PDF Solutions Inc. has recently partnered with SAP to connect factory data to the ERP data in SAP S/4HANA, aiming to enable greater efficiencies in semiconductor manufacturing. With PDF Solutions Inc. and SAP’s integration, customers will be able to benefit from real-time data insights across their extended supply chain as a foundation for making more informed decisions.
SAP is known for its enterprise level software and services, but the company is now looking to take a more hands-off approach by offering a diverse portfolio of cloud-based vertical solutions. These intelligent industry cloud offerings are powered by SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) and leverage advanced technologies to help businesses with their operations. The solutions are also offered in markets that SAP already has strong market share in, such as manufacturing and retail.
As an SAP partner, California-headquartered PDF Solutions Inc. is working with the German enterprise software giant to develop offerings that will help manufacturing customers in the area of process quality improvement by providing them with best-in-class software and industry expertise. Exensio Process Control and Exensio Manufacturing Analytics products, which are both provided by PDF Solutions Inc., are part of SAP’s portfolio of industry cloud solutions.
Both of the solutions mentioned above are key modules of the Exensio analytics platform and provide data from the shop floor to the Sapience Manufacturing Hub. They intend to help reduce downtime, increase equipment uptime, and improve equipment utilization by identifying trends in behavior. In addition, they can be used to ensure compliance with safety rules and standards that are defined across the industry.
Recently, SAP collaborated with PDF Solutions Inc. to further expedite business transformations in today’s age of Industry 4.0. According to Jeff Howell, Global Vice President (GVP) and Head of High-Tech Industry Business Unit at SAP SE, SAP’s ability to accelerate the transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution that is currently taking place across the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem would be enhanced by the company’s collaboration with PDF Solutions. He added:
“For companies that still control their own semiconductor manufacturing, the Sapience Manufacturing Hub will enable business visibility that delivers additional ROI from the data they already collect and store but are not using to its fullest potential.”
Linking Factory Data with ERP Data in SAP S/4HANA
This connection of the ‘top floor’ to the ‘shop floor’ will be accomplished through PDF Solutions Inc.’s new Sapience Manufacturing Hub. The hub, which integrates manufacturing data from across the enterprise, will be used by all company departments to improve collaboration and result in better decision-making.
In addition, the goal of the expanded partnership with SAP is to provide clients with greater financial insights based on the analysis of manufacturing data, which will result in more accurate profitability analysis, increased revenue, and reduced costs. This will be done by using the team’s expertise in cloud-based data processing and real-time analytics.
Kimon Michaels, Executive Vice President (EVP) of Products and Solutions at PDF Solutions Inc., stated that customers are looking for more methods to make use of the data generated by their processes and products as part of their Industry 4.0 efforts. He went on to say that cooperating with SAP was the obvious next step for the business to take because of the complementary synergies that exist between the two companies.
“The Sapience Manufacturing Hub is designed to provide businesses that use SAP solutions with direct access to new sources of data that can be correlated with existing ERP data, providing unique insights to help our mutual customers achieve sustained profitability in semiconductor manufacturing,” Michaels further explained.
