Digitalization of spare parts logistics: KSB integrates Kardex lifters directly into SAP with ORBIS VLM

KSB develops and manufactures high-quality, energy-efficient and durable pumps and valves that are indispensable for transporting, controlling and shutting off fluids in a variety of areas, ranging from the building services, industrial and water technology sectors through to the mining, energy and petrochemical industries. With over 16,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of more than 2.8 billion euros (as of 2023), the KSB Group ranks among the heavyweights in its industry.

One of the key factors in KSB’s success, alongside top-quality product solutions, is its excellent after-sales service, and in particular the fast supply of spare parts to customers with guaranteed delivery times.

Unlike before, storing spare parts on Kardex trays is now quite simple with ORBIS VLM. A modern, user-friendly interface with grid layout helps the twenty or so end users in Grünstadt to quickly find the best position for spare parts and store them exactly where they need to be. They also know exactly where a part is located at any given time, as the solution displays its position clearly.

A special ORBIS VLM cloud service, provided via Microsoft Azure Cloud, identifies the ideal storage position. This is linked to SAP WM, where the storage type is determined and calculations are started as soon as storage location weighting is completed in ORBIS VLM.

Several factors played a decisive role in the project’s success. A close and collaborative partnership between the in-house team and ORBIS consultants, especially during the explore phase, ensured that the implementation of ORBIS VLM was completed quickly and within the agreed budget. ORBIS’ extensive intralogistics expertise in the SAP environment, and its familiarity with KSB’s processes through being a long-standing logistics partner, also proved to be advantages.

All this made it possible to find the right solutions for specific challenges, such as restructuring warehouse organization in SAP WM, adapting the Kardex control system to KSB priorities and integrating KSB’s own goods receipt and pick labels into ORBIS VLM. ORBIS also developed additional applications. Alongside the mentioned ‘packing table distribution’ app, this included a ‘capacity monitor’ to identify bottlenecks at the shopfloor and warehouse control level for the purpose of enabling prompt responses. A further application was developed for order picking from high-bay racking, specifically designed to meet the requirements in Grünstadt. ORBIS Logistics Apps templates for mobile data capture in incoming goods were also rolled out. The receptiveness of the subsequent end users to the new solutions proved to be a further key success factor.

But that’s not all. In a follow-up project, KSB and ORBIS also digitalized and optimized the inventory process, which until that point had largely been carried out manually outside of SAP, including in Excel and sometimes on paper.

„The new system-supported process now meets our requirements perfectly. It’s error-free and saves a great deal of time, which significantly reduces the interruption to operations caused by inventory work. We mastered last year’s inventory with flying colors thanks to the new process, and it’s now recommended practice for other sites.“

Kristina Hilpert, Head of SupremeServ Warehouse Operations at KSB SE

And this is how it works: With an SAP GUI-based cockpit solution developed by ORBIS specifically for this purpose, inventory documents that KSB manages in the SAP MM module can be converted directly into SAP WM inventory documents, meaning that there is no longer any need for expensive paper printouts. The Kardex trays required for the inventory are requested via ORBIS VLM and counted in the VLM app. In the high-bay warehouse, the inventory documents are displayed and counted on handheld devices using an inventory app from the ORBIS Logistics Apps portfolio. The results are reported back to the cockpit solution and the SAP WM inventory documents are completed there if everything is in order. Otherwise, a recount is initiated.

Kristina Hilpert is happy with what has been achieved so far and has positive feedback. “The ORBIS VLM solution and other applications from the ORBIS logistics portfolio are key building blocks on the way to achieving SAP-integrated digital intralogistics. We will continue on this path without fail.” Following a phase of new process stabilization and optimization, there will be further projects on the agenda, such as the expansion of dispatch management to consolidate cross-plant customer orders. Given the positive experience in Grünstadt, the rollout of ORBIS VLM, including the cockpit solution for inventory, is also being considered for the production plants.