Material deliveries, customer purchase orders, order execution, transportation logistics – the digital accelerator Digital Extended Supply Chain Accelerator (DESCA) can process and forward millions of datasets in seconds. And it is the customers who benefit the most: With DESCA, Materials Services is shortening order lead-times, optimising warehousing logistics and paving the way for new supply chain services.

DESCA is an important element of thyssenkrupp Materials Services’ strategy. Under its ‘Materials as a Service’ approach the western world’s biggest materials distributor guarantees its customers access to global supply markets combined with in-house process expertise in the form of tailored supply chain solutions. So, in addition to its core materials distribution business, Materials Services is systematically expanding its portfolio of services.

“We see major growth potential in supply chain services,” said Materials Services CEO, Klaus Keysberg. “With Industry 4.0 environments such as DESCA we can significantly reduce complexity in global production networks and help our customers focus fully on their core business.”

DESCA is based on SAP HANA. Unlike conventional ERP systems, DESCA allows flexible integration of data from various internal and external sources. For example, order information can be compared with processing data from Materials Services’ connected machinery – in the future also in real time and via an app. This is a particularly attractive option for sectors that place high demands on a flexible supply chain such as the aerospace industry. That’s why DESCA was first put through its practical paces at selected branches of thyssenkrupp Aerospace in North America.

“Smart data integration is the key to greater efficiency and customer service,” said Patrick Marous, CEO of thyssenkrupp Aerospace. “Our new ERP system creates the technological platform for this. We’re playing a pioneering role as one of the first major users in the aerospace industry to switch to the latest SAP environment. The first phase showed that DESCA helps us significantly strengthen our core capabilities in smart supply chain management.”

Visualisations display the relevant data at a glance. “DESCA has a dashboard that shows us what we have to do in the next few hours and helps us systematically align our management model to the future,” added Marous.

DESCA is the engine of the digitalisation offensive at Materials Services: The data gathered from all areas of the supply chain in the new ERP system are fed to ‘alfred’, the in-house artificial intelligence solution launched by the materials distributor at the beginning of 2019. DESCA also communicates with ‘toii’, the company’s IIoT platform that connects all its machinery worldwide.

www.thyssenkrupp-materials-services.com