Munich, July 25, 2023: For more than a decade, MAN Energy Solutions has been relying on valantic’s advanced planning and scheduling (APS) system wayRTS. By using IT-assisted planning processes along the entire value chain – from the quotation phase to development and project management, on through to testing and assembly – this manufacturer of technology solutions for the energy industry significantly improved its on-time delivery performance. Supply chain problems and the resulting increased need for transparency and new planning motivated the supply chain managers at MAN ES to work with valantic to search for further optimization possibilities. Two add-ons for waySuite, the AI-based automation of planning tasks and the wayWFM workforce management tool, have already been implemented successfully. The wayCloud platform is still being implemented.
valantic’s wayCloud platform is a cooperation and collaboration platform that enables waySuite users to share information from the planning system with their external partners and centralize communication. MAN Energy Solutions is currently developing a supplier portal for its more than 1,000 suppliers based on this platform. The goals are to unify communication and create transparency. By communicating requirements directly and providing feedback on quantities and deadlines, planning employees can seamlessly integrate information into their digital planning. The first phase of collaboration with direct suppliers is being rolled out and deployed productively for the plants in Berlin, Oberhausen, and Zurich. The second phase will focus on transparency for upstream suppliers. Monitoring dependent orders for pre-products and the central communication of milestones for particularly complex products will enable MAN to greatly improve the transparency of its supply chain by the end of the year.
AI-based automation of planning tasks is already in use. At the Zurich site, the optimization functions are currently being used as part of wayRTS scenario simulations. In the next step, these features will help to clean up backlogs automatically and recalculate supply networks in mere minutes. “We train AI to implement priorities for different planning horizons at MAN Energy Solutions correctly,” explains Dr. Nikolai Herzog-Holeczek, valantic project manager for the optimization solutions. “The software provides the user with easy-to-understand suggestions and recognizes whether the increase in capacity due to additional layers will also serve the overall optimum. Already, MAN Energy Solutions is benefiting from very fast and detailed simulations, which enable the company to make well-informed make-or-buy decisions.”
The current series of process and IT consulting projects began in 2021 with the introduction of wayWFM (Work Force Management). This waySuite component is used not only in the Zurich plant, but also at MAN Energy Solutions in Oberhausen and Berlin. Thanks to personnel and shift scheduling software, including a self-service portal for employees, it is now possible to plan based on current personnel capacities. In a second phase, ERP and HR software for automatic data exchange will also be connected.
Source: MAN Energy Solutions
By using IT-supported planning processes along the entire value chain, MAN Energy Solutions was able to achieve a significant improvement in on-time delivery.
Source: MAN Energy Solutions
From energy recovery to transport, from refineries to fertilisers - MAN Energy Solutions compressors are used in countless applications.
