With regard to the new architecture, celver recommended implementing a data warehouse (DWH) based on Microsoft SQL Server. This made it easy to meet the new and critical requirement of writing data back to the SAP source system, while also enabling the integration of additional international corporate data. In the future, the planning system was to generate binding SAP purchase orders and demand quotas. The interface between the DWH and SAP is enabled by the Xtract IS tool from Theobald Software GmbH, as well as by an interface adaptation on the SAP side. Fissler’s IT department played a key role in this process. As a result, Fissler now has a clear and flexible, state-of-the-art architecture at its disposal, combined with appropriate flexibility for further data integration.

At the start of the project, the celver consultants converted and cleaned up the legacy structures of the previous system, set up the data warehouse, and implemented the interface to SAP. The relaunch of the planning solution could then begin. The system comprises four volume-based modules: annual preliminary planning, central annual planning, monthly rolling forecast, and promotional planning (domestic). The entire planning process serves as demand planning and is carried out by sales managers. In this process, sales figures are calculated based on historical prices and serve as benchmarks for planners. Annual preliminary planning serves as an initial estimate for the following year and is stored directly as primary demand in SAP.

Planning is based on suggested values calculated from historical data over the past 12 months, taking target figures into account. For new items, product management estimates quantities to serve as suggested values for planning. Automatic suggested values can be generated for this purpose using customer distribution or item referencing. In total, Fissler plans up to 2,000 items. To ensure a focused approach, the planner is shown a breakdown of items into categories for their specific sales territory: the 80 top-selling items, items with sales of more than 1,000 units in the past 12 months, new items, and the remaining items.

Using this breakdown, the sales manager plans quantities at the item level and can flexibly adjust details down to the customer level. An item history is available for reference. It displays detailed item information ranging from the material number, delivery class, and industry classification to the actual sales volumes per month for the last 36 months. Additionally, the top 10 customers for this item and a graphical and tabular comparison of planned versus actual figures are visible.

The tool’s multilingual capabilities, along with language-specific databases for subsidiaries, make it easy for planners abroad to navigate the system. To improve on-time delivery and planning quality, submission deadlines are displayed, plans are centrally reviewed and approved, and all status data is documented. After the preliminary planning has been completed and reviewed, Central Controlling transfers the plan values to SAP. Here, the plan quantities from VIPS are automatically converted into SAP primary requirements, which are later specified as monthly quotas during the rolling forecast.

The results of the annual bottom-up preliminary planning are incorporated not only into the rolling forecast but also into the central annual planning process. Here, the headquarters in Idar-Oberstein uses sales volumes as a basis to plan target prices, taking into account seasonal effects, trends, and special promotions, thereby generating a refined sales plan and detailed contribution margin planning. Once the annual preliminary planning is finalized and approved, the rolling forecast begins with a one-month lead time for the three subsequent months. The sales manager is presented with the values resulting from the preliminary planning, adjusted to account for new customers and new products from the previous rolling forecast month. Excessive deviations from the previous month, +/- 25 percent, are immediately visible to the planner in color-coded form using the traffic light principle. Missing items or new customers can be added manually and assigned suggested values via referencing or based on average values.

Once planning is complete, the planned quantities are converted into SAP quantity quotas for the sales managers. In international planning, SAP orders are also generated in some cases based on the first planning month. The rolling forecast is therefore intentionally highly binding. Inaccurate planning or missing plan values have a direct impact on individual performance. It is therefore in the sales managers’ own interest to plan on time and with due consideration. Through this, Fissler aims to highlight the high relevance of demand planning, improve planning quality, and ultimately support the optimization of supply chain processes from purchasing through logistics, production, and warehousing. The celver consultants implemented the Promotional Planning module in a manner analogous to the old version. In this module, specific aspects of promotional activities are planned. The results are incorporated into the rolling forecast as supporting information for sales managers. Another step in the system relaunch is the Information System module , which covers all reporting. Implementation is primarily handled by Fissler key users, who draw on celver’s expertise as needed.