2704 global quality at unilever a continuous journey

8/15/2019 2704 Global Quality at Unilever a Continuous Journey

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Deploying SAP QM as a Global Solution –

Lessons Learned

Stephanie Cunningham, Carl Dunlap & Colin Roney


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About Unilever

We work to create a better future every day.

We help people feel good, look good andget more out of life with brands and

services that are good for them and goodfor others.

Leading consumer products company

400+ brands sold in more than 180countries

2 billion consumers worldwide use a

Unilever product on any day More than 171,000 employees

Worldwide turnover was €51.3 billion in2012

http://www.unilever.com/brands/personalcarebrands/Axe.aspx


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About QMS

Largest Pure Play QM & Manufacturing Consulting Company in

North America Unparalleled experience in SAP Quality Management

Focus on using SAP to meet Quality & Regulatory

Deep Industry Experience

Discrete IndustryMedical Devices

Semiconductor & High Tech Electronics

Aerospace & Defense

Process IndustryConsumer Products, Food

Pharmaceutical & Biotech

Chemical & Industrial


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4

Learning Points

Learn how to deliver a Global QM design that encompasses

category, region, and site differences.

Learn how to construct master data that can be global in

nature, but specific enough for a factory site.

Learn how planning, communication & coordination were

handled across diverse sites with independent systems.

Most importantly……Learn from our experiences.


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“In the businessworld, the

rearview

mirror isalways clearer

than the

windshield.”

Warren Buffett


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Windshield View Versus

Rearview Mirror View


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In the Beginning…..Systems

Our custom Specification System was not well utilized

Different sites had varying levels of Quality Systems in place

No uniform system for recording data from the Quality Systems

No visibility into the Quality Systems by interested parties


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In the Beginning…..Culture

Culture Change Desired by Top Leadership

Too Much Acceptance of the Status Quo Within the

Business

• “We’ve Always Done It This Way”

• “Nothing Is Going To Change”

• “Program of the Month”

• Cross-functional Understanding and Ownership Of

Overall Quality System and Elements by Research &Development, Procurement, Regional Quality, Global

Quality, Regulatory, and the Production Sites Was Not In

Place


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On Our Way……

SAP QM was chosen as the foundation for the project as part of a

larger program of consolidating the global to one SAP platform byKey Sponsors

SAP QM Implementation was mandatory for all the Unilever

plants in the Americas

The implementation was to harmonize the QM functions of all the

plants within the region and to match the previous Global

programs

Common procedures and KPIs was to make tracking of plants,

suppliers and materials across the region synchronized

ff


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Effective Communication

Strategy

Initial Site Interviews to Explain the Program

Meetings Every Three Weeks with the SAP QM Community, Monthly

with Plant Leadership, and Weekly with Project Leadership

Engagement of R&D, Procurement, Go-To-Market Quality, andTechnical Innovation Management in the Project

Alignment by Category

User Group Website

Plan for Life After the Project

All Sites Needed to Be

Involved

Important Messages Need

to Be Delivered Multiple

Times

Director Level

Involvement For Resource

Commitment Needed to

Start Earlier

Don’t Text

and Drive


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Data Cleansing

Extraction of Every Single Inspection Plan Requirement for Every

Material from the Corporate Specification System

Initial Review by the Manufacturing Facilities

Alignment on the Correction of Data by Category

Secondary Review by the Research and Development Community

Distribution of Corrected Specifications to Suppliers by

Procurement

Engagement and Ownership of Specifications by All Aspects of the

Business

Underestimated the

Scope, Complexity, andResource

Requirements for this

Effort


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Structure of QM Data - Goals

Simplify QM Master Data Creation & Maintenance

Map to current Global Specifications System

Allow flexibility for Inspection Plans –Specifications – by Plant,while maintaining integrity of Global Specifications


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Design for Quality Data Format

Master Inspection Characteristics Setup Once in Plant C000

Inspection Methods Setup Once In Plant C000

Usage Decision Codes Maintained in One Global List

Test the Functionality and

Security in the Production

System With Enough Timeto Make Changes


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Language specific descriptions maintained as needed for Future

Rollouts

Design for Quality Data Format

Have a Plan for Who Will Add to and Change

These Elements After the Project is Over

• Ownership and Responsibility

• Security

• Training and Resource Materials


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Structure for Inspection Plans

Inspection Plans are Plant Specific

…and based on the Unilever Global System

Confidential

Information

Confidential

Information


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Inspection Plans – Operation Overview

Structure for Inspection Plans

Confidential Information

Inspection Plans – Characteristic OverviewRequest to Change the

DMRs to the Characteristic

Level versus the Plan Level

Linkage Between the

Structure of the Corporate

Specification System and

the Operation Overview

Resources Needed to

Manually Maintain the Plan

Was Underestimated

N I f B C


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New Interface Between Corporate

Specification System and SAP QM

Developed to Ensure Automatic Update of SAP QM When the

Corporate Specification System was changed

Inconsistencies in specification structure made interfacing to

SAP challenging

SAP Netweaver Process Integration (PI) was used as theapplication integration software.

Complexity In

Coordinating the

Development of a 3 Part

Interface—R&D, PI, and

QM

Drove the Behavior

Desired by the Quality

Community In the

Business

N d f N F i li f


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Need for New Functionality for

Consumer Relevant Quality Standards

Global Initiative to Standardize Measurement of Finished

Product Quality, based on a Three Color Visual Assessment

Packaging Standards Not Included in the Global Specifications

System

Needed To Move Assessment and Data Entry to the ProductionFloor, driven by the Production Order

N d f N F ti lit f


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Need for New Functionality for

Consumer Relevant Quality Standards

Manual Addition of the Consumer Relevant Quality Standards as

a New Operation to Existing Inspection Plans

Global Catalogs, Maintained By a Central Business Function

Entry of Number of Samples and Defects with Automatic Closure

When No Defects Are Founds

Global Reporting and Consolidation for All Regions


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Training Strategy

End-to-End User Training

Training Modules and Software Simulations

for Independent Use

Super User Training By Category

Test System with Live Data By Site

Onsite Support for Training Prior to and During Go-Live

Follow Up Sessions During the Go-Live Week

Ongoing Community of Practice Meetings

• SAP QM 101 for Functionality

Long-Term Plans for Knowledge Transfer

Help Desk Support Structure


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Key Learnings

Get the right people with the right background on your team

Communicate, Over-communicate, and More Communication

Listen to Concerns from Non-SAP Users → Novel Solutions

Training, Training, and More Training

Stakeholder Buy-in

Category Alignment

Contingency Plans for Contingency Plans

Robust Processes for Peripheral Business Changes → Global Perspective

Long Term Plans for Life After Go-Live


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Questions?????


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THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING

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SESSION CODE: 2704

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2704 global quality at unilever a continuous journey

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