Industry expertise – Discrete Industry

Discrete manufacturing encompasses all industries in which individual, countable products are developed, manufactured, assembled and distributed – in contrast to the process industry, which works with continuous or batch-based processes.

The focus here is on complex parts lists, highly varied production processes, modular product architectures and highly integrated supply chains.

Today, companies in the discrete manufacturing industry are faced with the challenge of taking their production to a new level of digitalisation, customisation and global networking. Customers expect tailor-made products in the shortest possible time – while maintaining consistent quality and cost efficiency.

Modern SAP solutions such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP Digital Manufacturing (SAP DM), SAP EWM and SAP PLM form the backbone for integrated, networked production and service processes – from product development and manufacturing to after-sales service.

What defines the discrete manufacturing industry

Discrete manufacturing is characterised by:
Bill of materials and order-based production (make-to-order, assemble-to-order, engineer-to-order)
Highly complex variant and configuration processes (SAP VC, AVC, iPPE)
Integration of development, production and service in a digital value chain
High automation and IoT networking of machines, plants and logistics systems
Digital twins and product lifecycle management (PLM)
Sustainability and energy efficiency as integral components of modern production concepts

The discrete manufacturing industry covers a wide range of specialised manufacturing areas:

Mechanical and plant engineering

customer-specific products; vari

guration; engineering-to-order; integration of CAD/PLM systems

Automo

dustry

I integration, quality management (SAP QM)

Ele

ring & electronics
Series production, traceability, p

on, component management, traceability

l processing
Order-based manufacturing, p

capacity planning, energy and material efficiency

Variant-rich manufacturing, after-sales servi

lifecycle management

Series production in accordance with regulatory r

R), quality certification, traceability

Project manufacturing, docum

ents, quality management, compliance (ITAR, AS9100)

sub-sector	Typical characteristics & focal points
Complex,	ant confi
tive and supplier in	Series production, just-in-time/just-in-sequence processes, ED
ctrical enginee	roduct configurati
etal and stee	arts list integration,
Household and consumer goods industry	ce, EWM integration,
Medical technology & precision mechanics	equirements (ISO, MD
Aerospace industry	entation requirem

With over two decades of experience in SAP-supported production optimisation and process integration, we have supported companies in the discrete manufacturing industry with their digital transformation – from process analysis and template definition to rollout strategies and S/4HANA transitions (greenfield, brownfield, bluefield).

Our expertise includes:

End-to-end process consulting for manufacturing, logistics and service
System integration of SAP S/4HANA, EWM, DM, PLM, PM, CS and PP/DS
Standardisation of plant and site processes worldwide
Innovation projects in the areas of IoT, MES, cloud integration and BTP workflows
Change management and training for international project teams