The automotive industry is renowned for its product complexity. Modern vehicles consist of thousands of parts, multiple variants, and numerous configurations tailored to meet diverse customer demands, regulatory requirements, and technological advancements. Managing this complexity efficiently is critical to ensuring product quality, reducing costs, and accelerating time-to-market. In the SAP automotive ecosystem, Managing Complex Product Structures is a core capability that enables organizations to handle intricate product hierarchies seamlessly.
A product structure is a hierarchical representation of a finished product and all its components, assemblies, sub-assemblies, and materials. In automotive, these structures can be highly complex due to:
Managing these complex structures involves not only organizing parts but also linking engineering data, production processes, and procurement activities.
SAP offers specialized tools within its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and SAP S/4HANA platforms to address these challenges:
SAP’s BOM functionality allows automotive companies to create detailed hierarchical structures representing all components of a vehicle. It supports multi-level BOMs, variant BOMs (VBOM), and configurable BOMs that cater to various options and features.
Variant Configuration in SAP enables handling complex product variants efficiently. It allows defining configurable products with options and dependencies, so only valid combinations are produced and procured.
ECM ensures that changes to product structures are controlled, approved, and tracked, preserving data integrity throughout revisions and updates.
SAP PLM integrates seamlessly with CAD systems, enabling engineers to manage design data and product structures cohesively. This integration ensures accurate and up-to-date product definitions across departments.
SAP supports detailed classification and categorization of parts and materials, facilitating easier search, reuse, and reporting across product lines.
Leading automotive OEMs and suppliers leverage SAP’s product structure management to handle:
Managing complex product structures is fundamental to success in the automotive industry. SAP’s comprehensive suite of tools empowers automotive companies to navigate this complexity efficiently, ensuring product data accuracy, enabling customization, and supporting innovation. By leveraging SAP solutions, organizations can streamline product development, improve collaboration, and deliver high-quality vehicles that meet evolving market demands.