Heli Forklift: Change Management from Manufacturing to Zhizhi New PLM System

In order to meet the needs of the company's sustainable development and enhance the core competitiveness of research and development, Anhui Heli Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Huili Heli”) decided to transform the existing IT system and set up a PLM management platform integrating research, production, and sales services. The planned IT system must not only help Anhui join forces to realize the connection between design application software and ERP systems, but also establish a collaborative design platform that runs through production, supply, and marketing, break through departmental barriers, optimize resource allocation, shorten product development cycles, and reduce the number of changes; Realize the generalization, modularization and serialization of product structure, shorten the transition period from R&D design data to production data, and ultimately increase the R&D collaboration capability and promote the reform of the R&D system.

I. "Synergy" Adjustment Since the establishment of the company in 1958, Anhui Heli has been committed to the R&D, manufacturing and sales of industrial vehicles, construction machinery and key components. After nearly half a century of development and innovation, Anhui Heli has now formed the headquarters of Anhui Hefei Heli Industrial Park as its center, Baoji Heli Forklift Factory and Hengyang Heli Industrial Vehicle Co., Ltd. as two wings, Hefei Foundry and Anqing. The three parts plant and supporting industrial park, including the Axle Factory and Suiliu Machinery Plant, are the supporting billion industrial platforms. It is the largest industrial chain with the most complete industrial chain, comprehensive strength, and economic benefits. Export businesses. In 2011, sales of Heli trucks reached 6.29 billion yuan, an increase of more than 25% year-on-year in 2010, and the number of exports increased by more than 49% year-on-year.

Zhang Mengqing, Chief Economist and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Anhui Heli, introduced that the forklift was classified as an industrial vehicle. In recent years, Anhui Heli has had a strong sense of innovation from the company’s leadership to all levels, and at the same time, it has a strong sense of risk, so the company can be in today’s changing environment. In 1994, Anhui Heli began to enter the road of informatization. In 2001, it began to launch another ERP system. It was considered as a major turning point in the IT system and the entire company's operation and management system. From 2001 to 2005, Anhui joined forces. Completed the comprehensive informatization work from ERP to technical management, design tools, and financial management, and re-planned the information system construction plan for the next 5 to 10 years, and implemented it effectively.

After the ERP system went online, Anhui Heli began to reform the technology system and started it simultaneously with ERP in 2010. At the same time, PLM system matters began to be put on the agenda. Zhang Mengqing explained: “After the ERP system went online, the company accelerated the promotion schedule of PLM. This is because everyone found that ERP has a strong demand for data requirements after going online. The original system is relatively extensive and the degree of business integration is low. The requirements for data quality, business quality, and process settings were not so strong. After the new ECC system was put on line, the strong demand for data had made the original system unacceptable. This time, the PLM project was in progress. From the requirements of the company, after one year and one month of contacts, exchanges, analysis, and study, including the help of other manufacturers, the company selected the best ones and selected the best among the best ones. On May 31, we officially launched the implementation of the new system based on SAP PLM."

Zhang Mengqing sums up the experience of Anhui Heli's own development. From the definition, intelligent manufacturing is called manufacturing to intellectual creation. However, Anhui Heli as a manufacturing company is not smart enough. If the previous system can solve the so-called wisdom problem, it is actually blowing leather. But as a company, if the competition is based on price, this company will not live long. Anhui Heli is willing to become a company that contributes to the society. One of the goals pursued is to reduce the content of its products, that is, to increase the content of wisdom and spirit, and to integrate into the industry and become commercial value.

Second, high expectations and high realization In May 2012, Anhui Heli successfully launched a new PLM system. Zhang Mengqing said: “In fact, our expectations for the new PLM system are still quite high, and we also hope to achieve high standards. First of all, in the R&D system, we standardize R&D business and R&D business processes, and reorganize products and product structures. This is not BOM, but Product platforms, product lines, product models, product modules, and product parts and components carry out new design concepts and use this new approach to product design. Afterwards, they will work collaboratively in the process of research and development. Let all joints, including procurement, manufacturing, processes, etc., be integrated into the R&D process, rather than waiting for one phase to be delivered before moving on to the next phase, which will allow better access to concurrent engineering. For a long time, there are many theoretical studies in China, but there are still many problems in actual operations, and at present there is almost nothing that can be seen by everyone. Our PLM system can also be used for the promotion of concurrent engineering in the future. To a certain degree of promotion, followed by the R&D organization system. Generally speaking, it is organized by a product system or an administrative structure, and the difficulty in coordinating such organizations is very great, because the research and development process of the members involved in an organization is not only subject to the requirements of the project, but also subject to the requirements of the director. The director cannot control individuals, and individuals do not listen to the director of the department, which is a very common situation, so it is necessary to adjust this management relationship and new R&D models must be established, such as matrix, strong matrix, or project-based organizations. The R&D process can, to a certain extent, break the R&D system of departmental ownership and professional ownership, and the ideal for professional people to do professional work can be done collaboratively within a group.This is an important indicator of the success or failure of our PLM project. In the process of R&D, we can understand the cost of previous similar products, market sales, and feedback from customers. After confirming the R&D results, we can effectively pass the integrated system or seamless system to the manufacturing process. During the sales process, it is passed to the customer service process to research and produce Strand all get through this manufacturing sector is indeed a dream. "

Zhang Mengqing revealed that Anhui Heli's PLM system is actually not just a PLM system. This system only accounts for about one-third of the total target. PLM is only a line and is a main line for the core competitiveness of the R&D system to enhance the entire project. Anhui Heli will use this main line to pull all the work behind it, which includes organizational innovation, model innovation, product innovation, and tool innovation. In this process, not only SAP's PLM system, but also various products from other manufacturers.

This is in fact in line with the research and development characteristics and manufacturing characteristics of Anhui Heli, which is a configurable product system that fully meets customer needs. Not only does R&D have to respond to this requirement, but the manufacturing process is also the same. Anhui Heli has a particularly strong demand for configuration, including the configuration of products, and the ability to complete the preparation of orders from the time the order is established, to the order delivery, and to the entire after-sales service. The process can completely manage the customer's order configuration information throughout its life cycle. Zhang Mengqing believes that Anhui Heli can support the future development of the company only if it constantly strives to meet the different needs of customers.