The Challenge
Beyond the visible admin burden, the company uncovered several high-impact issues:
Engineers continued to update parts that should have already been phased out, leading to “zombie” drawings for outdated assemblies. Spreadsheet errors triggered rework and scrap. And last-minute spec changes led to write-offs of materials already picked for production.
Taken together, the hidden costs of managing engineering changes manually were substantial. Labor hours, wasted material, and avoidable expedite charges added up to hundreds of thousands of euros per year — and none of it contributed to innovation or product value.
The Solution
Rather than adopt a full-blown PLM suite — which would have taken more than a year to roll out and required significant investment — the company opted for a modular, low-code automation approach with Transformance.
In just 90 days, two purpose-built apps were deployed:
- A Phase-Out Worklist, which gave engineering teams a real-time overview of at-risk parts, linked directly to live SAP data.
- A Change KPI Dashboard, surfacing bottlenecks, long-running approvals, and error rates without the need for manual Excel tracking.
Both apps run locally in the customer’s secure environment and connect to SAP without the need for additional licenses or external hosting.
The Impact
The results were felt immediately. Engineering hours spent on admin were cut nearly in half. Outdated component updates were flagged early, reducing the number of unnecessary drawing changes. And with better visibility into cycle times and bottlenecks, the team reduced costly expedite scenarios and last-minute fixes.
Altogether, the business case pointed to a clear win: faster throughput, lower operating cost, and far less time wasted on preventable issues.
“We finally spot part issues before they reach the line. The AI approach got us value faster than any PLM suite we reviewed.”
PLM Process Owner
What’s Next
The team is now preparing to roll the solution into its production SAP environment and extend the rollout to more departments. A Supplier Change Portal is already on the roadmap, allowing external vendors to submit data and track progress directly. Looking ahead, the company is exploring an AI-driven obsolescence predictor that could flag risky parts before a change is even triggered.
Want faster change cycles with less admin?
Let us show you how modular PLM automation with Transformance can deliver value in weeks, not years. Book a demo here.
