Good data basis for smart decisions

Wiesbauer started its digitization over 20 years ago

Integrating all processes in one software system has always been an important part of Wiesbauer’s corporate strategy. Whether enterprise resource planning, labeling, logistics or traceability: at the company’s four sites in Austria and Hungary, all employees work with the same ERP system. “It is a big advantage to have one partner and one system that is so closely interlinked. Thanks to CSB, our company is much more efficient in many areas,” says Thomas Schmiedbauer, Managing Director of the company, which is now into its third generation. When Schmiedbauer’s father Karl built the greenfield facility some 20 years ago, he anticipated a great deal of what we would refer to as “digital sausage production” today. Paperless information processing, automatic production and logistics processes, intelligent material flow control, networking with the other three locations: The key factors of a smart factory were taken into account right from the planning phase of the plant. The material and product flows have been automated to a great extent for many years now. The highlight is the process from cutting to production, which is fully controlled by the software to ensure maximum organizational efficiency.

Good data basis for smart decisions

Schmiedbauer particularly focuses on the data transparency, because making reasonable decisions means that you need to have accurate information at hand. “When I’m talking to my customers and conducting negotiations, I want to be able to decide right away whether it’s a deal or no deal. For this, I can draw on the calculations in the ERP system, its reports and the customer evaluations.” Vital data like key performance indicators from production, but also sales volumes, terms of payment, order rhythms, conditions, rebates, discounts – everything is available at the press of a button. Today, such a degree of transparency is crucial in the day-to-day business, but it should be taken even one step further. “Right now, we are working on a way to portray not only the sales volume, but also the gross margin or the customer’s profit and loss account based on the latest information,” says Schmiedbauer. Optimized data management plays a central role also in other divisions of the company, as this is the only way to guarantee a smooth and error-free information flow in the sausage production. This applies to cutting as well as to the production departments and, most of all, to traceability.

Expanding the digital sausage factory – for the benefit of the customers

Networking its four sites is another important factor for the daily operations at Wiesbauer. For example, with regard to labeling: At Wiesbauer, all details that are relevant for labeling are stored centrally in the ERP system. As a result, changes in the bills of materials are made available immediately at all locations and lead on to automatic adaptations of the labels. 

Speaking of digitization, Thomas Schmiedbauer not only thinks of his own company, but also of the customers. His goal is a smart sausage factory that is resilient to downtime and that can always respond flexibly to change requests of the customers. In his view, this is a prerequisite for successful customer relationships. “If I cannot rely on my software and technologies, I will not be able to guarantee my services to the customers, which I would lose. This is why continuous digitization is extremely important nowadays.”