Testo Industrial Services GmbH
More effective deployment planning in quality management
Testo Industrial Services GmbH is a specialist for metrological services. These include the calibration of systems and test equipment, the qualification of systems and projects, and the validation of processes. Companies from the pharmaceutical, medical technology, food production, automotive, mechanical and plant engineering, and aerospace industries are among Testo Industrial Services’ customers.
Of the more than 1,300 employees of Testo Industrial Services, around 400 technicians and engineers are deployed throughout Europe.
Deployment planning for the highest demands in sensitive and technical industries
The assignments of technicians and engineers in the field of quality management are very complex. They range from risk-based qualifications of systems and equipment in pharmaceutical production to ensuring compliance with EU directives in the storage and transport of pharmaceuticals to test equipment management and the regular calibration of equipment.
That’s why the assignments are usually for several days at a time. These can also be recurring and are often performed by a team on site. Also assignments of several weeks and months or even permanently at the customer’s site are not uncommon. The planning of technicians and production resources takes place at least six weeks in advance.
The operations control center (ELZ) of Testo Industrial Services first makes an appointment with the customer and creates an order in SAP SD. The dispatcher creates a CS order from this and selects one or more appropriately trained technicians or engineers. In the process, the team in the ELZ is also responsible for managing the technicians’ travel, ordering materials and checking the technicians’ feedback.
Greater effectiveness and transparency through the introduction of a planning tool
Until 2013, the planning of assignments at the ELZ in Kirchzarten was done using Excel lists. Due to the constantly growing number of customers and technicians at Testo, professional deployment planning could no longer be depicted via Excel lists in the long term. As early as 2009, there were initial requirements from the specialist department to optimize planning in the ELZ with a tool. In 2013, various software solutions for resource planning were evaluated in a selection process. The main factors were the ability to integrate with SAP CS, user-friendliness and the provider’s industry experience. Finally, the decision was made in favor of mobileX-Dispatch.
At the beginning of 2014, the project started with four dispatchers in Kirchzarten, who planned the assignments of 100 technicians with the tool. In the meantime, 22 dispatchers control 400 technicians in the different business units and branches for all of Europe. The dispatchers select the right technician using filters for specific service types in mobileX-Dispatch. Production resources such as calibration cases are also scheduled. The dispatchers can schedule production resources such as calibration cases as operations and sub-operations for orders using an operation wizard created especially for Testo Industrial Services. This gives them an optimal overview of all available tools.
Positive conclusion after four years of dispatching with mobileX-Dispatch
“At the time, our gut feeling was also decisive in our decision to use mobileX,” says Hans Löffler, head of the GxP Services dispatch center at Testo Industrial Services. “The individual customer support of mobileX and the customizing of the solution to our needs confirmed us in this in retrospect. The increase in effectiveness in planning and the improved planning transparency have absolutely convinced us.”
Image source: www.testotis.de
Testo Industrial Services is the service subsidiary of Testo SE & Co.KG, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of measuring instruments. The company, based in Kirchzarten in the Upper Black Forest, is a specialist for metrological services in the fields of calibration, test equipment management, qualification and validation. At seven locations in Germany more than 1,300 employees work for Testo Industrial Services, thereof more than 300 in the technical field service. Testo Industrial Services is internationally represented in five countries.