Simatic InterSpec E - c4b.gss.siemens.com€¦ · its process technologies, which is used in virtually every business process within and outside the company. For this reason, standardization

Simatic_InterSpec_E.fh9 17.09.2004 13:59 Uhr Seite 2

SIMATIC IT Interspec –Managing product specifications company-wide

simatic ITINTERSPEC


Gapless communicationthroughout the company

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It’s becoming increasingly important for enterprises to coordinate the business

and production processes in order to optimize the benefit of the value-added

chain – for the entire company and for individual plants. Today, the challenge

is minimizing the total cost of global operation while improving the flexibility.

Part of Totally Integrated Automation

As an integral part of Totally Integrated Auto-

mation (TIA), the most comprehensive solution

platform from Siemens, SIMATIC IT enables

you to coordinate and harmonize business

and production processes optimally – horizon-

tally and vertically. TIA is open to new tech-

nologies, new tools and partners – not only

in automation technology, but also beyond in

the communication network of the IT world.

In the framework of SIMATIC IT, an MES (Manu-

facturing Execution System) following the

ISA S95 standard, independent components

for specific functionalities provide all functions

needed in the production process – across

individual industries and companies.

Stand-alone or part of SIMATIC IT

At Siemens, we are all equally dedicated to

the quest for quality and customer satisfaction.

Therefore, our product portfolio includes a

corporate specification management system

that has been implemented around the world

and has been proven time and time again in

industry. In addition, it is also the cornerstone

of a company’s PLM strategy (Product Lifecycle

Management). Whether you need a specifica-

tion management system for your multination-

al enterprise or in a company with five plants

– SIMATIC IT Interspec allows you to manage

all product specifications throughout your

company at all times. The benefits are product

standardization, supply chain flexibility, col-

laboration with supply chain partners and

many more.

SIMATIC IT Interspec is used to transfer product

specifications to manufacturing and can be

used either as a stand-alone version or as a

part of SIMATIC IT – in both cases, the software

offers you complete integration with MES, ERP

(Enterprise Resource Planning), LIMS (Labora-

tory Information Management System) or

other legacy systems.

SIMATIC (control level) 3rd Party Devices

SIMATIC IT Components:• Material Manager• Order Manager• Personnel Manager• Messaging Manager• Report Manager (optional)

SIMATIC IT Framework

3rd PartyComponents

SIMATIC ITUnilab

SIMATIC ITHistorian

SIMATIC ITInterspec

ERP

SIMA

TIC IT Pro

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ction

Suite


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One answer to manifold challenges

The list of challenges for food and beverage,

CPG (consumer packaged goods) and pharma-

ceutical companies is longer today than ever

before: globalization, mergers, acquisitions,

strategic divestments, centralized purchasing

and R&D, outsourcing of production, collabo-

ration with strategic partners, increasingly

stricter regulations, etc.

To overcome these challenges and to play a

leading role in the market, companies need

effective specification management imple-

mented throughout the company.

The answer is SIMATIC IT Interspec, the Siemens

Product Specification Management System

for managing and controlling all product infor-

mation – with a whole string of benefits:

Greater supply chain flexibility

Faster integration of acquisitions and

co-manufacturers/ co-packers

More effective management of production

outsourcing

More productive collaboration between

business partners

Increase in revenues through product range

harmonization and global buying

Improved customer information

Faster New Product Development &

Introduction

The new language of standardization

Product specifications are a vital and essential

component of the intellectual property of

every company. They form the entire accumu-

lated product know-how of a company and

its process technologies, which is used in

virtually every business process within and

outside the company.

For this reason, standardization of specifica-

tions plays a vital role today – as the most

important prerequisite for meeting two critical

points for industry: cost savings and reduced

time to market for new products. That makes

it imperative to manage product specifications

on a global scale today. A key function in this

context is Product Lifecycle Management

(PLM) of manufactured products.

Developed in close cooperation with Unilever,

Siemens’ SIMATIC IT Interspec is recognized

in the food and beverage and in the CPG in-

dustries as the leading solution for managing

product specifications – proven and future-

proof. In order to continue to meet the ever-

increasing high demands of large corporations,

which are typical for these industries, the

system is continually reviewed and enhanced

with new functionalities.


Saving costsby standardizing product specifications

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In recent years, awareness has grown that standardization of product specifi-

cations is an important prerequisite for cost reduction. Standardization enables

global buying initiatives and fast integration of new production capacities. In

many cases, product specifications are managed at the departmental level –

with the use of local solutions such as spreadsheets, documents and home-

grown database applications. Specifications are sometimes managed by ERP,

LIMS or MES. However, corporate objectives are difficult to achieve in this local

and fragmented environment. It is completely different with SIMATIC IT Interspec.

Profitable for all industries

SIMATIC IT Interspec is the specification man-

agement standard for process industries, es-

pecially for Food and Beverage and Consumer

Packaged Goods.

With SIMATIC IT Interspec you can:

Manage all product specifications and gain

immediate benefit from the advanced

functions that were developed especially

for the requirements of the food, beverage

and CPG industries

Standardize and exchange product specifi-

cations in a multilingual and multisite envi-

ronment

Define specifications as the single point of

reference for product data and distribute

these specifications across all enterprise

systems (ERP, SCM, MES, LIMS, etc.)

Make your product information available

to business partners in the supply chain

and reap the full benefit of collaboration

and e-commerce

Accelerate new product development and

introduction – thanks to R&D functionality

and integration in MES, LIMS and ERP sys-

tems


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... for your entire company

Streamlining an increasingly dynamic supply

chain at some point involves virtually every

department in your organization. SIMATIC IT

Interspec offers tangible benefits to each of

these individual departments and creates syn-

ergistic advantages with more effective col-

laboration.

Global purchasing

Central purchasing of raw and packaging ma-

terials allows you to save enormous costs.

SIMATIC IT Interspec makes all local specifica-

tions visible to the central purchasing depart-

ment – in a clear picture that clearly differen-

tiates between generally applicable specifi-

cations and those that apply to specific

customers or geographic regions. It is certainly

critical that the material specifications be

harmonized corporate-wide. SIMATIC IT Inter-

spec provides the necessary communication

channel for this purpose– and so contributes

to correct management and completion of

this process.

Faster time to market

SIMATIC IT Interspec substantially speeds up

and streamlines communication between de-

partments during product development proc-

esses. It minimizes the time otherwise needed

to manage information, enter it into business

information systems, and communicate it to

business partners and regulatory authorities.

Increased manufacturing flexibility

SIMATIC IT Interspec accelerates integration of

co-manufacturers and newly acquired plants.

Sure product liability

SIMATIC IT Interspec not only prevents the use

of incorrect, outdated or unapproved specifi-

cations, but it also reduces the resulting po-

tential financial risk and risk of inefficiency.

Improved business process efficiency

SIMATIC IT Interspec reduces the time needed

to manage and communicate product specifi-

cations. There are no communication errors

that must be corrected. The program focuses

on creating agile, high value-added business

processes.

... for Marketing and Sales

Information exchange

SIMATIC IT Interspec is ideally suited for ex-

changing data through a company. It signifi-

cantly reduces the time needed to gather

information and correctly format and commu-

nicate it to business partners and regulatory

authorities.

E-commerce

Correct product specifications play an essential

role in successful e-commerce. New technol-

ogies allow better integration with back-office

processes and reduces supply chain transaction

costs. The use of private or public electronic

trade markets increases buying opportunities.

In the consumer packaged goods market,

buying is unthinkable without product speci-

fications.

The ease with which SIMATIC IT Interspec

makes product specifications available to all

e-business applications adds a brand-new

dimension to your business.

Benefits all along the line


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... for Quality Assurance and

Quality Control

Customer and supplier involvement

SIMATIC IT Interspec allows the electronic

exchange of product specifications with sup-

pliers and customers in business-to-business

manufacturing. By giving them an active role

in the approval process, the time needed to

get specification approved is shortened. At

the same time, the risk of working with unap-

proved or outdated specifications is virtually

eliminated.

Quality control

Product specifications contain quality stand-

ards, limits and test methods. These values

are readily available in LIMS. SIMATIC IT Interspec

integrates seamlessly with SIMATIC IT Unilab,

the leading LIMS product in the process indus-

try. This kind of integration drastically reduces

administration costs, avoids errors and makes

fast and controlled changes possible.

Reduced risk

With all product specifications managed by

an easily accessible, single application, the

risk of using incorrect, outdated, or unap-

proved specifications is virtually eliminated.

Traceability

Products are constantly subject to change,

sometimes a major formula alteration, other

times a minor substitution. Regulatory com-

pliance requires an unambiguous relationship

between the approved product specification

and the actual measurement data on a product

lot. SIMATIC IT Interspec version management

ensures that each and every product specifi-

cation is available at all times.

Marketing claims

Products targeting special consumer groups

often make certain claims such as nutritional

benefits, religious adherence (kosher, etc.),

nonuse of genetic modification and a lack of

allergens. With SIMATIC IT Interspec these

claims can easily be monitored and submitted

for approval.


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... for plant managers

and supervisors

Smooth integration

In a business climate of constant mergers and

acquisitions, it is critical that newly acquired

plants be integrated into overall production

as quickly as possible. SIMATIC IT Interspec

can accelerate this integration process with

electronically available harmonized product

and process specifications.

Optimized product conformity

It is not unusual for the same product to be

made at several plants. It is important, how-

ever, that consumers perceive uniform quality.

Interspec ensures that exact product specifi-

cations can be communicated easily between

plants.

Outsourcing according to plan

When products are manufactured by third

parties, an essential part of the outsourcing

contract is the product specification. With

SIMATIC IT Interspec, third-party manufacturers

have direct access to product specifications

and can be actively involved in any change

management process.

... for research

and development

Reduced time to market

Companies that develop new products need

special tools and quick access to information.

Research and development needs to be based

on past data or trials – without losing time.

Automation of R&D processes and tools will

speed up the development process and signif-

icantly reduce the time to market of a new

product.

SIMATIC IT Interspec offers developers advanced

and powerful tools – not only for entering,

structuring and retrieving information, but

also for comparing and optimizing the results

of their experiments, creating the product

formulation and launching in the supply chain.

”Where used” BOM (Bill of Material) web phase

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... for CORPORATE IT

Scalable architecture

SIMATIC IT Interspec’s scalable architecture

covers even the needs of global enterprises.

In addition, it allows a phased implementation

and corresponding rollout.

Perfect integration

When product specifications are subject to

decentralized management, individual depart-

ments typically use their own, mostly home-

grown applications. This usually has a direct,

negative impact on the integration cost.

SIMATIC IT Interspec covers such issues, leading

to minimal cost of ownership.

Data security

SIMATIC IT Interspec provides support for user

security password and log-in access rights,

allowing data access restriction of the user.

General best practices for network protection

are supported. Data transfer through the

Internet is secured through the SSL protocol

(Secured Socket Layer), encrypting all data

transferred.


Functionality designdown to the details

Defining specifications

Product specifications are completely configu-

rable in SIMATIC IT Interspec. A multilingual

glossary forms the uniform, enterprise-wide

basis for composing specification templates.

Templates are defined for different product

types such as raw materials, packaging mate-

rial, intermediate products, consumer units

and SKUs (storage keeping units).

Actual specifications can be created based on

templates. Applying a controlled change to

thousands of specifications simultaneously is

easily accomplished because the glossary,

templates, and specifications are all under full

version and life cycle control.

Powerful specifications editing

SIMATIC IT Interspec has the capacity and de-

sign flexibility to manage the massive numbers

of product specifications that exist in large-

scale manufacturing environments. Yet it is a

simple matter to select an exact set of speci-

fications with the advanced filtering options

– in spite of the huge volume of data. In

addition, “Edit” actions can be applied to indi-

vidual specifications or to an entire selection

for simultaneous modification.

Fast and secure workflow

Specifications constitute a significant part of

every manufacturing corporation‘s intellectual

property and therefore must be handled with

great care. SIMATIC IT Interspec has a number

of standard functions to do just that.

Extended features allow the precise defini-

tion of exactly which users can view, edit,

or approve particular sets of specifications.

Function that applies a strict version and

life cycle control on product specifications.

Division of product specifications into dif-

ferent sections allows responsibility for

particular sections to be assigned to various

departments. In SIMATIC IT Interspec, work-

flow is fully configurable and it can be as

sophisticated as needs require.

Standard e-mail notification significantly

speeds up the workflow.

Ready-to-use enquiries

SIMATIC IT Interspec comes equipped with a

large number of standard enquiries that will

support users from day one, including:

Multilevel bill of material in a tree view

Multilevel list of ingredients

Review of positive and negative marketing

claims to answer special questions relevant

to target groups

“Where used” enquiries to answer questions

like “Which SKUs use this packaging mate-

rial?” or “List all specifications for consumer

goods with a fat content lower than X.”

BOM explosion web phase

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Flexible reporting

All SIMATIC IT Interspec information is stored

in a standard relational database model. Stand-

ard reports are available in the product, but

all can easily be adapted to suit specific user

requirements. End users can create new re-

ports on the fly and deploy these across the

organization without the need for SQL and

database knowledge.

Reporting is not limited to the SIMATIC IT

Interspec database. Information from other

databases can be integrated to optimize the

view of plant operations.

SIMATIC IT Interspec reporting is web-enabled

and is a perfect fit for the intranet or extranet.

It can also use the reporting function in a

typical client/server architecture.

A corporate architecture

SIMATIC IT Interspec is designed to manage

specifications in any corporate context –

whether large or small. This includes multina-

tional business units, plants, and distribution

centers around the globe. SIMATIC IT Interspec

meets the requirements in the following ways:

International harmonization

SIMATIC IT Interspec can be implemented in

a distributed architecture with a central data-

base for international requirements, including

local templates, glossaries and individual da-

tabases with local specifications – available

to each and every unit as needed. SIMATIC IT

Interspec’s harmonization method offers

unique possibilities for synchronizing intellec-

tual property across all of the organizational

entities of an enterprise.

Multilanguage

SIMATIC IT Interspec supports multiple lan-

guages. The SIMATIC IT Interspec glossary and

specification content can be translated into

13 languages. In this way, every user works

with the same information in her/his native

language.

Web-capability

Thanks to SIMATIC IT Interspec’s web-based

client technology, users can search, retrieve,

view, print, and approve specifications from

everywhere using the Internet – naturally

while complying with stringent access control

and the highest security standards. This web-

based function enables suppliers to be actively

involved in the specification development and

approval of their products. This likewise sig-

nificantly shortens the time needed to get

materials approved and virtually eliminates

the risk of working with outdated or invalid

specifications.

Compliance with ISA S88

ISA S88 defines terms and methods for the

batch process industries and is the commonly

accepted standard for plant systems through-

out the world. This standard defines a hierar-

chy for recipes consisting of general recipes,

site recipes, master recipes, and control reci-

pes. General and site recipes are product-

centric and covered by SIMATIC IT Interspec.

21CFR 11 compliance support

SIMATIC IT Interspec offers full auditing func-

tionality supporting regulatory compliance

and 21CFR11. Since regulatory compliance

requirements differ from customer to customer,

SIMATIC IT Interspec allows two different levels

of auditing functionality: the normal auditing

on modifications to frames, specifications, etc.,

which is standard, and electronic signatures,

which can be switched on/off based on the

specific compliancy requirements of the cus-

tomer.

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Business-related benefits

– Cost savings

– Participation in new B2B and B2C e-commerce

initiatives

– Improved solution for product liability issues

– Replacement and standardization of product specifi-

cations – also in multisite/multilingual environments

– Definition of specifications as the single point of refer-

ence for product data and distribution of these speci-

fications at the enterprise management level (ERP,

SCM, MES, LIMS etc.)

– Provision of product information throughout the supply

chain

Integration with other information systems

– ERP

• From ERP system: Item Master, to ERP system: bill

of material with basic deadlines

– MES and process control:

• To MES system:

· Specifications for production recipes (S88 recipes)

· Specifications for packaging and labeling

· Specifications for in-process testing

– LIMS

• To LIMS system:

· Specifications for tests of raw materials, specifi-

cations for tests of semi-finished goods, specifi-

cations for tests of finished goods

SIMATIC IT Interspec is available as a stand-alone product

or integrated within the SIMATIC IT global architecture for

optimizing an enterprise.

– Client/server: Windows operating system – file server

– database server – native web interface web service-

based application.

SIMATIC IT Interspec supports web service-based applica-

tions. This function will be further developed in the future

and replace the client/server architecture. Both are compat-

ible and it is possible to have a combination of “traditional”

clients and “web” clients.

The bandwidth optimization allows fast data transfer trough

the Internet: web services make it possible to transfer only

that part of information that is needed by the user. Tradi-

tional web pages in contrast are transferred totally at each

user request, which slows down the information transfer

considerably. When hundreds or thousands of specifications

are managed, transfer times need to be optimized to reduce

user-waiting time. Exactly this feature has been implement-

ed successfully in SIMATIC IT Interspec – while keeping the

user-friendliness of the user interface.

Key technical details

– Situation 1: Single site. Multiple users/departments

use SIMATIC IT Interspec – a single database is used.

– Situation 2: Multiple sites. Two manufacturing plants

and one marketing and sales department. They use

the corporate network to access the SIMATIC IT Inter-

spec database.

– Situation 3: Expanded version of situation 2. In case

that the network connection between a site and the

main database is not reliable enough, replicated data-

bases can be used. Should the network connection

fail, the replicated version could be used. Both data-

bases will subsequently be synchronized.

– Situation 4: The global company. Various database

instances are connected to the international database.

Siemens AGAutomation and Drives

w w w . s i e m e n s . c o m / s i m a t i c - i t

US helpline:1 800 333 7421 option # 3Website: www.sea.siemens.com/mes

Europe helpline:+49 (0) 180 5050 111Website: www.siemens.com/simatic-it

© SIEMENS AG 2004

SIMATIC is a registered trademark of Siemens AG.If trademarks, brand names, technical solutions and similar are not specificallymentioned, this does not mean that they have no protection.

The information provided in this brochure contains merely general descriptions orcharacteristics of performance which in actual case of use do not always apply asdescribed or which may change as a result of further development of the products.An obligation to provide the respective characteristics shall only exist if expresslyagreed in the terms of contract.

Documents

Simatic InterSpec E - c4b.gss.siemens.com€¦ · its process technologies, which is used in virtually every business process within and outside the company. For this reason, standardization