of: Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (MII), Perfect Plant, Materials Requirement Planning (MRP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and MES as well as Industry 4.0.

It is easy to argue why paradigm shifts and white papers were all that was left, but reality resisted any modernization. One answer can be found in the basis and infrastructure, because the best ideas and concepts remain theoretical if there is no architectural model for the infrastructure.

With the Hana database, SAP has developed a platform that clearly meets the need for real-time action. Hana can do this not only for business intelligence, predictive analytics, ERP and CRM, but also in the area of MRP.

There will probably also be Hana-based systems in SCM and MES. The connection between Hana technology and content such as MRP, SCM and MES will modernize many business processes.

At Colgate-Palmolive, Mike Crowe, Vice President of Global Information Technology, experimented with HanaDB. Production program planning (MRP) at Colgate-Palmolive traditionally ran as a batch job during the night.

This was correct, but inflexible. Planning changes could not be taken into account during the day. MRP on Hana accelerated production program planning by a factor of 325. The batch job became an interactive application that provided answers within seconds.

Production planning and control can now be readjusted at any time and as often as required. Mike Crowe speaks of real planning because it is possible to simulate at any time and consider short-term nested what-if cases.

Real-time production is becoming a necessity and a matter of course. Adequate algorithms are still lacking for many tasks, but Industry 4.0 is only just beginning.