Mastering complex variants
simply and reliably

Lifecycle management is particularly important when using configurable materials. A change in the characteristics of a product is not documented by a new data model. Instead, values in the characteristic, rules, prices, BOM and task list structures change within an existing data model. We help you maintain the data through the storage of information in concise and tabular form. This type of storage with search and filter functions demonstrably optimizes the management of such requirements.

With the new “Advanced Variant Configurator” (AVC) variant configurator in SAP S/4HANA, SAP has launched the direct successor to the LO-VC (classic variant configurator). This is a new variant engine, which combines and integrates new technologies in the back end such as SAP HANA, an optimized and more flexible processing of the configuration and modern GUI technologies with SAP FIORI. This naturally raises questions: Can existing data models continue to be used? What preparation is necessary for switching to AVC? What are the benefits of switching to AVC?

With the SAP Cloud Platform, additional functions can be provided besides the configuration. An example could be the inclusion of the configuration data in additional applications using APIs or the provision of new services for end users after the configuration. As an integration platform, SAP Cloud Platform offers the possibility of providing SAP configuration logic in third-party systems so that a configuration can be trigged from third-party systems and the configuration result is identical in all systems.

Enterprise mobility is not just a decisive factor for corporations anymore. More and more mid-sized companies are realizing that mobile systems can be used to make their processes more efficient as well. As an SAP solution partner for variant configuration and with in-depth understanding of the processes variant manufacturers employ, msg has developed the msg.Variant UI5 Quotation Configurator based specifically on these latest requirements.

Inefficient quotes mean lost customers and lost revenue. Purpose-built on an independent, scalable platform, the powerful CPQ does more than generate even the most complex quotes instantly SAP CPQ provides pricing behavior intelligence to determine pricing trends and can be the single, unified system to support global sales teams, partners and channels, commerce, and Internet of Things transactions.  The system supports multiple price books and currencies, 30 languages, quotes/proposals with thousands of line items and unlimited nesting.  CPQ can also seamlessly integrate with any CRM, ERP, and the SAP Sales Cloud suite, including Contract Lifecycle Management, Commissions, e-learning, and Sales Enablement, delivering more selling power all in one place.
SAP CPQ in combination with our solution msg3D Visualization: 

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Configurable materials contain a variety of different rules to describe dependencies between objects. SAP provides a variety of technologies for this in both LO-VC and AVC. For each individual customer and based on product and process structures, the right solution approaches must be found for optimized master data creation. Using our own certified add-ons, we create transparency in structures so that business department is once again able to store its own rules.

Modern, sales-driven companies use web-based platforms to enable customers to configure products and enter orders. The graphical presentation is also a must as are order-related documents that are passed on to the customer. Maintenance often requires special expert knowledge, which the sales department often does not have. The separation of specialist knowledge and master data maintenance often leads to lengthy processes that make it much more difficult to quickly adapt master data and thus unnecessarily lengthen the reaction time to market requirements. With msg.Variant Sales, msg offers an SAP-certified tool that allows business departments to maintain master data, significantly simplifies the creation of configuration data and thus helps to avoid errors and unnecessary delays.

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Calculating configurable materials is a major challenge for make-to-order manufacturers. Due to the large number of variants, maintaining variant prices is time-consuming. Often there is no basis for defining conditions because the calculation is missing for the price items. As soon as calculations are available in the system, the condition can be created semi-automatically in the best case. However, this requires the determination of the condition values via several manual steps. A short-term condition change is only possible with a very high manual effort. With msg.Variant Calculation, msg offers an SAP-certified tool for the system-supported definition of variant conditions on the basis of calculated manufacturing costs and for creating these as master data in the system.

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Delays in the supply chain cost money. Reasons for this are, for example, complex data structures when using configurable materials. Unfortunately, the set of rules in the SAP standard is of little help here – reference can only be made to the proprietary syntax that is necessary for maintaining and creating configuration master data and requires considerable specialized knowledge. In addition, short-term distribution of data to other systems is the prerequisite for an optimal production process. An intelligent combination of individual production orders into packages can counteract this dilemma. msg.Variant Supply Chain Management includes a large number of segments that significantly facilitate your data management and the processes in the value-added chain.

msg.Variant SCM optimizes your processes along the value-added chain. As early as the sales order stage, availability is checked across the entire generated component structure and, if necessary, the critical path is identified. The resulting sales order-related production orders can be combined into production packages and processed.

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Variant manufacturers must be able to make flexible and reliable statements about sales figures and profitability.

But such information is difficult to master in the SAP standard. The variant model is subject to constant changes. New characteristics, attributes, dependencies and more are commonplace. Reports in SAP ERP or isolated analyses on exported data slices must be regularly revised and recreated.

With msg.Variant Analytics, msg offers a process-integrated, automated SAP ERP and SAP BW comprehensive solution that helps you maintain and analyze the data basis in SAP BW.

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