Standardized global service processes for KSB SupremeServ

The KSB Group is one of the leading providers of high-quality pumps, fittings and system solutions for industrial fluid transportation, the company and its roughly 17,000 employees generating sales in excess of three billion euros. And this global perspective is reflected in its service too:

More than 190 service workshops guarantee the reliable operation of systems across all continents. Under the brand name KSB SupremeServ, the company offers a wide range of services with more than 3,500 service employees across more than 60 countries – from assembly and maintenance to repair. KSB also runs its own workshops for more significant repair works.

Dr. Dirk Kollmar, Vice President of Service Operations: “Our customer care doesn’t end once the product has been delivered. We’re there for our customers throughout the product's entire lifecycle – wherever they are in the world.”

Despite the considerable role of our service business, prior to this we didn’t have any standardized systems. Staff were using different tools even for documentation. The spectrum spanned from Excel forms right through to paper forms. This meant that the company was missing the basis for implementing standardized processes and identifying and rolling out best practices.

So, in 2017, the company decided to launch its first globally binding service solution. But, once rolled out globally, KSB soon noticed that the tool was unable to adequately map its diverse processes and country requirements.

“We just wanted a solution that was really right for us. Added to this was the fact that the provider had paused development – another reason we opted to start over across the board,” reports Dirk Kollmar. KSB SupremeServ’s service business is incredibly varied, ranging from inspection services in building technology with eight customer appointments a day, complex workshop repairs lasting six months – including the manufacture of spare parts – right through to system overhauls with over 100 service technicians working on more than 1,000 major fittings.

With this in mind, the decision-makers at KSB defined five key criteria for the new solutions. The criteria?

1. It had to be intuitive to operate and suitable for use offline as well.
2. It had to map harmonized processes for all KSB SupremeServ business transactions across all sites.
3. It had to support on-site installation and workshop repair.
4. It had to translate experiential knowledge into clear working steps, and
5. offer transparency across locations.

Based on these requirements, KSB looked for a suitable solution and ultimately found it in Dynamics 365 Field Service (FSM). The decisive factor was the flexibility of the software, as well as the fact that it could also be used in KSB workshops. “FSM covers both on-site installation and workshop processes – two areas that are often intertwined in everyday life”, comments Christian Hundt, FSM Product Owner at KSB.

Now KSB needed an experienced implementation partner. With this in mind, the pump specialist turned to the IT experts from ORBIS – a long-standing Microsoft Solutions Partner very familiar with the company’s processes thanks to joint projects. Christian Hundt: “KSB has been working successfully with ORBIS for more than 15 years. So, there was no question, and we turned to the experts again.”

So, the stage was set. First of all, both companies formed a dedicated joint project team. It analyzed the existing workflows and old systems at the different sites – and created a proof of concept based on this. This mapped out an integrated solution consisting of three building blocks: FSM as a foundation, forms for the documentation, and the task configurator for planning.

A core element of the new Field Service System is the task configurator designed by KSB and implemented by ORBIS using Microsoft Power Platform tools. It provides KSB with central, custom developed features and integrates seamlessly into Dynamics 365. In day-to-day use, it helps the back office to plan and control service orders on a step-by-step basis:

1. First, the back office receives a new order via the ticket system in the closely interlinked SAP CRM system – for example, to repair a pump.
2. The task configurator defines the work steps, schedules and forms for each assignment, thereby creating a work plan.
3. Building on the order, the task configurator helps the back office distribute tasks to individual service technicians or teams. Tasks generated via the task configurator are scheduled directly in the FSM planning board, taking into account the location and availability of the service technicians, optimally distributing capacity utilization, and achieving the highest possible productivity.
4. Based on the times and information reported by the service technicians, the harmonized tasks support the analysis and help to derive better procedures.

FSM provides service technicians working on-site with all the important information about the order: customer and plant data, work steps and the existing work plan. They work through this step-by-step using a checklist stored in the app.

In addition, FSM helps with navigation to the assignment location and facilitates the digital documentation of working hours, measured values and customer signatures. The solution also works offline and synchronizes automatically as soon as an internet connection is restored.

The project team also integrated the Power Platform-based KSB SupremeServ Forms documentation solution developed previously into the new system. In this, there are specific reporting forms for each product type that standardize the inspection and documentation process. “The Power Platform allows us to integrate our existing documentation directly into the new system and map our complex requirements for technical forms,” explains Christian Hundt.

^{Image Source: © KSB}

This created the technical basis. Then it was time to correctly integrate the workflows of the new solution into the IT architecture. The project team designed interfaces to integrate the two ERP systems used at KSB: SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business One.

“That was a major undertaking,” says Dr. Kollmar. “After all, the SAP S/4HANA launch took place alongside our project. This was in addition to the high expectations that KSB had for the new service management solution.”

But the team handled this task impressively too, coordinating closely with the ERP specialists from ORBIS and the pilot users. Now SAP S/4HANA can seamlessly process the new time tracking logic of FSM. The material will be transferred at a later development stage.

Comparable IT projects entail organizational changes too. Employees had to learn new processes and familiarize themselves with the system. This prompted KSB to take a gradual approach to introducing the new solution at individual locations. “This enabled us to give those affected extensive training in the application, to reduce reservations, and to use resources in a targeted manner,” says Christian Hundt, summing up.

Seven national subsidiaries are already working with FSM, and the service teams there couldn’t do without FSM now. New employees in particular are benefiting, because they often lack the experiential knowledge that distinguishes long-standing colleagues at the beginning. FSM compensates for this by guiding them through the work in a structured and reliable manner. “Many teams report that their daily work has become much more structured and plannable. But it’s not just employees in on-site installation and the back office who are seeing the benefit, customers are benefiting from more transparency and a higher first-time fix rate,” he continues.

With the new service solution, the KSB Group now has modern tools for all service locations. After the rollout, documentation, processes and data are globally consistent, up-to-date and digital, allowing KSB to noticeably accelerate service processes and reduce paper consumption. The task configurator implemented by ORBIS is also enabling the company to continuously improve its service processes.

Dirk Kollmar is very satisfied with the result too: