SAP via iPhone and iPad

The product range of the internationally active Winkler Group, Stuttgart, includes over 100,000 items, mainly commercial vehicle parts. With an intelligent application of mobile apps for using SAP ERP on smartphones and tablets, the wholesaler of commercial vehicle parts and accessories has not only taken an important step towards comprehensive customer advice.

In fact, the door has been thrown wide open for many new fields of application. But first things first. The introduction of SAP ERP together with All for One Steeb took place several years ago.

Winkler now works with various SAP Business Suite solution components. These include the SAP Online Store and SAP Netweaver Business Information Warehouse, and soon SAP EWM (Extended Warehouse Management).

Oracle 11g is used as the database. For years, Winkler used a laptop and UMTS to access SAP from the road, for example by field staff. A sales information system was used for this, as a front end for order processing directly in SAP (SD).

However, the enthusiasm for the mobile laptop application was limited.

"Boot-up, connection setup and log-on simply take too long via the laptops"

This was the credo of the sales force, and the user interaction did not quite fit in with the ideas of modern, service-oriented customer advice.

"Such experiences are not unique"

assures Stephan Reisser, Head of Innovations Consulting at All for One Steeb AG.

"Instead of bulky laptops, many companies are therefore considering using smartphones and tablets, which have become indispensable in the private sector, together with their convenient functions in the professional business environment.

However, it is not uncommon for there to be a lack of willingness to implement this, for example because management is not pushing ahead with the smartphone/tablet-SAP link consistently enough."

Not so with Winkler.

The initial spark

During a city trip, Winkler Managing Director Rüdiger Hahn comes into contact with the world of Apple when a friend uses his iPhone to find a good Italian restaurant within walking distance. Hahn is impressed.

The consequences were not long in coming:

"I quickly switched my IT in the private sector completely to Apple and also swapped my Nokia Communicator for an iPhone"

Hahn states for the record.

In addition:

"Wouldn't Apple mobile devices be something for us in business instead of laptops?"

Hahn asks himself and finds that Winkler IT boss Michael Zobel has an open ear.

After that, a lot comes together and a lot is set in motion. SAP on iPhones and iPads" is set up like a classic project at the commercial vehicle specialist.

"Our field service is intended to provide comprehensive and competent advice on site at the customer's premises, but not to replace the internal sales team, where order entry and monitoring take place.

This is why we are equipping our sales force with iPhones and iPads and creating customized mobile apps for precisely these devices, which combine the use of selected central data from SAP with the high user comfort of Apple, with a focus on comprehensive customer advice, without compromising on security, of course"

is how Reinhold Schlotterer, the member of the Winkler management team responsible for accounting, organization and IT, outlines the ambitious task.

Safety, comfort and motivation in equal measure

After a thorough evaluation and assessment of the various solutions, Winkler opted for the SAP mobility solution from All for One Steeb with ERP in Motion.

"Their use does not require any separate middleware and is therefore particularly economical. Instead, users with Abap knowledge can easily determine themselves which data they want to mobilize from their SAP solution"

explains Zobel.

This includes app development and SAP integration as well as customization via Abap. All common mobile platforms are also supported.

Optional features include RFID, access data management and integration into various device management solutions.

"After installation and an introductory workshop lasting just three days, as well as a short learning-by-doing phase, we were able to use the mobility solution from All for One Steeb to our own advantage"

Zobel sums up with satisfaction.

Together with All for One Steeb, a sophisticated security concept was implemented in a further project step. This means that the mobile devices always access the central SAP systems "point-to-point" via encrypted, certificate-based VPN connections.

The SAP Web Dispatcher was also installed as a "security layer". From a purely security perspective, this means that there is no direct communication between the mobile clients and the central SAP systems.

Additional security is provided by public certificates that are always used for communication between the iPhone, iPad and the Web Dispatcher.

Despite such high security standards and rigid firewall systems, access by mobile clients, both read and write, takes place with unprecedented performance.

Even the once tedious dial-up via laptop and UMTS is now a thing of the past. All mobile devices are managed and controlled via sophisticated mobile device management (MDM) software.

Two strictly separate areas are managed for each device: private and business. If an iPhone or iPad is lost, it can be locked immediately from a central location.

Don't bring your own device

"We have excluded bring your own device for security reasons; instead, everyone receives their own personal iPhone or iPad from the company and is expressly permitted to use it for private purposes"

assures Schlotterer,

"This has earned us a lot of points with the sales representatives. Our colleagues are really proud of their new, ultra-modern working environment and are extremely motivated."

However, clear rules and precautions are essential. Who is responsible for the backup and recovery of private data? Who is responsible for business data?

"The need to regulate business and private use on one device is anything but trivial. Extremely careful attention to detail is essential here. One wrong turn of the tongue, and goodwill and trust, which every mobile computing project needs, can be noticeably impaired"

confirms Schlotterer.

"That's why we not only thought everything through, but also laid it down plausibly, comprehensibly and credibly in a separate usage agreement."

From Abap to app developer and back again

"My developers are also very proud"

says Zobel happily.

They are now using their Abap know-how, which inevitably has an old-school feel to it from time to time, together with their knowledge of business processes to develop cutting-edge business apps.

As a result, an all-round convincing sales monitor app was quickly developed in-house for the first rollout stage. Customer and product data, prices, availability, delivery times and conditions from the various SAP application areas are clearly presented in a mobile overall picture, specifically for the familiar iPad and iPhone interaction.

The initial training of 300 sales representatives was also carried out under the direct supervision of the developers. Mandatory one-day workshops were held at various Winkler locations over a period of around five months.

"In addition to handing over the iPhones and iPads, the main focus here was on deepening the application scenarios for our newly developed sales monitor app"

reports Zobel.

"The fact that this sparked additional positive momentum was entirely intentional"

as Zobel notes with a grin.

The intensive feedback between field service and developers has long since opened up further circles. Now the internal sales team is also enthusiastic.

"Our sales monitor, which is currently only available as a mobile app, has been so well received that it will soon be made available directly on the central SAP application.

Here too, Abap expertise is in demand. A marketing app that will enable mobile access to all of our catalog data is also already in the works."

App brings management to SAP

As Managing Director Hahn sums up, "our new mobile solution has enabled us to increase the satisfaction of our sales force and the quality of our advice. The use of SAP via smartphones and tablets beats our previous laptop times by far.

However, the new apps with their innovative access to SAP data provide the main performance gain. As things stand today, commercial vehicle specialist Winkler has by no means reached the end of the road when it comes to SAP mobile computing.

"In any case, the management is already looking forward to our mobile management cockpit."