Best Practice Diehl: Well equipped for the digital transformation

Diehl Defence has known for a long time that classification throughout the company is essential and a great benefit. Over the years, all materials were categorized in a in-house developed classification system. Obtaining and maintaining this data was tedious due to its uniqueness, which is why Diehl Defence looked for solutions in digitalization and standards.

In an ambitious project, around 96,000 material masters were intensively analysed at three locations and then cleaned up/optimised in several steps, e.g. inactive materials and duplicates were identified and standard designations defined. The relevant master records were then classified according to ECLASS and adapted to the company's specific requirements. Particular challenges arose in the enrichment of the data, especially for small electronic components and chemicals, and the adoption of important characteristics of self-classification, which represent an important material group in the defence industry.

The introduction of ECLASS increased transparency throughout the entire supply chain and facilitated the digital exchange of information, resulting in simplified and accelerated material procurement.

Thanks to the material pool with now complete and valid data, Diehl Defence can make data-based decisions and automate data-intensive processes with the help of technology solutions such as ClassCOCKPIT SAP, which contributes to the implementation of digital transformation.

As a next step, the company plans to have new materials classified via the ClassCOCKPIT Data Cloud and the D&TS ticket system to create new scope for its own component management team. A cost comparison showed that outsourcing the classification is cheaper than maintaining it in-house. Those responsible are also endeavouring to automate the process for creating and maintaining materials in SAP - again with D&TS as a project partner.

About Diehl Defence

Diehl Defence supplies high-tech equipment for defence. With headquarters in Überlingen, around 3,190 employees (2022) and an annual turnover of around 810 million euros (2022), the company is one of the technology leaders on the global market.

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