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In Focus

SAP Variant Configuration

Multi-Variant Products Easily Handled

R/3 System

Offering only one standard

product is no longer enough in

many industry sectors. In order

to keep pace and to meet all of

the customers needs a compa-

ny must be able to constantly

expand its product range. TheSAP Variant Configurator

allows you to efficiently manage

and maintain your data, espe-

cially from complex, multi-

variant products. The variant

configurator supports the sale of

these products by internal

and external sales forces,

also, over the Internet

and also supports plan-

ning, purchasing, produc-

tion for these products

and plant maintenance.

The configurator is fully

integrated into thebusiness processes of the

SAP Solution.

Many products can be produced in different

variants, for example automobiles, PCs, houses,

kitchens, steel pipes, machine tools, and packing

machines. However, an equipment master record,

or a service such as a the installation of a tele-

phone network in a new building area can be

easily configured in the R/3 System. After a

certain number of variants have been reached,

conventional IT methods can no longer support

the required product data. With the R/3 Systemsvariant configurator, you can describe and easily

manage all the possible variants of a product

without having to reproduce the data for each

and every variant.

Using the Variant Configurator forAccording to Schedule Sales, andReliable Production

If you are able to be flexible enough to respond

to your customers wishes and to deliver the right

product at the right time, youll have a decisive

competitive advantage. In order to achieve this,

internal and external sales, purchasing, and

production must be able to work together on asales order.

The SAP Configurator can ensure that your prod-

ucts are of consistently high quality and that all

required activities for an order are done on time,

and all documents sent to production are com-

plete, even when your products become very

complex due to an increasing number of variants.


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Variant Configuration within theLogistic Process

Variant configuration is used in various business

processes. The main uses however are in sales,

purchasing and production.

Sales

Production configuration is an integrated part of

sales and distribution whether in external sales,

internal sales, or over the Internet. Choices of

product options are offered to the customer. The

price can be directly related to the chosen options

or can involve a calculation. The surcharge for a

single option and the current full price of the

configuration can be displayed at the press of a

button.

Customer requirements that go beyond the pre-

defined options can be met by making order-

specific modifications to the product.

External sales forces and Engineering-To-Order

often require a graphical user interface (GUI),

which can be defined for a specific project by

using an open interface.

Purchasing

The components configured in the sales order that

are to be procured externally are transferred to

purchasing with their configuration. Pricing in

purchasing can be dependent on the configura-

tion.

Production

The documents necessary for production can also

be configured. The configuration from the sales

process is used here as the basis. The relevant

parameters for the configuration in production are

determined based on the

sales options. These parame-

ters then serve as the basis

for production configura-

tions. A production ordercan also be created and

configured without reference

to a sales order.

A project plan (standard

network) can also be config-

ured.

The Variant Configuratoron the Road

The SAP Mobile Sales

component offers a sales

system for external sales

forces. The product can

be completely configured on

a laptop on site with the

customer. The SAP compo-

nent Sales Configuration

Engine (SCE) makes this possible.

The SCE is available as an independent business

component and can be connected to various

systems. The SCE user interface can be custom-

ized, allowing the addition of graphics. This aids

in visualizing the configuration process.


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User interface

tab strips for characteristicsconfiguration browser

Important Product ModelingFunctions

Variant Product

Multi-variant products are described using classes

and characteristics, which are used as options or

attributes. Class hierarchies and networks can be

maintained in the classification system.

When you process quotations and sales orders

you use these characteristics to record the cus-

tomers specifications. Bills of material, pricing

information, routings, and project networks can

be assigned to a variant product, and then con-

figured.

Material Variant

If there are certain variants of your product

(defined by a combination of options) that y ou

want to plan, produce in advance, and keep in

stock, you can create materials with the configu-

ration you require.

Dependencies and Rules

A great number of expression formats allow you

to define dependencies and restrictions between

options and objects, and dependencies between

different objects within the configuration. You

can determine how characteristics exclude each

other or set values for other characteristics. You

can also describe how components influence each

other. It is also possible to set up technical rules

and generally accepted norms as well as legal

regulations.

A big advantage for product maintenance is the

separation of procedural and declarative product

knowledge.

Variant Functions

The open interface of the configurator allows for

a multitude of possibilities to round off the config-

uration process using your own applications. Your

own calculation programs can be called up direct-

ly from the configuration.

User Interface

The user interface of variant configuration is

especially important. You can group characteris-

tics and hide those that are not relevant for sales.

Individual printouts can be handled for salesdocuments or shop papers, for example.

Variant Tables

Valid combinations of options (characteristic

values) can be defined in table form.

Engineering Change Management

All objects that describe a variant product can be

maintained at one time, thanks to the integration

of Engineering Change Management.

This function is important for products that under-

go many changes over the years.

Download for Offline Configuration

The product model can be downloaded to the

Sales Configuration Engine. The model is created

only once and can be used anywhere.


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R/3 classes, materials, ...

R/3 order BOM

R/3 characteristics

User interface CAD + R/3 (customer project using CAD + APIs)

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Accurate Planning of Multi-VariantProducts

In marketing, trends are used to predict the future

and forecasts are based on past sales statistics.

The same method is used to plan configurableproducts. The system analyzes the percentages

entered for characteristic groups in the super

BOM, and planned independent requirements for

the components are generated automatically.

The availability of the configuration in a sales

order can be checked against the planning data.

Engineering The CAD Interface

Some engineering activities are more easily

accomplished on a CAD system rather than in a

bill of material. SAPs programming interfaces

allow for a complete user interface to be created

for processing both product configurations andorder BOMs on a CAD system. In this way an

engineer can work in a CAD system while the

configuration is automatically updated in the

R/3 System or in the SCE and any inconsisten-

cies or missing data are reported to the user.

Technology and Service

The R/3 software is based on client/server

architecture. It is designed as an open system

that can be run on operating systems marketed

by various vendors. However, SAP is not only

a software provider. We also offer an extensive

range of services and support, centering around

AcceleratedSAP (ASAP) SAPs all-in-one

solution for rapid implementation and ongoing

optimization of R/3. The R/3 Service & Support

program includes preventive system checks,

data conversions, remote archiving, and system

upgrades. We provide expert organizational and

technical consulting, from the planning phase

of your project right through to its execution, aswell as in-depth training and 24-hour support.

SAP Development, SAP Consulting and SAP

Services are certified in accordance with the

ISO 9001 international quality standard. SAP

software is also the first packaged enterprise

application software to receive Ergonomics

approved certification for the international

standards ISO 9241 and ISO 13407.

Interested? Then call or write us.

Lots of Data One System

All the master data for the multi-variant prod-

uct is administered in one PDM System. The

master data can be summarized under various

views:

s Sales View: This can be a functional view

with the options from which the customercan choose. This contains all the rules

necessary for a salable product.

s Document Management View: Graphics,

construction drawings, and notes that

describe the product and the sales process

or facilitate assembly and document the

product.

s Production View: This contains all compo-

nents, rules, routings, production resources

and tools and so on that are needed to in

order to manufacture the product.

Documents

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