Integration of Peakboard with SAP via the SAP side-by-side extension

Side-by-side with SAP

Simply interact with Peakboard via standardised SAP APIs

Benefits of Peakboard:

• Expanded applications: Peakboard can be used as a supplementary platform alongside the SAP core system to create individual industrial applications and support decision-making processes. This is particularly useful for intuitively displaying and further processing operational data from the SAP system.
• Independent development: because Peakboard works as a side-by-side extension, applications can be created and adapted without interfering directly with the SAP system.
• Integration without affecting the core system: by using APIs and other integration mechanisms provided by SAP, Peakboard can extract and visualise data from SAP without affecting or burdening the core system.
• Flexibility and customisation: companies can build specific applications tailored to their individual needs. This is particularly beneficial in environments where rapid adjustments to changing business conditions are required.

With SAP as one of the most frequently used data sources for Peakboard, there are countless application options

Our customer examples show what that looks like in practice.

1. Delivery monitor — the classic target/actual application
   All active deliveries and their articles are displayed by shipping point, warehouse number or storage location. Our customer Prym, for example, uses Peakboard to show directly in the warehouse which transport orders need to be processed and where a bottleneck is building up.
2. Capacity utilisation for one or more workstations
   The most common use case in an SAP production environment is determining and displaying the capacity and utilisation of one or more workstations. Several of our customers use Peakboard to record capacity utilisation.
3. Confirmation of production orders
   The confirmation of a production order is not in itself proof that the order has been completed in full. Progress should be monitored continuously. This includes information on employee working hours, machine utilisation and current production figures, including the total number of products manufactured, the scrap rate and the yield.
   Our customer Bizerba, for example, uses Peakboard as an MES solution for seamless monitoring of the machine park. The first application Bizerba implemented with Peakboard was machine monitoring: orders passing through a system are tracked and the actual daily output is determined from that.
4. Transport order monitor
   In the transport order monitor, Peakboard displays current transport orders, for example in automated small parts warehouses.
5. Quality notifications
   Quality notifications are generated in many situations. There are three common use cases for Peakboard:
   1. Error message 1:
      Errors occur in the production process that cannot be fixed or that stop the process. This can happen during production or during quality control.
   2. Error message 2:
      The production material used has undetected defects. As a rule, all material is blocked immediately to prevent further use and to initiate further measures.
   3. Reporting health, safety and environmental incidents:
      These are incidents affecting health, safety or the environment, often caused by quality issues with materials or processes. This also includes accidents involving equipment or hazardous substances. As described above, Bizerba uses Peakboard as an MES that not only tracks orders but also records production times precisely, so unforeseen errors can be identified and reported quickly. You can find out more about how Bizerba uses Peakboard here.
6. Packing shipments
   Peakboard can also be used in a typical delivery process, where the delivery is packed after the goods have been picked. An additional camera can double-check the packaged goods or systematically take and save a photo of the goods in the package to document the contents and the type of packaging. Our customer Bosch, for example, uses Peakboard to display various picking orders from SAP on a touchscreen. Based on various criteria, the system calculates which picking order — that is, which packing list — is to be picked at which parking space. The employee scans a barcode to see which parts they need to pack. They can also report problems and confirm completed packing lists. In addition, the packing lists can be viewed and prioritised centrally via the Peakboard Hub.
7. Integration of SAP documents into the process (e.g. technical drawings)
   In most cases, Peakboard is used to build applications that provide an interactive dashboard with all the information needed. This information is usually structured data, but it can also include documents such as technical drawings or instructions for specific processes. Typical applications include assembly instructions for assembly work and instructions for quality controls. We have implemented such an application at an international technology group, where technical design drawings for manual production are retrieved to support the worker directly at the workplace. The order is entered using a barcode scanner and all order-relevant information is retrieved from SAP and displayed. Before Peakboard was introduced, the technical drawings were printed out and included with the respective order.
8. Loading gate monitor
   When loading pallets onto lorries via various loading ramps, problems can arise if the process is not carried out correctly. A simple loading gate monitor displays information such as destination region and carrier to ensure correct loading. The corresponding template for the application: https://templates.peakboard.com/Overview-Truck-Loading/ An advanced version of this system uses additional hardware, such as barcode scanners or RFID readers, connected to the Peakboard application. It can interact directly with SAP to confirm that the delivery was correctly loaded onto the lorry. A manufacturer of assembly and mounting material uses Peakboard to get an overview of which carrier is arriving and to plan internal loading accordingly. The number and weight of pallets and packages are also displayed.
9. Digital inventory list
   The Peakboard app, usually used on a mobile device such as a tablet, replaces the printed inventory list.
10. Machine data in SAP MES
    Peakboard collects machine data via an OPC UA interface or via direct connections to PLC systems from manufacturers such as Siemens, Beckhoff or Rockwell and transmits this data to SAP, for example to SAP MES or SAP PP. Typical data include machine states such as usage times and error codes, cycle times, and good and reject rates. Depending on the type and use of the data, it can be stored and transferred either directly in real time or asynchronously via the Peakboard Hub. One of our customers, for example, loads measurement data from a Siemens control system from which the target dimensions of a metal component can be read. If the actual values deviate too much from the target values, this is detected and marked in colour. The data is written to SAP via a function module and logged there. The actual data for the current day can be viewed directly.