Digitalization Schaeffler Introduces a New Solution for Service Processes

Related Vendors

ServiceNow

Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG

FAULHABER Drive Systems

dataTec AG

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

Schaeffler uses a central platform for all service processes from HR to IT. Processes now take only four hours instead of several days, with 75 percent of operations automated.

Company-wide hyperautomation: The Schaeffler Group was able to achieve this with just one platform as its foundation. With this decision, the company took an important step towards seamless digitalization and the working methods of tomorrow.

This is How the Realignment Came About

With worldwide locations, numerous internal requirements, and a variety of service processes, the automotive and industrial supplier faced the challenge of designing its central administrative and service areas—the so-called shared services—purposefully, uniformly, and scalably.

At the heart of the company, however, there was a fragmented system landscape for a long time: isolated IT solutions, manually controlled processes in areas such as procurement, HR, IT, facility management, as well as local workarounds, led to

• slow processes,
• limited transparency and
• high coordination effort.

"My dream has always been to provide our agents with a single service management platform where everything is in one place, sparing them the constant switching between different systems and tools," explains Christian Kögler, Digitalization Manager at Schaeffler. The goal was to reduce complexity and intelligently automate processes—in short, to create a digital unit that works globally and across areas.

The technological lever for this transformation was a central platform—in Schaeffler's case, the Servicenow platform. Since the start of the partnership in 2018, it has evolved into a company-wide automation engine and serves as a unified solution for all central service processes.

To ensure smooth operations, the platform was connected to Schaeffler's ERP system and other existing tools like Microsoft Teams and Uipath via the Integration Hub, which simplifies data exchange and process automation between the systems. The result is seamless integration into the Schaeffler ecosystem.

The introduction of the platform enables bidirectional networking, ensuring seamless communication between the frontend and the systems of the specialized departments. It plays a central role in process automation and system integration—for example, in the automated processing of order confirmations. By leveraging AI at critical process points, workflows become more efficient and precise.

Additionally, the integration with Microsoft Teams supports the quick resolution of discrepancies by allowing users to directly contact the responsible individuals. This makes the entire service process more transparent and efficient while also laying the foundation for future scalability.

Additionally, a clearly structured framework for automation was developed, serving as a foundation to specifically simplify and standardize time-consuming and inefficient processes in the future. This promotes the reusability of solutions and provides reliable guidance for further digitalization initiatives.

Why Clear Processes Make the Difference

Digitalization has elevated both the speed and quality of processes at Schaeffler to a new level. By introducing a central AI platform, employees benefit from improved data and complete transparency. They can

• track the status of requests and orders in real time,
• quickly identify deviations and
• immediately communicate with the responsible teams.

This quick, precise response ensures more efficient processing and significantly improved order handling in the digital workday.

The impacts are measurable: Processes that previously took several days can now be completed in four hours. Over 75 percent of previously manual order confirmations have been automated, resulting in a drastic reduction in order status inquiries—80 percent fewer inquiries.

However, the impacts are not limited to pure process metrics. These optimizations have significantly improved employees' daily work. With fewer manual tasks, they can now focus more on strategic and value-adding activities.

"Another example: By automating HR processes, our HR teams have more time to support and advise colleagues personally, leading to more satisfied and productive employees," explains Christian Kögler. The newly created flexibility thus also increases satisfaction throughout the company.

In addition, the collected data has significantly simplified decision-making. Consistent, readily accessible data enables quick and well-informed decisions. This enhances employees' ability to act and improves the quality of collaboration.

From Project to Practice: How Schaeffler Sustainably Anchors Automation

At Schaeffler, automation is not a one-time project but part of a continuous digital transformation process and the result of a collaborative partnership with ServiceNow. The deployed platform is continuously developed to respond to new requirements and unlock further potential. The foundation for this is regular analysis: using key figures and feedback from users, existing processes are evaluated and specifically improved.

A particularly crucial factor is the modular structure of the platform. New workflows can be flexibly integrated, and existing processes can be easily adapted if needed—an important aspect for enabling scaling and dynamically addressing changes.

A key success factor was the close collaboration between IT and the specialized departments. In addition to technical implementation, the active involvement of employees also played an important role in successfully shaping the digital transformation.

Thus, the platform has evolved into the strategic backbone for a future-oriented way of working at Schaeffler—as a stable foundation for continuous optimization and the implementation of further digital solutions.

Jürgen Schön is Senior Director Manufacturing Industry at Servicenow

Secure and Compliant Authentication in Laboratories

Secure & Contactless User Authentication at GMP/GLP