Visualization for sales and service

Of course, we know that a picture can "say" more than a thousand words. But is that also true in the technical environment, in production and in sales? Where CAD data are available, everything seems to be said.

"As soon as several variants of a product are possible, visualization can be the decisive incentive to buy"

however, Managing Director Erich Schaarschmidt knows from numerous customer contacts. SAE has developed a globally unique software for variant configuration with 3D visualization as an independent system compatible with SAP.

"The big advantage is that the engineering department is not burdened in the quotation phase and sales and product management can generate 3D models independently"

is how Susanne Henkel sums up this innovation.

CAD is and remains the heart of technical offerings. This data is not only complex, but also the intellectual property of the supplier. Separating design knowledge, variant configuration and 3D visualization thus solves several challenges with one approach for the first time:

CAD remains in design and manufacturing, while a "Digital Twin" as an interactive, configurable 3D model optimally supports the sales process.

"The target audience is a company's sales staff, customers and prospects. Companies that want to set up their sales department in a holistic and consistently perfect way".

Susanne Henkel defines the addressees of the SAE innovation.

"This allows sales reps to configure 100 percent build-ready products offline, online or on the web with just a few clicks, with simultaneous 3D generation of the digital twin."

The sales representative can thus generate a quotation for his customer at the push of a button. Change requests are made with automatic real-time modification of the 3D model including transfer to the ERP system (SAP ERP/ECC 6.0, S/4 and other ERPs).

And in the E-3 conversation, she adds:

"Depending on the complexity of the product offered, customers can independently configure their product or machine on e-commerce platforms, familiarize themselves with the product, or even make a pre-selection that can be passed on to sales for detailed specification in a second step."

"CAD systems are used for technical design of products, our system is developed for holistic visual customized product display and presentation"

Schaarschmidt explains the position.

Product development is unit-specific; an overall composition of all possible variations and accessories, which are important in sales, is missing or not necessary in classic product development.

That's why Erich Schaarschmidt emphasizes that with the SAE Interactive Motion Engine, the interactive operating concept is unique:

"Without CAD knowledge, a salesperson can make complex products that are very difficult to explain transparent and understandable to the customer."

Interactive means here: As soon as the user moves the mouse over an object, he is visually shown whether he can change an assembly, for example, and if so, how. With the Interactive Motion Engine, a sales employee is now able to change very simple machines, to design and arrange them according to customer requirements.

"Another benefit is the automatic integration of the SAE-IME application into our sales document."

Erich Schaarschmidt emphasizes.

"All objects selected and designed in the 3D environment are adopted as document items, so no option is forgotten."

In the further course, the positions form the basis for pricing and print control with the corresponding text management. However, the innovation of SAP partner SAE lies not only in 3D visualization (virtual reality) in combination with variant management and configure-price-quote software, but also in bringing together variant professionals and sales professionals from a business and organizational perspective.

A recent study by the consulting firm Bearingpoint on "Product Configuration as a Success Factor in Mechanical and Plant Engineering" comes to precisely this conclusion: Although the function of product configuration is increasingly seen as critical to corporate success, opportunistic use predominates for the most part.

Strategic sales potential remains largely untapped. Two guiding principles are defined: Variant professionals with the question "How is configured?" and sales professionals with the question "What is configured?" (end of quote)

SAE has now succeeded in harmonizing these worlds for the first time through the SAE Interactive Motion Engine based on a back-office SAP system.

Product configuration as a success factor

The results of the Bearingpoint study show that 80 percent of industrial companies increasingly see product configuration as a success factor for their industrial business. On average, 58 percent of company products are configurable.

A further 25 percent are projected and tailored to customer requirements, and only 17 percent are standard products. On average, companies base their product configuration more on technical possibilities and less on a clear sales and product strategy.

The product models are primarily the responsibility of R&D and are correspondingly technically oriented. So much for Bearingpoint's management summary. Even here, SAE follows a different philosophy.

"Visualizing CAD data - that's not even the right expression for our innovation".

Susanne Henkel explains the alternative approach.

"Rather, it's bringing the products and equipment to life."

SAE Interactive Motion Engine is the application for creating the digital twins. Not only the functionalities and the size relationship become clear at a glance with the 3D visualization of the digital twin, but also the identification of the customer and prospective customer with the offered product is achieved within a few seconds.

What is new is that these 3D models can be moved completely and that the models are "married" to the object dependencies of the variant configuration.

"The consistency achieved with the combination of applications in one solution brings enormous and essential advantage. SAE applications can be used autonomously and in symbiosis with SAP ECC or S/4".

Susanne Henkel emphasizes.

Customers and sales can make changes and specifications in the configuration and quotation process directly on the product or plant - with the Interactive Motion Engine, users see the changes and results in real time and can move, position and perform functions on the digital twin.

However, as Bearingpoint states in the current study, the reality is still different: The goals pursued with product configuration are largely of an operational nature, for example, the reduction of errors in order processing in the sense of a feasibility check.

Strategic goals, such as increasing the win rate or differentiated pricing, are not being pursued by most participants. Possible digitization potential remains largely untapped.

No graphical 3D previews of the product are used, nor are product recommendations or suitable options and packages suggested by the configuration systems used.

The possibility of using a "digital twin" to provide data of the individual configuration up to the customer service (equipment information) also remains unused at the moment. (end of quote)

All these unused possibilities have now been realized by SAP partner SAE with the new software version and the system is ready for operational use.

"SAE has been involved in customized 3D representations or modeling and configuration of complex products in the global sales process for more than twelve years"

explains Erich Schaarschmidt.

"Our goal, or that of SAE's customers, is that the further forward in the sales process we can present complex products in a way that is appropriate to the customer, i.e., as desired, the more successful they will be."

Most corporations in the DACH region use SAP and need applications that optimally support this powerful ERP. For example, one requirement many years ago was to configure SAP's variant configuration and the material master (LO-VC) offline and to be able to adapt SAP pricing down to the smallest detail - for some years now, the new challenge has been to be able to perform LO-VC on the web - SAE can do all this with its applications.

"But time and time again we've heard that our customers are slow through no fault of their own, that the technology is overloaded, that a change request from a customer ends up back in engineering and involves a huge amount of processing and is therefore not welcome, and that quote turnaround times take too long"

is how Henkel describes the situation more than ten years ago.

"That was the challenge"

says Henkel in the E-3 interview:

"How do we make it so that we achieve real competitive advantage and that our customers can give their sales force an SAE application to configure their products in a rule-compliant way - based on relationship knowledge with 100 percent LO-VC - easily with a few clicks in beautiful interfaces on the web, offline or online with an automatic 3D representation of the product - from STEP files already available in the company?

So that the complete process from product configuration based on relationship knowledge, quotation generation, customer special requests, versioning, technically valuable 3D animation to print creation can be done by the sales representative with just a few clicks worldwide?"

Today, a single sales representative with SAE software is able to configure technically complex products with a few clicks SAP-compatible and without the help of technology in a 3D representation, to show the customer his individually configured product at the same time, to create a quotation and, when the order is placed, to transfer the order to SAP with one click with one hundred percent buildability incl. parts lists, prices, configuration evaluation etc. - and all this on the WEB or offline.

Does the configurator's capabilities create a new division of labor and new opportunities for sales?

"Yes, definitely"

says Erich Schaarschmidt.

"The globally active sales department can do its work simply, independently and largely without a back office. This frees up enormous potential. In symbiosis with the SAP C4C CRM system, for example, global sales has a unique tool at its disposal."

Another very important advantage, explains Managing Director Schaarschmidt, is the self-learning effect or product training of new sales staff, who very quickly build up know-how and competence through the SAE Interactive Motion Engine.

"You can see what can be combined and how".

he emphasizes.

The presentation, quality and above all the certainty that the customer has really understood all the advantages of the product and the complex solution in order to be able to make the right decision are significantly increased, which ultimately definitely leads to more sales. Will everyone be allowed to plan "everything" in the future or how do you recapture this new freedom?

"Every employee should - within certain rules - really be able to plan everything"

says Erich Schaarschmidt and adds:

"Our variant engine takes care that no nonsensical things can be done."

And the reality? Here is another quote from the Bearingpoint study mentioned above:

"In the majority of companies, there is an opportunistic use of product configuration. It is used where operational processes have to be mapped. As soon as a sales strategy is affected, most companies become more cautious."

Is the market therefore already ready for the innovation of SAP partner SAE Schaarschmidt? To what extent are visualization and simulation a matter of course in sales and service?

"Self-evidence not yet equal"

says Erich Schaarschmidt,

"but when people see how well and easily they can design and model such applications without help from others, everyone is immediately excited and gets started too!"

Megatrend Virtual Reality

VR is also currently in great demand in the computer gaming scene: Is the SAE innovation therefore part of this megatrend?

In this regard, Erich Schaarschmidt says that qualified, young employees who are hired by companies today have not played with model trains. For the generation, it is quite natural when there is increasingly a digitalized world alongside the real world.

"The advantage of digital objects is that we can experience them even though they do not yet exist in reality. The classic is product development with 3D CAD systems - now normal for all of us.

Our goal is to exploit precisely these trends in new processes with enormous potential for the entire value chain."

However, according to the Bearingpoint study, this has not yet been established in reality across the board: "In the trend analysis, many companies are planning to professionalize their product configuration by optimizing their IT architecture.

Investment in configuration software, the integration of product data management systems, and the provision of digital data to customers are focus topics.

The integration of the supply chain or the integration of product configuration into digital manufacturing structures (such as Industry 4.0) is only seen as a trend to a lesser extent.

Digital trends such as augmented reality and VR solutions are not seen as relevant by the majority and thus represent untapped digital potential in the future." Clearly, SAE has succeeded in leveraging this potential.

Digital twin in a few clicks

The world will change.

"Design and product development are significantly relieved, since the creation and recurring changes of layout plans and customer-specific adjustments in the sales phase are largely eliminated"

Erich Schaarschmidt knows from many successful projects.

"The fact is that existing CAD files can be converted to an Interactive Motion Engine file format with one click, configurations can be built in no time with SAE Developer, or if configurations already exist - e.g. SAP LO-VC - they can be configured as a digital twin on the web or offline with a few clicks"

Susanne Henkel again describes the potential in detail.

The Bearingpoint study also confirms that viewers, films or 3D CAD images that are rigid are a matter of course.

"New is"

says Henkel,

"and only the SAE Interactive Motion Engine can do that, that the different expressions and configurations can be represented directly in the 3D model."

Very importantly, this is not just about the 3D representation of products, it's about the holistic, end-to-end approach of a global offer management system - whether offline or on the web.

As mentioned earlier, the SAE quote management system enables sales to configure quotes without the assistance of the engineering department, work out layouts with digital twins in 3D, and make product changes in real time at the customer's site.

"It makes the sales department self-sufficient, faster in quoting, and changes happen closer to the customer"

Susanne Henkel knows from her practical work in the projects.

Can the SAE offering be seen as part of a larger, digital transformation?

"Absolutely"

Henkel quickly replies.

"Providing sales with a total solution that allows them to configure 100 percent rule-based, allowing them to produce quotes very quickly, including customer-specific special requests, without needing support from their design or engineering departments, is absolutely new."

Digitally mapping products and technical know-how in the form of object dependencies is necessary in order to successfully meet the demands of the global market in the future and to be better than the competition.

"To round it all off with digital twins already is top of the line and special at the moment - I think in five years it will be a given"

Henkel concludes.

Virtual Reality in the enterprise

"By 2025, global revenues in the virtual reality/augmented reality market are expected to reach $80 billion, according to surveys by Goldman Sachs.

Against this background, it is not surprising that from start-ups to DAX corporations, many companies are defining virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) as a strategic priority for the next few years.

In fact, there are already meaningful and technically feasible application and business opportunities in many industries. Pioneers and innovators have recognized these potentials and are testing interesting areas of application.

The focus here is particularly on new, emotional and communicative experiences," makes Angelika Huber-Straßer, Divisional Board Member Corporates at KPMG, clear in the foreword to the study of the potential of VR and AR in companies entitled "New Dimensions of Reality".

Together with a VR/AR specialist, the B2B sector in particular was already examined in 2016. According to KPMG's findings, "the market for VR/AR applications will develop very dynamically in the medium and long term, as complementary technologies will fuel far-reaching innovations.

And: With a view to the digital transformation in the business sector, it can be assumed that players will initially focus on optimizing the current value chain. Moreover, according to the forecasters, "Successful companies are already preparing for this today.

A large potential (52 percent) was identified in marketing and sales in general and in sales support in particular.