SAP functionalities - an asset for quality management

SAP functionalities - an asset for quality management

Often it is only tiny details that determine the quality of a series part. In hardly any other area of the economy is it more important than in production that the individual components meet the required demands. A tire with a certain rubber compound, an electronic sensor with a certain measuring accuracy, or a screw with the right tensile strength: many stages of sampling are usually carried out before a product is ready for series production. Since these inspection processes have long since ceased to be recorded by hand on documents, the IT departments of companies are also facing new challenges. With the help of suitable CAQ systems, QM processes are becoming more and more digitalized. It is therefore not only necessary to map these sampling processes as efficiently as possible in order to reduce costs in development, because well-functioning quality management has an influence on the entire company.

Quality management is elementary important for the success of a company

Demonstrating high product quality is the basic prerequisite for achieving optimum customer satisfaction. The depth to which quality management can be optimised in any area of a company also brings with it some challenges. All manufacturing companies have always been under a high pressure to innovate in


From Practice: Workflow-supported sampling processes with CLC-PADD® PPAP+


increasing price pressure. Quality standards must therefore be maintained and constantly improved with fewer financial resources. Although this compromise is very difficult to map in terms of business management, there is no alternative to meeting the existing quality requirements in order to avoid expensive recalls and to consolidate the status as a reliable manufacturer. If an ERP system is already in use, a look at its QM functionality should be taken before the expensive purchase of a new CAQ system.

Quality management in ERP

Many successful companies rely on professional ERP software, such as SAP, in which all business-critical processes are mapped holistically. However, many business processes, including those in quality management, are not yet connected to the leading SAP system and, contrary to the growing digitization, are still handled in a very traditional way. This is surprising, since SAP already provides some basic functions "out of the box" for quality management. In addition, functions that the standard does not offer can be programmed more cost-effectively in the SAP system than if one had to invest in expensive licensing costs for third-party software. However, there are some functions that can already be implemented very well with "standard means": 

"An 8D report is a document that is exchanged between a supplier and the customer as part of a complaint, but it functions just as well as an internal document. 8D stands for the eight common process steps that are required when handling a complaint in order to solve the underlying problem."

In the course of preparing an 8D report, the type of complaint, the responsibilities and subsequent measures for rectifying the defect are also specified. The 8D report has been standardized primarily by the Association of the Automotive Industry and is therefore common practice in this industry.

SAP already provides a notification type in the standard system that is designed to map the 8D report. Interfaces to customer and supplier systems can be developed using the QM notification enhancement options.

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In SAP quality management, our CLC experts have extensive experience in a wide range of industries. Please contact us for a free initial consultation.

The automatic receipt of quality notifications: Customer complaints, notifications of defects to a vendor, and internal notifications Problem notifications can be mapped automatically in the SAP system. In these quality notifications, you can define the problem description, the affected reference object (for example, material), partner data, defect items, and their causes. In this way, these notifications can be displayed and processed in a very simplified manner. Through automatic receipt and communication with the supplier (for example, via EDI), costs can be saved very quickly and transparency created for the entire process.

APQP: Freely translated from English, APQP means "Advanced APQP Product Quality Planning and Control Plan". This is a very in-depth and complex approach to advance quality planning, so that one speaks of a process rather than a single task. APQP encompasses all the steps to be carried out for the goods to be produced before the start of production. The focus is on high quality. Standardized methods such as FMEA, QFD and QM-Plan are also used for implementation. The result of the product quality planning is the basis for the creation of QM plans. With the possibilities of the SAP Cloud Platform, a comprehensive process handling with customers and suppliers can be realized.

Efficient mapping of sampling processes in ERP: Sampling processes can also be mapped and controlled efficiently via SAP, even if SAP does not offer this function "out of the box". However, the PPAP or VDA2 standards as well as customer-specific standards can be mapped well in the SAP system with "lean" additional functions.

Many systemic advantages can be achieved here within the sampling process. Quality notifications (for example, about defects or faults in products) are imported into the SAP system via different channels and are thus transparently traceable. Likewise, SAP integration makes the entire sampling process much easier due to the necessary link to master and transaction data, such as the material master and bills of material, purchase orders and inspection plans/inspection lots, and the goods receipt. The simple filing of the sampling documentation with a direct link to the relevant master data ensures that the documents can be found quickly, thus saving an enormous amount of time. As a result, the costs for the processes can be greatly reduced internally and the sampling becomes more transparent for all sides.



Discrete manufacturing is absolutely dependent on the detailed mapping of samples

Particularly in discrete manufacturing, it is important to obtain the right and sufficient quality for each component in a targeted manner and to the point. Often the own production process demands an enormously high quality standard, which makes sampling indispensable at this point. Depending on how many individual parts are on the parts list of the end product, sampling can be a considerable time factor for

of the development. This is not a "choice", but of enormous importance to check and record the quality in detail in the discrete production.

Each industry has different guidelines and requirements regarding suitable acceptance procedures. PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), for example, is a production part approval process defined according to the AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group) reference manual. PPAP establishes regulations that apply to the sampling process within the supply chain and to the series release of new parts. A regulated start-up assurance with regard to quality and quantity in series production are the objectives of the procedure. In the automotive sector in particular, this procedure can be mapped very well and efficiently in SAP, as CLC xinteg for instance at its customer ZF Friedrichshafen AG.


We will gladly advise you!

In SAP quality management, our CLC experts have extensive experience in a wide range of industries. Please contact us for a free initial consultation.

Further information

Workflow-supported sampling processes with CLC-PADD® PPAP+

Digitization of the entire process for sample planning

Efficient tool management in production


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