Gaining customers and market share, as well as maintaining these, requires a manufacturer‘s ability to bring the right pro-duct to the market at the right time. „Conti-nuously analyzing and optimizing the product development process, however, also means skyrocketing challenges in the management, organization or control of design and pro-duction-relevant data, documents and infor-mation,“ explains Wolfgang Kessel, design manager at MAFELL AG. With the keytech PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solution, the specialist for hand-held power tools for professional woodworking from Oberndorf was able to optimize its data

management and through the deep integ-ration into CAD and ERP / PPS increase the degree of automation and continuously reduce the administrative workload.

MAFELL AG: Most Innovative Technology, Highest Quality Material and absolute PrecisionMAFELL AG was founded in 1899 in Fellbach near Stuttgart as Maschinenfabrik Fellbach. Their success story begins in the 1920s with the production of the world‘s first portable car-pentry machine.

Customer Report

At MAFELL AG: Optimization Potential gained by using keytech PLMFollow your instinct!

“keytech PLM is our source for data management and supports us in continuously and consistently automating and improving processes”, summarizes Martina Frick.

In 1933 the company headquarters was relocated to Oberndorf am Neckar. Today, Matthias Krauss heads this third generati-on-run family business, and it is one of the technology and market leaders in the field

of hand-held power tools and machines for professional woodworking, especially in car-pentry and joinery. The product range inclu-des the development, design, manufacture, assembly and service of tool and machine solutions for sawing, sanding, drilling, pla-ning, mortising and dust extraction as well as special machines. MAFELL AG has around 300 employees and produces exclusively at the Oberndorf site with an in-house produc-tion depth of up to 85%.

Cross-Process Production ProcessesOne of MAFELL’s fundamental core strengths lies in the cross-process, high-tech production using the most innovative techno-logy - from the injection molded part to the high-performance motor, from the design to the installation: „In order to be able to deve-lop better and better power tools, we often take a special approach: we change our view on the saw or the drill and essentially rethink them. At the same time, we always have the future requirements on woodworking in mind. Our in-house production depth is correspon-dingly high, which means that we are readi-ly prepared for every imaginable scenario.“ Continuously analyzing and optimizing the product development process, however, also means skyrocketing challenges in the ma-nagement, organization or control of design and production-relevant data, documents and information,“ explains Wolfgang Kessel, design manager at MAFELL AG. In order to do justice to these tasks, the company, which is steeped in tradition, introduced an

MAFELL AG: Milestones, Companies, Products

• 1899 Founding of Maschinenfabrik Fellbach• 1926 Manufacture of the world‘s first portable

carpentry machine• 1933 moved to Oberndorf am Neckar• 1960 Introduction of magnesium die-casting• 1980 Production of the world‘s first underfloor saw• 2015 Market launch of cordless drills and combi drills• The unique selling points include the many small highlights

on each product that make working with a MAFELL machine a little faster, more precise and easier: height guidance on circular saws, cross-cut saws, angle settings +/- 3 °, right angle sawing on a jigsaw and much more.

• Worldwide distribution network with agencies in 35 countries• Around 300 employees

“Typical MAFELL“: Most innovative technology, highest quality material, absolute precisionRange of services for carpentry and joinery:

Development, design, manufacture, installation and service of

• Sawing: jigsaw, dip saw, crossbar saw, underfloor saw,circular hand sawDrilling: Duo dowel machines, drills, cordless drill and combis

• Sanding: Orbital sander, eccentric sanderas well as machines for planing, mortising, dust extraction and custom machines

ERP / PPS solution to support inventory management and production at an early stage and also expanded its design with 3D CAD components. However, the data ma-nagement system, which was closely linked to the CAD solution, was unable to meet the requirements for functionality, usability or database quality and had no interface to the ERP / PPS system.

keytech PLM convinces as a Cross-Departmental Source of InformationThe MAFELL executives therefore started a selection process between several pro-viders of PDM (product data management) systems. Wolfgang Kessel looks back: „The spectrum of tested solutions in terms of func-tionality, structure, CAD / ERP connection or price was huge. keytech PLM was able to convince us in all aspects from the product side and the manufacturer side, not only as

a data management system for the design, but also as a cross-departmental sour-ce of information, including in-depth CAD and ERP in-tegration. „Under the motto „Recognizing and using op-timization potentials with the PLM system“, MAFELL AG has drawn up a comprehen-sive specification booklet in recent months to „implement the changes and increased demands made over the ye-ars as well as implementing constructive suggestions from the workforce. We reas-sessed some of the existing structures and processes and worked out solutions to-gether,“ says Martina Frick, responsible for project ma-nagement / team assistance and PDM administration at

MAFELL. Key points of this project were, amongst others, improvements in cross-de-partmental data transmission, the digitization of change notifications or the enhanced, bidi-rectional interface design to the ERP / PPS system.

Optimization potential used ...Expansion of the item master file:In the product development process, a large number of design and production-relevant data and documents are generated through-out the company by various employees, meaning that different tasks and processes must be linked to one another. Each of the approximately 10,500 MAFELL items not only has its own item number, each item master contains specific information (such as the name, specifications of the designer, procurement type, data sheets, parts lists) that are transferred from the PLM to the ERP / PPS system.

The fixed connection of the hand-held circular saw with the KSS cross-cut bar results in a highly functional one-hand cross-cut bar saw. It is the logical further development of 25 years of experience

in cross-cut saw technology and now with the latest battery technology.

Martina Frick: „Previously, the item master file created in keytech was printed out, in-formation from the various departments was compiled manually and, after entering into the ERP system, information was added to the ERP system. Although this process worked, it was cumbersome, time-consu-ming and often prone to error.“ The deep in-tegration of keytech into the CAD and ERP system today enables a paperless transfer of item or other data, changes in the ERP system item master files go back to keytech, where they are managed and all workflows actively controlled or supported.

...Bill of Materials Management:In the area of BOM management, the struc-tures and processes at MAFELL could be further optimized. keytech today is a leader in the creation, maintenance and transfer of parts lists. In the PLM system, the item-based parts list, which comprises an average of around 150 parts, will in future be gene-rated via the CAD system and transferred to the ERP / PPS system. „The bidirectional PLM / ERP interface enables the smooth synchronization of item master data or parts lists, for example, after design changes,“ says Wolfgang Kessel.

...ERP/PPS Interface:Now the interface to the abas ERP / PPS system has been optimized in close coope-ration with the keytech specialists and adap-ted to the exact requirements of MAFELL - and thus the degree of utilization, especially with regard to the transfer of item master files and parts lists or the management of diffe-rent versions of documents, has significantly increased: With the seamless merging of the commercial and technical data on the one hand, the automation of workflows could be further increased and also the administrative effort could be simplified or reduced: Data is recorded only once and passed on automa-tically - saving time and avoiding mistakes.

In Change Management: Lead-Time Halved, Idle Time ReducedThe continuous product development at MAFELL AG also has far-reaching conse-quences for the data organization: Firstly, every change to an item must be completely traceable in the design and production pro-cess. Secondly, the associated information such as change orders, design permits and drawing status, etc. must be able to be ma-naged and clearly assigned.

Quality made in Germany: MAFELL produces exclusively on site Oberndorf am Neckar. This means „Quality made in Germany“ with an in-house production

depth of up to 85%

From injection-moulded parts to high-performance engines, from design to as-sembly: MAFELL quality is the result of one of our key competences, process-

overlapping high-tech production, which enables short reaction times.

Contact AddressesAuthor

Matthias Holzapfel Johannesstrasse 51 78056 Villingen-Schwenningen GermanyTel.: + 49 7720-959096 Email: redaktion@maxximum-pr.de

MAFELL AG

Martina Frick Beffendorfer Straße 478727 Oberndorf am Neckar GermanyTel.: + 49 7423 812 0 Email: mafell@mafell.deInternet: www.mafell.de/en

keytech Süd GmbH

Frank SchluppBahnhofstr. 3972172 Sulz am Neckar GermanyTel.: +49 7454 960 38 0Email: mail@keytech.deInternet: www.keytechplm.com

Martina Frick: „We used to edit and mana-ge the change process with printed Word documents, which cost us a lot of time and paper and posed great risks in terms of process security and data quality. Today, we handle change management via the keytech portfolio function and are thus able to control and document all changes easily, reliably and with significantly reduced effort. As a result, the transparency between departments has increased, as each employee can see at the touch of a button, by whom, when or what was edited on a change notification and what is the current status of the respective process.“

Pillars of IT: CAD, ERP / PPS and PLMGaining customers and market share, as well as maintaining these, requires a manufacturer‘s ability to bring the right pro-duct to the market at the right time. MAFELL AG therefore has a keen eye on having the future requirements of its customers in the woodworking industry in mind. Wolfgang Kessel sees parallels in their cooperation with keytech Süd GmbH: „Similar to our phi-losophy, keytech also deals with topics that are pending tomorrow or in the future and attaches great importance to an intensive exchange with its users. Thus, the PLM system is developed in a practical and timely manner, both in terms of modern technologies and in terms of functionality, interface policy or ease of use of the soft-ware.“ The deep integration of the three IT pillars PLM, CAD and ERP / PPS ensures a cross-departmental workflow for the Swabian company: „From the creation of items and BOMs or the issuing of pre-series or workshop documents to the issuing of a

change notification: keytech PLM is the sour-ce of data management for us and helps us to utilize optimization potential in the admi-nistration, organize and control data as well as to continuously and consistently automa-te and improve structures and processes,“ notes Martina Frick.

keytech Süd GmbHBahnhofstr. 3972172 Sulz a.N.GermanyTel.: +49 7454 96038 0Fax: +49 7454 96038 29 Email: mail@keytech.de Internet: www.keytechplm.com

keytech Süd GmbHSince 2011 keytech Süd GmbH has been operating as a subsidiary of keytech Software GmbH. This location was founded to provide customers and potential customers in the heart of Southern Germany as well as Austria and Switzerland with a geographically closer sales partner – CEO Frank Schlupp took over direct customer liaison and support with a team of eleven employees. With more than 20 years experience in the CAD/CAM and PLM industries keytech can optimize well-engineered and practical solutions for PLM and DMS with effective and comprehensive implementation. We now support and advise more than 100 customers. An active partner network with well-known manufacturers and regional companies enables us to provide solutions that are optimally customized to our customers’ needs.

MAFELL AGMAFELL AG was founded in 1899 in Fellbach near Stuttgart as Maschinenfabrik Fellbach. Their success story begins in the 1920s with the production of the world‘s first portable carpentry machine. In 1933 the company headquarters was relocated to Oberndorf am Neckar. Today, Matthias Krauss heads this third generation-run family business and it is one of the technology and market lea-ders in the field of hand-held power tools and machines for professional woodworking, es-pecially in carpentry and joinery. The product range includes the development, design, manufacture, assembly and service of tool and machine solutions for sawing, sanding, drilling, planing, mortising and dust extrac-tion as well as special machines. MAFELL AG has around 300 employees and produ-ces exclusively at the Oberndorf site with an in-house production depth of up to 85%.

MAFELL AGBeffendorfer Straße 478727 Oberndorf am Neckar GermanyTel.: +49 7423 812 0Fax.: +49 7423 812 218Email: mafell@mafell.deInternet: www.mafell.de/en