Variantenoptimierung im Anlagenbau unter Berücksichtigung der internen und externen Treiber mit Supply Chain Fokus

Abstract

Companies are constantly striving to increase their market share and tap into new markets. This leads to an increased complexity of the historically grown products. For plant manufacturers, the customer comes first, which is why customer requirements should be implemented in the best possible way. This historical development and the consideration of customer requirements have led to an immense number of variants. The motivation of this thesis is to investigate the causes and effects of the diversity of variants in plant engineering and to develop practicable solutions that can reduce the diversity of variants and the resulting complexity. The work is divided into three main sections. First, the various internal and external drivers that contribute to variant diversity in plant engineering are identified. This involves examining how these drivers influence the various business areas. The second section analyzes how the increased diversity of variants and the resulting complexity influence the supply chain of a plant engineering company. Finally, possible solutions for optimizing variant diversity and variant-induced complexity are presented. The methodology is based on literary research and practical relevance through collaboration with TGW Mechanics GmbH. The literary research serves to record and analyze existing theoretical foundations and previous research results on the topics of variant diversity and complexity in plant engineering. This theoretical basis is supplemented by practical insights and empirical values gained through the cooperation with TGW Mechanics GmbH. By researching relevant literature and the practical relevance of TGW Mechanics GmbH, it was possible to determine that the diversity of variants is caused by external drivers such as globalization, individualization, new consumption patterns and technological developments. In addition, internal drivers, such as a lack of communication and neglect of core competencies, cause variant diversity. TGW Mechanics GmbH shows that technological progress, company growth and diverse customer requirements increase product diversity and complexity. The diversity of variants and the resulting complexity influence the various areas of the supply chain in plant engineering. As a result, the effort involved in product development increases, special conditions may be lost in purchasing, more complex material flows arise in production, higher safety stocks are generated in logistics and more complex adjustments are made in sales. In the spare parts service, variants complicate the procurement of information and materials. Overall, work intensity and complexity increase along the entire supply chain. The following solutions are suitable for optimizing variant diversity and variant-induced complexity: Common parts and series design reduce complexity and costs. Integral design and organizational optimization potentials optimize variant diversity. The modular construction kit strategy in particular shows potential for variant reduction. However, these solutions must be adapted to the company's product catalog and variants. TGW Mechanics GmbH, on the other hand, uses the following approaches: Material overhead incentivization for cheaper products and shorter lead times as well as process cost surcharges for individual customer requirements in order to return to standard solutions.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Mátyás Gritsch (Supervisor)