Planning a Sauna Without Sweating

SAP consultants from Vienna develop CAD-SAP solution for Klafs

Wien (pts021/24.02.2004/12:29) Planning a sauna without exertion: the high-tech constructors of KLAFS, manufacturers of Saunas in Schwäbisch Hall, have been waiting for this for a long time. Together with the Vienna based CNT Management Consulting GmbH, Klafs has now finished the project that connects the SAP and CAD systems.

The Vienna based SAP consulting company designed an SAP interface for the rapid exchange of data between the SAP system and the CAD software that Klafs, the German manufacturer of bathing and sauna facilities, is using for its construction work. In future, sauna architects will be able to transfer relevant data like sizes, or kinds of timber, directly from the CAD software, that CAD specialist mbi software company was responsible for, to the SAP system. The new interface speeds up order processing at Klafs markedly.

Klafs are renowned for professional solutions for bathing and sauna facilities and offer individually designed, tailor-made solutions for the saunas of their customers' dreams. "This demands fast and efficient order management." says Oliver Schmidt, project manager for Klafs. "All customer relevant data so far had to be fed into the computers twice: once into the CAD Program and then again manually into the SAP system. That was very time consuming. We were looking for a link between both systems, that unites business and technical functionalities," says the Klafs project manager. CNT put into effect an interface solution that matches the demands and is very practicable.

Planning a sauna with SAP data
By means of the SAP interface, CNT has created a link to the CAD program: In future, the SAP system will automatically accept new or modified data that is generated when creating or modifying sauna constructions in the CAD Program. On location the consultant can create the customer order file, allocate that file to the respective group of orders (e.g. installations of saunas), and synchronize the data with the company based, in-house pool of data. After the initial acquisition, the customer data is linked to the mother system, and with the help of DMS template documents, the construction is visualized. These templates are CAD documents that represent the variants of bathing and sauna facilities (e.g. sauna or shower), and can be adapted for individual customer needs with only a few clicks. This of course speeds up order management enormously. All customer specific data and technical data are at the constructor's disposal at any time and help creating the customer's dream sauna. Additional features, or features that can be adapted (kind of timber, coating, panelling, etc.) can be selected from a catalogue, synchronized with the SAP system, and added to the customer's file. To avoid incorrect input to the SAP system, changes and addenda will already be checked for correctness by the CAD program at primary input level. Correct data will be saved at SAP level and cleared to be accessed by the purchase and production departments.

Interface Saves Time and Money
Klafs project manager Schmidt is very much in favour of the CAD-SAP solution: "Our consultants now have access to their data independent of time and place, and can work on them whenever they want. Customer order files can now be created in only one step where up to now two steps were necessary. This saves time and money." The integration of CAD-SAP improves and speeds up planning processes in production and marketing, and increases the efficiency of work resources. "The mobile solution also gives us a chance to enhance pricing strategies." says Schmidt.

CNT project manager Hans König adds: "The major advantages are that data input has to be accomplished only once and that the interfaces between the two programs optimize procedures and exchanges between the marketing and planning departments. The synchronization of master data as well as the management of material data in CAD and SAP leads to high quality results and facilitates the daily routine of the consultant."

CAD-SAP interfaces made by CNT
CNT Management Consulting GmbH is an Austrian IT consulting company, which has specialized in the consulting of companies, which implement or use business management standard software as well as its connection to "NEW TECHNOLOGIES," in particular Internet, e-Business solutions and other electronic media. As a flexible and competent consulting partner we plan and develop individual customer solutions for business management tasks, which we then implement with the help of the most modern information technologies.

Recently, CNT has finished the conception and implementation of an extended CAD - SAP interface for the bidirectional exchange of both master and application data. The newly designed interface is to be considered as an addition to the SAP standard interface. It expands CAD integration enormously as it is neither bound to specific applications or modules, nor just limited to the interchange of master data. The whole bandwidth of potential SAP integration cases is now being covered. Scenarios, such as the exchange of sales order data, or the monitoring of individual inventory lists of materials used within the CAD drawing, as well as the creation of requisitions or purchase orders via CAD are no longer showstoppers for successful integration of graphical data within CAD and SAP.

CNT has noticed the increasing demand for CAD - SAP interfaces in several lines of business and is ready to satisfy it.

Glossar
- CAD - Computer Aided Design: electronic drawing board

- DMS-Template Documents - Document Management System: Document acquisition and archiving system. Here, the DMS facilitates fast and efficient access to all templates.

- Comfort Bathing Facilities: Term used for order item in the CAD-SAP System for Sauna, Shower, Bath

Foto Hans König can be downloaded from: http://www.temmel-seywald.at/client/cnt/koenig/

Klafs Saunabau GmbH&Co. KG
Klafs is Europe's leading producer of bathing facilities for private and commercial customers, and for decades has been a standard for quality, technology, and design in classical saunas as well as modern adventure bathing facilities. We put our main emphasis on the safety of our products. The RAL seal of approval as well as the VDE- and GS-test badges prove the reliability and safety of our sauna cabins, ovens and controls. More than 500 employees work for us worldwide.
http://www.klafs.de

Mbi software company - CAD+T
CAD+T software grows with the growing demands of the market. With our data processing systems we at CAD+T are now able to support the carpenter starting from first contact with potential customers to the last step of contract management. Our CAD software is modular and suitable for SMEs as well as for serial production. Since 1990 we have been producing CAD software for the furniture industry (based on AutoCAD), and additionally we offer consultancy for its implementation. In the field of joinery, CAD+T is the leading competitor in the German speaking area. Other target groups are object fitters, store fitters, architects, the furniture industry and the furniture trade. http://www.cadt.at

CNT Management Consulting GmbH
CNT Management Consulting GmbH was founded in 1999 and is based in Vienna. Right from the start we specialized in standard software for business management and its connection to the "New Technologies", especially the Internet, CAD, E-Commerce, as well as to other electronic media. Within a very short time we succeeded in joining the top-league of the Austrian SAP consulting businesses. At the moment more than 30 employees work for the company.
http://www.cnt-online.at

Aussender:	CNT Management Consulting GmbH
Ansprechpartner:	Eveline Fitzinger
Tel.:	0043 (0)1 4024851-0
E-Mail:	fitzinger@tsp.at