Efficient process management in mechanical and plant engineering is the basis for successful operation, competitiveness and innovative strength.
Effective process management is essential in mechanical and plant engineering in order to ensure efficiency, profitability and innovative strength. The process-oriented design of companies offers the potential to optimize operational processes and sustainably increase competitiveness. However, many companies are faced with the challenge of putting their existing process landscape to the test. It is often not enough to simply rename procedural instructions as process descriptions, as key elements such as objectives and expected results are missing. To delve deeper into this topic, ProduktionNRW and the KHS Group organized an in-person event on November 20, 2024, specifically for the North Rhine-Westphalian mechanical and plant engineering industry.
Practical examples: Process management in mechanical and plant engineering
Dr. Silke Felber, Head of Process Management at the KHS Group, described the challenges and successes in the company in a practical way. The KHS Group, a leading company for filling and packaging systems, pursues a strategy of harmonization and standardization in process management – supported by a suitable process organization with clear responsibilities. By using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN 2.0) and the process management tool ADONIS, KHS systematically documents and analyzes its processes. The introduction of a global document management system and the integration of international sites underline KHS’ objective of using effective and efficient processes worldwide while at the same time taking regional requirements into account.
Dennis Nüllig, Head of Process Management at Gebr. Becker GmbH, presented the innovative visualization of his company’s process landscape. The representation in the subway layout provides a structured overview of end-to-end processes, which allows a certain degree of flexibility in the individual processes. In addition, the international subsidiaries can also be integrated into the presentation. Dennis Nüllig emphasized the relevance of clearly defined roles and responsibilities in process management to ensure effective implementation and continuous optimization. The aim is to establish global standards while leaving room for local adaptations.
World café: Interactive processing of different topics
Jonas Lick, research associate at Fraunhofer IEM, gave an impulse on modern aspects of process management. He emphasized the importance of digitalization and increasing efficiency and presented innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence (AI) in production, process mining and the use of digital twins.
The concluding World Café offered participants the opportunity to work on different issues in alternating groups. The topics covered included the understanding of process management, the control of processes with the help of KPIs and the digitalization of processes. It became clear, for example, that many companies have difficulties defining specific process KPIs and often fall back on general company KPIs.
Findings and outlook
The event illustrated that the mechanical and plant engineering industry faces various challenges in process management. These include the harmonization and standardization of processes – both nationally and internationally, the introduction of digital tools and the establishment of process-oriented structures. At the same time, it became clear that modern process management not only enables efficiency increases, but also creates the basis for the use of innovative technologies. Through clear structures, continuous improvement and the integration of new approaches, the mechanical and plant engineering industry can sustainably increase its competitiveness.
Organizer
The event was organized by ProduktionNRW. ProduktionNRW is the cluster for mechanical engineering and production technology in North Rhine-Westphalia and is organized by VDMA NRW. ProduktionNRW sees itself as a platform for networking, informing and marketing companies, institutions and networks with each other and along the value chain. Significant parts of the services provided by ProduktionNRW are funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.