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Integration of production systems with SAP NetWeaver
 

SAP WAS 6.40, Web Dynpro (Java), SAP XI and SAP Enterprise Portal in practice

znt has realized a project based on SAP NetWeaver (SAP WAS 6.40, XI, Portal) for TRW Airbag Systems. The project aimed at the vertical integration of TRW's production system in SAP.

The Project

znt-Richter was commissioned to realise a solution for the integration of 40 production lines in the 2 plants of the customer within SAP R/3. Nowadays, the complete production runs fully integrated three-shift operation.

The customer focused on two main issues within the project:

1. Optimisation of business processes in the area of production logistics

  • Improved data quality
  • Reduction of inventory by real-time messaging of consumption and introduction of separate storage locations.
  • Secure and timely material supply for the production lines.
  • Elimination of superfluous ordering incidents.


2. Further development of the IT environment

SAP Release 4.7 Enterprise has been implemented. Now the various features of the Enterprise Service Architecture should step by step be harnessed for the company.

  • Creation of a reference architecture
  • Evaluation of SAP NetWeaver technology
  • Know-how establishment
  • The professional and technical basis for the integration of further business processes has been worked out within the project

The initial situation at TRW was similar to the situation of many companies: The business processes at the company level were represented in a very appropriate way with SAP ERP. The production was automated to a large extent and was supported by process control systems. Between the ERP level and the production level stood the proverbial “swivel chair” with an employee transfering the data between both systems manually.


Figure 1: Initial situation

Now, in the newly created scenario orders will be dispatched with their corresponding list of material automatically, based on the planning in APO in the production control system, and confirmations about consumption and finished products will be returned automatically in real-time. An important feature on the integration level is a very sophisticated stock-management for the various storage locations, which calculates the material available and places repeat orders automatically.


Figure 2: Process of integration

System Architecture

The solution was realised according to the Enterprise Service Architecture based on SAP NetWeaver (WAS 6.40, XI, Enterprise Portal).

Figure 3: System architecture

Our customer plans to implement SAP Enterprise Portal centrally for process integration in direction to the applicant. Therefore, the integration was from the beginning designed as integrated portal-oriented web surface. As GUI technology, the decision fell on Java and WebDynpro, which will be implemented strategically for Rich Web GUI’s in future. All system interfaces were implemented as web services and are connected by means of the SAP Exchange Infrastructure (XI). This implementation decision was compulsory, since the idea of an Enterprise Service Architecture requires all created interfaces to be available as WebServices to any other application.
The integration application is realised as Java / JavaEE application within the Java personality of the application server SAP WAS 6.40. The application is built out of several levels.

Figure 4: Layer architecture

The presentation layer is represented by a WebDynpro application. With WebDynpro, SAP provides a very efficient development environment for the presentation of Rich GUI’s within the HTML browser. The znt project developers so far had developed Web GUI’s for data processing with various other technologies and were amazed by the possibilities WebDynpro has to offer.

In the business layer, complex functions had to be realized for the range of coverage control of the line stocks. Thus, WebDynpro components do not directly access R/3 data, what would be possible without problems too, but it was realised an own business logic layer as EJB’s (Enterprise Java Beans). These EJBs realise the functional business services and provide functions such as „book consumptions“ or „order materials“. Below there are the actual business objects („order“, „production line“). The business objects are made persistent by means of JDO (Java Data Objects), the storage is effected via the Persistence Services in an Oracle data base.

Project experiences

Employing SAP WAS 6.40 was of course challenging in the beginning, since this product was still part of the Ramp-up program. However, our customer and znt-Richter decided to rely on the new technology with view to its promising architecture.

Looking back, we can say it was worth the endeavour. All objectives could be met on schedule, both regarding the implemented functionality and the reference architecture. The pilot was started in phase 2005. Initial problems, a product often has during the Ramp Up phase, could be sorted out quickly with the help of the SAP support. Meanwhile, SAP WAS 6.40 became a stable application platform.

Being developers with many years of experience in Java / JavaEE applications, we are convinced of the concepts of SAP NetWeaver as being a stable technological platform. Even if other Java application servers or EAI solutions offer advantages in some aspect due to the longer history, SAP’s strategy to provide full integration of its business applications is still convincing.

Prospect

Employing SAP NetWeaver, our customer has chosen a consistent path to establish an Enterprise Service Architecture. More projects based on intelliBO are currently being developed at znt.

We will be happy to assist you when planning your production optimisation.

The data sheet of the TRW project is available at the download area.