THANKS TO LOBSTER SOFTWARE
The Kipp Group communicates with the automotive sector quickly and effectively
You firmly grip the steering wheel, slowly press down on the accelerator and the car accelerates: you feel a pleasant tingling sensation rise within you. You only get this feeling, though, when a car is running faultlessly and safely. That’s why the Kipp Group has been providing the automotive sector with customised solutions for eight years now. To ensure that it is constantly able to meet the high demands of the industry, the company uses Lobster’s data integration software, Lobster_data, as well as its CAD modules.
The Kipp Group works in close collaboration with car manufacturers. Kipp’s employees produce custom-made tools, devices and assembly parts, and are directly involved in the actual development of products. This means that the company exchanges a large number of documents with its clients and partners via electronic data interchange (EDI) every day. Orders are received, written product consultations take place with the client, stock levels are synchronised with logistics service providers. All communications must be 100% reliable so that the client is satisfied and no time is unnecessarily wasted.
Communicating with the world – despite different formats
Lobster_data automates the entire order process and logistics processes, both nationally and internationally. The software converts data in Kipp’s internal format to various different output formats – from VDA and EDIFACT to clients’ specific special formats – and vice-versa. This enables all IT systems – both Kipp’s and its clients’ – to read electronic data and then exchange it quickly and faultlessly. The system sends order confirmations, delivery notes and invoices automatically and updates information about incoming and outgoing goods autonomously. “The world speaks in many languages, formats differ from country to country and from sector to sector. Lobster’s software enables us to communicate with the world,” says Markus Ehmann, CIO of the Kipp Group.
Lobster_data not only converts data, it can also customise it in accordance with pre-defined criteria, assign it accordingly or filter out information from a document. For example, the software can specify which orders have been received in a particular department over a specific period. This feature is especially useful for controlling and accounting.
“In-house” process know-how guarantees flexibility and security
Kipp used to work with a software tool that was maintained by an external consulting company. Whenever Kipp wanted to further develop the system, connect new partners or rectify any errors, it was generally only the service provider who could do this. When it became clear that the Kipp Group was going to switch to SAP, those responsible also knew that all EDI mappings would need to be recreated. On the old EDI converter, this task would have required at least 30 consultant days. Thanks to the transparent operability of Lobster’s software, Kipp was able to manage this changeover itself together with all related maintenance as well as other EDI projects. It is much faster and more cost-effective. Above all, though, it means that all know-how about key processes remains in-house. “With Lobster_data, we are not dependent on external service providers with black-box technology. We can be flexible in our response to requests and changes and immediately rectify any errors in processes ourselves,” explains Ehmann. “This gives us the necessary control and security across all our processes.”
And if IT staff have any questions, they can contact Lobster’s support team of professional IT experts who quickly get to work on a solution. “The quality of Lobster’s support is fantastic. Whenever we have a question we get immediate support. That is extremely important to us,” says Ehmann.
CAD exchange with ENGDAT module
In future, Kipp would like to also use Lobster_data to exchange CAD drawing data with car manufacturers via OFTP 2.0. Kipp receives the electronic drawings from its clients, processes these and then returns them. With the software’s ENGDAT module, this data exchange process could be automated: the tool would transport (even very large) CAD files to the partner in question and back again. It would also assign drawings to the relevant developer responsible for these. That, above all,
saves time. Lobster helps companies like the Kipp Group make driving experiences pleasant and safe. So, fasten up – the journey is about to begin!
More Use Cases on our blog.
