SOLARWATT AG, Dresden

Industry:

Solar power

The company:

Converting the supply of energy to sustainable technology such as photovoltaics is one of the central challenges for the future. This opens up a wide range of business opportunities for SOLARWATT AG, Dresden, a leading manufacturer of mono- and polycrystalline solar modules and supplier of photovoltaic systems. Founded in the year 1993, the company continues to be one of the world's most prestigious pioneers in solar technology and is growing continuously, at a pace which has increased in recent years. In the period from 2002 to 2009 its turnover rose from ?16 million to ?300 million. The innovative SOLARWATT AG growth strategy also includes opening up new business areas such as the construction of turnkey solar power stations and further complex technological solutions.

Project tasks & objectives:

1. The existing heterogeneous IT landscape was no longer able to keep pace with the company's dynamic business growth
2. As a result the company looked for an efficient, future-proof overall IT solution as the basis for the further expansion of its business processes
3. Integrated ERP software including industry-specific processes was to be used to achieve the quantum leap to a company-wide IT solution without media discontinuity to create significant optimisation of processes and efficient information flows
4. The solution was to be anchored in the latest SAP technology so that the IT concept can continually and seamlessly be adapted to new challenges

Highlights:

1. Successful company-wide productive rollout of the new IT solution with simultaneous replacement of all previous applications in a 'big bang' operation in January 2010
2. Implementation of the project at a favourable fixed price, providing maximum transparency with regard to investment costs
3. Convenient operation and support for the SPEED Solar solution at manageable cost in the ai informatics computer centre; this outsourcing enables the experts at SOLARWATT AG to concentrate on their core business
4. New ERP platform enables the bundling and linking of consistent and accurate master data for the optimised flow of goods and finance, ranging from the drawing up of quotations via production right up to delivery to the customer
5. Seamless monitoring, administration and control of all the necessary stocks and resources - including immediate online recording of incoming materials by means of wireless LAN barcode scanners and automatic entry of data into the ERP solution

Concrete customer benefits:

1. Comprehensive IT-aided and transparent processes, ranging from procurement via production to delivery, enabling considerably more efficient handling of customer orders
2. Scalable and future-proof ERP solution as efficient accompaniment and support for the company's growth strategy
3. Customer orders can be displayed simultaneously in quantities and watt peaks
4. Automatic reduction of contractually agreed quantities in response to customer call-offs
5. Automatic allocation of modules to output classes at the end of production
6. Seamless traceability of the materials and components applied in individual solar modules
7. Punctual and convenient creation of monthly balances by evaluation of stock data, sales and costs at the push of a button
8. IT costs can be clearly calculated thanks to the outsourced operation and maintenance of the software at the ai informatics computer centre

Customer statement:

"With SPEED Solar we have an integrated and future-proof ERP software system which also displays processes that are typical for the industry and as a result provides our business operations with optimum support."

Dr. Jürgen Bruns, CFO/CIO, SOLARWATT AG, Dresden

Solutions:

1. SPEED Solar industry solution on SAP basis
2. Outsourcing

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