LESER GmbH & Co. KG is a leading German company specializing in the design and manufacture of safety valves. Founded in 1818 and headquartered in Hamburg, the company is considered the largest manufacturer of safety valves in Europe and one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the industry.
LESER was heavily dependent on manual documentation. This led to delays in accessing and updating critical data and documents, and ultimately data quality and compliance issues.
In order to overcome these challenges and optimize asset management, LESER decided to set up seamless data integration via a uniform central data source. After extensive research and careful comparison of the options, the valve manufacturer chose SAP. With SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration and digital twin technology, collaboration with customers should be optimized.
Error-free system data and optimized collaboration thanks to intelligent system management
The manual documentation process was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors and delays. This repeatedly led to significant problems accessing and updating critical data and documents – and consequently to poor data quality and inefficiencies across the entire operational environment. LESER recognized the need for a modern solution on the operator side and how important it is to support customers with a central asset management system. Therefore, the company decided to digitize its asset management system and implemented a central, cloud-based platform. Through this platform, LESER can seamlessly share the digital twin with customers, improving transparency and sharing of data, while managing internal processes separately.
With the implementation of the Digital Twin-Technology that is in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration integrated, LESER created a one-to-one virtual replica for each physical device and product, consolidating all relevant data and associated documentation onto a single, easily accessible platform.
“The digital twin acts as a precise digital mirror of the physical safety valve and enables our customers to receive complete, error-free and current data about the safety valves,” explains Pierre Draheim, manager for product data management at LESER.
LESER provides digital twins for both new (Greenfield) as well as for existing (Brownfield) Safety valves ready and manages all relevant data and documents centrally. Each valve is marked with the globally standardized ID link, or QR code, IEC 61406, which allows LESER customers to directly access product-specific information and synchronize it with their plant management systems. This makes it possible to transfer data seamlessly, ensure compliant documentation and reduce initial recording costs by up to 95 percent.
“By introducing digital innovations, we have enabled our customers to increase their operational efficiency,” said Draheim. He emphasizes that LESER not only benefits from significant time savings, but the company can now also better concentrate on its core activities in order to promote business growth: “This is a win-win situation. Because not only we, but also our customers achieve significant improvements in overall productivity.”
Reduce operational costs by integrating digital twins in real time
The automation of the release of valve data in SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration has made it significantly easier for LESER operators and service providers to coordinate maintenance, as manual data comparison is no longer required. This automation reduces administrative overhead, helps avoid unnecessary downtime and optimizes spare parts inventory, helping to significantly reduce operating costs.
By standardizing and digitizing data with a globally standardized ID link, multiple service providers gain immediate access to accurate and up-to-date information.
“With the introduction of the digital twin and SAP Business Network Asset Collaboration, we can now automate valve management and thus make the entire process faster and more reliable,” explains Draheim.
Ensure safety and quality through global and regulatory compliance
To ensure that the safety valves meet international standards at every stage, a high level of automation is required in the management of product data. This is a particularly important aspect for LESER. “Compliance is not just about adhering to regulations, but about the “rules of the game” in the industry that enable automated information exchange between different IT systems and interest groups,” says Draheim.
Due to its significant market presence, LESER places high demands on its suppliers and materials to ensure that each part complies not only with global regulations, but also with local regulations. This level of care is particularly important for operators in industries with strict safety and regulatory requirements.
Beyond these standards, LESER maintains detailed records to ensure complete transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. This integrated approach helps the ambitious company reduce the need for approvals to a further level and supports safe, reliable operation of facilities around the world. In turn, its customers benefit from improved reliability and greater confidence in the products and services they receive. This has a positive effect on the entire value chain.
Find out more about LESER’s transformation.
Oyku Ilgar is part of SAP Supply Chain Thought Leadership & Awareness.
