A.A.F. Production S.c.S.: the partner with an antenna for global requirements

The partner with an antenna for global requirements

The starting point

With antenna providers like Kathrein, Hirschmann, Delphi as well as some formidable Japanese manufacturers. A.A.F. is operating in an immensely competitive environment. Its ageing ERP system was increasingly proving to be a stumbling block when it came to responding flexibly to customer requirements. Lots of subsequently installed stand-alone solutions caused redundant data and time-consuming multiple entries. Sometimes master data was being entered up to four times in the various systems.

Project success

The Automotive industry software, which was implemented as part of an international project, precisely maps out and manages all processes. A.A.F. boosted its sales by about 25 per cent – with almost the same size of team. Raw material availability is guaranteed, and management can rely on capacity planning 100%.

Integrated and non-redundant processes

Sami Mzali, the A.A.F. project manager on-site in Tunisia, is extremely satisfied with the result:

All of the processes that were once divided into sub-systems are now mapped out in the Automotive solution – with no redundancy in sight.

It can be used for a number of different purposes: exchanging various forms of EDI messaging with OEMs and suppliers; incoming and outgoing goods processes; production; procurement via purchasing; dispatch and sale of the goods. For the finance and accounting department, including payroll accounting, the ERP system runs a local program via an interface developed by BE-terna.

Transit to Europe: week-by-week production management

The transportation of manufactured parts to Europe posed a particular challenge: Due to set pick-up times, production had to be managed on a week-by-week basis in Dynamics NAV. The automatic setting of goods issue deadlines for incoming call-offs relieved some of the burdens on Scheduling. The software also makes it possible to aggregate the manufacturing orders contained in a weekly package. It then checks the material availability for each manufacturing order before approval.

Well-positioned in a booming market

After a three-month start-up phase, the entire system was performing with the utmost stability and to the utmost satisfaction. Reinhold Schweizer sums up the project:

We set ourselves a realistic timeline and budget and BE-terna adhered to these consistently. I know from past experience in other projects that that’s not always the case, so I really value our implementation partner.

Thanks to BE-terna’s Automotive, A.A.F. is well-equipped for future manufacturer requirements – and these are sure to grow in quantity with the emergence of self-driving cars, something which is sure to propel the market for antennae upwards.

Project results

• Approx. 25% increase in sales
• Reliable capacity planning
• Digitalisation of all processes