Mercedes-AMG turbocharges engines with real time analytics
Mercedes AMG, the performance division of Mercedes-Benz, creates some of the most sought-after vehicles in the world. Each engine is hand built from start to finish with utmost craftsmanship, making the brand a staple for speed and high status.
You may remember this cameo Mercedes-AMG appearance from the movie, Transforms Dark of the Moon. The speed demon, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, transformed into mechanical giant, Soundwave the Decepticon.
High Performance. High Quality.
Priding itself for high-performance and gold-standard cars, each engine must be thoroughly tested. Most engine failures occur within the first few minutes of the test, however failed tests cannot be identified until the hour-long process is completed, wasting a lot of time and money.
As a trial to determine potential companywide benefits and to optimize the testing process, Mercedes-AMG piloted a real-time quality assurance platform, deployed by SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA, that harnessed the Internet of Things and SAP Predictive Analysis software.
Now, an engine test showing unusual engine behavior can be stopped and ended at any time during the test procedure, and results are sent directly to engineers via tablets for faster resolution.
The Result
With its new system, testing run time on unsuccessful engines is 94% faster than before, and Mercedes-AMG gained the equivalent of an extra day of testing capacity each week. The company lowered internal costs, and engineers and customers alike are happier because now there is more time to focus on refining engine quality and vehicle customization.
In an interview with Forbes Insights, Dirk Zeller, head of IT Consulting at Mercedes-AMG, explained that this process “leads to more insights faster, as we compare more data and use complex analytics without losing time.”
Continued Growth
In the future, Reinhard Breyer, CIO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, explained that, “This breakthrough innovation is just the start. Ultimately we want to monitor engine performance in customer vehicles.”
Watch below for full video interview:
After implementing this new simplified IT system, Mercedes-AMG experienced their most successful year in history, selling over 32,000 automobiles in 2013.
For more information about Mercedes-AMG and the full range of solutions provided by SAP, read the original blog post here.
You can also check out:
Mercedes-AMG Business Transformation Study
Video interview with Reinhard Breyer, CIO, Mercedes-AMG.
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