automotive erp, OEM, door systems, window regulators, advanced technologies, QAD Enterprise Edition

Brose is the world’s fifth-largest family-owned and a top 50 largest overall automotive supplier of mechatronic systems for vehicle doors and seats as well as electric motors, drives and electronics for steering, brakes, transmissions and engine cooling. Half of all vehicles produced worldwide is equipped with at least one Brose product.

Brose Thailand Co., Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brose, produces window regulators and door modules for major OEMs, in both the domestic market as well as exports. In recent years, they have experienced significant growth with the addition of a new major OEM, and soon realized they needed to upgrade their ERP solution to keep up with their expanding business.

ERP Upgrade Presents Digital Transformation Opportunities

Once Brose Thailand made the decision to upgrade their ERP solution, they understood this also allowed for the opportunity to integrate Industry 4.0 processes, including a closed-loop visualization application that allows them to see the product move virtually throughout the shop floor.

“We wanted to use our ERP system more effectively in all areas, and we wanted to have a ‘closed loop’ system with material moving physically through the plant and within the system at the same time — with no more system entries done by hand,” commented Denis Reul, managing director, Brose Thailand Co. Ltd. “Without an upgrade we couldn’t develop that closed loop system. When our QAD consultant gave us a presentation on the capabilities of QAD Enterprise Edition (EE), the choice to upgrade was very simple.”

Advanced Technologies Support Brose’s Growth Strategy and Increase Shop Floor Visibility

Brose Thailand was facing challenges such as excess inventory costs, errors as a result of many manual tracking systems and most importantly, the lack of real-time visibility on the shop floor. The development of an advanced technology solution that integrates check points and a digital visualization concept track product as it moves through the shop floor would almost eliminate inventory inaccuracies because a user could find the product anywhere in the facility at any time.

“The upgrade to EE has been very successful for the Thailand plant,” comments Reul. “One of the greatest benefits we expect is the avoidance of premium freight cost with the improvement of inventory accuracy and better control over material movement.”

For more details about the benefits Brose Thailand realized from their QAD ERP upgrade, check out the full case study.

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