Getting rid of paper
The big digitization campaign of Dr. Babor GmbH & Co. KG began in 2011. Their ultimate objective was to introduce a new ERP system to put an end to the paper chaos at the company. “When it came to deciding which new ERP system we should introduce, we found that CSB provides the optimal integration of our entire process chain: from research and development to purchasing, production, inventory, supply chain management and logistics and to our sales system,” says CEO Horst Robertz. Today, eight years later, digitization at the main plant of the market leader is well advanced. The ERP software is the company‘s central data turntable, linking all players with each other: the staff in administration and the workers in production and logistics, but also machines and equipment as well as the various electronic devices like hand-held scanners, tablet PCs and smart glasses. One of the main benefits of the paperless data flow is the real-time flow of information between all players. As a result, data is always up to date while providing maximum transparency throughout all stages of the value chain.
A quantum leap: tablets in production
The positive effects of digitization are tangible specifically in production. Instead of using paper during the weighing process, the staff has tablet PCs that display the relevant information such as manufacturing methods, safety instructions and raw material lists. The intuitive user interface can be operated easily also by employees without IT experience, enabling feedback on processes in the mixing department, the input of SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) numbers or the entry of tare and other data related to the mixture. Besides reliable mixing processes, the tablets facilitate better documentation and logging. As a result, every finished product batch has traceable links to the related intermediate product batch and even to the raw material. “Traceability is an important subject for us. As we are working in accordance with cosmetics GMP, we are required to document every single process step. The tablet PCs in production therefore meant a real quantum leap. This was the first time that our workers were able to report back the production data in real time,” says Robertz.
The Smart Factory project continues
In order picking, Babor has taken yet another big step forward. Until a few years ago, the employees used to remove products from the shelves and tick them off in their picking lists. Today, most of the items are handled with a pick by light system in Aachen. Lights installed at the shelves indicate the storage location holding the items to be picked. The picker acknowledges the removal by pressing a key, and feedback is given to the ERP system simultaneously. In the high-bay warehouse, employees work with Google glasses, which guide the pickers through the hall so they can process the orders much quicker. This method called ‘pick by vision‘ saves Babor around 18 percent in time. With all optimizations achieved so far, Horst Robertz has set up the “Smart Factory” for the long term. According to the managing director, it is most of all about the business use of the data in the future. “This subject will be even more important for us in the years to come, and we are convinced that in CSB, we have found the right partner for the future.”
