How Grob-Werke Boosted Engineering Efficiency by 90%

Christian Lisiki, Head of Battery Systems Business Unit, on how GROB-WERKE uses Businessmap (in German with English subtitles)

The challenge: Meetings ran out of time before reaching what mattered

GROB-WERKE builds machine tools and assembly systems, including automation lines for battery production. Its projects pull in many departments at once, from engineering and logistics to production and purchasing. For years, these projects were coordinated the way most manufacturers do it: with open-item lists reviewed in recurring status meetings.

In 2012, Christian Lisiecki was leading construction of a new logistics hall at GROB-WERKE, and he saw the same pattern he had seen on project after project. Each meeting started at the top of a long list and worked down, item by item, until time ran out. Teams tried workarounds, such as adding columns or re-sorting the list. But a flat list treats every item as equally important, so the meeting did too. Minor questions took up time while real risks waited further down, and teams lost focus.

The problem went beyond one project. Engineering planned its work in large SAP network plans that were hard for any one engineer to navigate. People knew the work was there, but not which part mattered most right now. Christian went looking for a better method.

What changed: Complete visibility across engineering work

Christian discovered flow management and the Kanban method, compared four tools, and chose Businessmap.

The first change was making the work visible. Instead of rows in a list, every task became a card moving through the stages of a workflow on a Businessmap board. Connected boards link the work of different teams, so the whole flow can be followed in one place, from planning through to completion. Cards that are stuck or waiting stand out immediately, so it is clear where problems lie and what needs attention first.

That visibility changed how planning meetings run. Teams now review only the cards relevant to that meeting, starting with the issues that need a decision. The important points get covered because they are the ones on the table.

Standardized portfolio management for improvement projects

From that first construction project, Businessmap spread across the company. Today, all of GROB-WERKE's innovation and improvement projects are managed in Businessmap, using one standard structure.

Each project has a clear work breakdown structure. Hierarchical boards show the project at the top level and the work items that belong to it below. Each item is assigned to the department responsible for it. Leaders can see the status of every improvement project in one place, and each team can see exactly which part of the work is theirs.

SAP network plans turn into personal task lists automatically

The biggest efficiency gain came from engineering. GROB-WERKE connected SAP to Businessmap through the Businessmap API, and the workflow now runs like this:

1. Tasks are defined in SAP network plans, as before.
2. Businessmap automatically creates a card for each task on the relevant board.
3. Each engineer filters the board to see only their own workload.
4. Updates flow back to SAP, so both systems stay current.

More than 30 boards now sync with SAP, exchanging around 16,000 records a day in both directions. SAP remains the system of record for planning, while Businessmap is where engineers see and move their work.

Automatically converting SAP work orders into trackable cards inside Businessmap boards

The impact: From one construction project to more than 1,000 boards

GROB-WERKE measured clear time savings at each step of the engineering workflow, and adoption grew far beyond the first project:

• Over 90% less time creating tasks. Cards are created automatically from SAP network plans instead of by hand.
• Over 30% less time confirming tasks. Engineers confirm work in Businessmap instead of SAP.
• About 20% less time working through tasks. Teams work from a board instead of a list.
• More than 1,000 boards holding 1.6 million cards. This is the scale reached from one construction project in 2012.
• One standard for improvement work. Every innovation and improvement project follows the same structure, with clear department ownership.
• Two systems in sync. More than 30 boards exchange around 16,000 records with SAP every day.

What started as a fix for one project's meetings has become how engineering and improvement work runs across a 6,000-person manufacturer.