nobilia – Production and logistics for batch size 1
Production shifted to feature-oriented control
At a glance
Kitchen and furniture manufacturing
Head Office Verl
4.523 employees
€1.659 billion in revenue
The company
nobilia is the market leader and largest kitchen manufacturer in Europe. But it is not only the size that sets nobilia apart, but also the quality and individuality of its products. Every single kitchen is unique, individually planned and custom-made. Based on this recipe for success, nobilia develops and produces not only kitchens but also a complete range of furnishings for personalized homes.
The challenge
The necessary switch to a feature-oriented production brought new requirements for processes, procedures, and systems along with it. In particular, the increasing variety of models and the expansion of the portfolio required even greater flexibility in production and logistics. This also resulted in completely new requirements for the provision and use of relevant information throughout the entire value chain.
The solution
Together, nobilia and abat planned the introduction of digitized logistics and production processes at Plant V as part of two complementary sub-projects. Free from the restrictions imposed by the existing infrastructure at the existing locations, the teams worked closely with the specialist departments to develop the processes that nobilia will use for its corporate-wide production in the future. abat supported the logistics sub-project with experts in development and consulting for SAP EWM.
In addition, the IT service provider specializing in supporting discrete manufacturing supplied the core application for feature-oriented production with PLUS. Implementation and configuration specialists ensured that nobilia could fully exploit the innovative potential of PLUS – especially at the interfaces to logistics and SAP EWM.
The projects
- High-performance logistics
- Digital information flow
- Flexible production
High-performance logistics
To guarantee on-time delivery of their kitchens, nobilia requires perfect planning and control of warehouse and material flow processes even prior to production. This includes everything from external delivery to transfers between the various replenishment and picking warehouses, even between different locations, to provision for production. In the future, nobilia will rely entirely on SAP EWM for this – with abat as its strategic implementation partner for introducing the system in all warehouses. This involved connecting a large number of different applications used in pre-production to SAP EWM. In addition, the project team implemented a whole range of technical highlights – from pick-by-light order picking and new process control dialogs in SAP Fiori to the control of a wide variety of automated warehouses with the EWM material flow system (MFS). Only when all the systems involved are perfectly integrated are the required materials available for each order at every work step and at every workstation. From the right screws, rails, and hinges to the customer-specific panels, handle strips, baskets, etc.
Digital information flow
Considering the increasing number of variants, flexible and consistent process and product knowledge is essential for employees. Therefore, nobilia and abat developed the nobilia production control system MES based on PLUS, which provides permanent, real-time transparency across the entire order and process status. Specifically, this means that every worker receives exactly the information they need on their screen at their workstation. This includes figures and data on the type and number of parts to be installed, as well as assembly instructions, including construction drawings from different viewpoints. A preview of the next orders makes it possible to react appropriately in the event of a disruption in the process and minimize its effects. This allows workers to reorder missing materials via touchscreen and reprioritize orders. Or, in the case of a defective part, trigger a replacement process to complete the order on time. After all, every truckload and thus the entire production process is planned in such a way that delivery is made on time and on resource-optimized routes.
Flexible production
When working in production, visualizations of individual work steps on industrial touchscreens and handhelds are particularly helpful. With the new solution, they can be easily generated from a variety of widgets using a no-code approach – by the specialist department itself. As a result, the necessary product-related instructions are fine-grained and available at the work step level at every workstation. In addition, visual worker guidance provides a comprehensive data overview of orders. This enables employees to plan the next work steps in advance and react flexibly to unexpected changes in the workflow during production. This specific support for employees is a key factor in the transition to digitalized manufacturing. After all, despite all the automation, it is still people who are responsible for ensuring that orders are completed and delivered on time and to the highest quality standards.
High-performance logistics
High-performance logistics
To guarantee on-time delivery of their kitchens, nobilia requires perfect planning and control of warehouse and material flow processes even prior to production. This includes everything from external delivery to transfers between the various replenishment and picking warehouses, even between different locations, to provision for production. In the future, nobilia will rely entirely on SAP EWM for this – with abat as its strategic implementation partner for introducing the system in all warehouses. This involved connecting a large number of different applications used in pre-production to SAP EWM. In addition, the project team implemented a whole range of technical highlights – from pick-by-light order picking and new process control dialogs in SAP Fiori to the control of a wide variety of automated warehouses with the EWM material flow system (MFS). Only when all the systems involved are perfectly integrated are the required materials available for each order at every work step and at every workstation. From the right screws, rails, and hinges to the customer-specific panels, handle strips, baskets, etc.
Digital information flow
Digital information flow
Considering the increasing number of variants, flexible and consistent process and product knowledge is essential for employees. Therefore, nobilia and abat developed the nobilia production control system MES based on PLUS, which provides permanent, real-time transparency across the entire order and process status. Specifically, this means that every worker receives exactly the information they need on their screen at their workstation. This includes figures and data on the type and number of parts to be installed, as well as assembly instructions, including construction drawings from different viewpoints. A preview of the next orders makes it possible to react appropriately in the event of a disruption in the process and minimize its effects. This allows workers to reorder missing materials via touchscreen and reprioritize orders. Or, in the case of a defective part, trigger a replacement process to complete the order on time. After all, every truckload and thus the entire production process is planned in such a way that delivery is made on time and on resource-optimized routes.
Flexible production
Flexible production
When working in production, visualizations of individual work steps on industrial touchscreens and handhelds are particularly helpful. With the new solution, they can be easily generated from a variety of widgets using a no-code approach – by the specialist department itself. As a result, the necessary product-related instructions are fine-grained and available at the work step level at every workstation. In addition, visual worker guidance provides a comprehensive data overview of orders. This enables employees to plan the next work steps in advance and react flexibly to unexpected changes in the workflow during production. This specific support for employees is a key factor in the transition to digitalized manufacturing. After all, despite all the automation, it is still people who are responsible for ensuring that orders are completed and delivered on time and to the highest quality standards.
Outcome
On-time commissioning of a new production facility
Standardization and automation in logistics and production
Innovative low-code and no-code approach – for flexible manufacturing processes implemented by the specialist department themselves
Maximum customer individuality and quality for batch size 1 through feature-oriented production and a digitalized process environment
The results
Through the combined use of abat's Manufacturing Execution System PLUS and SAP's Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) logistics solution, nobilia has implemented an end-to-end digital, paperless logistics and production. The solution enables efficient control of feature-oriented production with a high degree of variety and large quantities. At the same time, intralogistics has been optimized and standardized. In the new Plant V in Saarlouis, nobilia was thus able to rely on consistent, flexible, and high-performance digital manufacturing right from the start. With the planned expansion to all production sites, the company is ensuring that it can reap the benefits of this new standard across the board. This creates transparency in logistics and manufacturing and promotes both sustainability and resource conservation. In other words, smart manufacturing as defined by Industry 4.0 is not just a vision at nobilia, but already a reality.
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