Success Story Bitzer Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH - DSC Software AG

Success Story 

Bitzer Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH 

Reliable mastering change management 

Bitzer introduces mySAP PLM with Unigraphics and ME10 

as company-wide PLM system 

Dr. Arne Gaiser 

Since 70 years, Bitzer develops, engineers and manufactures cooling compressors, 

and pressure vessels for commercial and industrial applications. On introducing 

mySAP, Bitzer decided for mySAP PLM as PLM system to ensure efficient and reliable 

development, release and change processes. By a well organized change 

management users at the different Bitzer Group production and distribution locations 

are at all times updated about changes. 

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Bitzer’s product range covers reciprocating, screw, and scroll compressor for different 

performance level, hermetic, semi-hermetic or open. Additional products are pressure 

vessels, such as, condensers, liquid receivers, oil separators or oil coolers, and units 

meeting regulations on pressure vessels of all major approval societies. 

Bitzer used the EDM system Workmanager for the management of ME10 and Unigraphics 

data. In addition, specifications, material masters, and change management was controlled and 

managed in Workmanager. Filing was organized location-dependent on a file server, data 

synchronization was controlled by Workmanager. The part masters were maintained in 

Workmanager, and status-controlled transferred to the AS/400. The master data then was 

further processed on the AS/400 by an in-house ERP using bills of material, work plans, and 

calculation. Consequently, technical, logistic and commercial data management was spread 

over different systems. 

Drawings released in Workmanager were status-controlled converted into the TIFF format, and 

linked with the part master. In oder to allow other departments, such as, quality management, 

to access technical documents, the Workmanager client was company-wide installed on 

required workstations. At those workstations, editing of drawings, specifications and other 

documents was possible according to authorization rules. 

Integration is crucial 

In January of 2003, Bitzer decided to introduce mySAP Enterprise and mySAP PLM as main 

PLM system. The determining factors were, among others, the avoidance of additional 

interfaces, a scaleable, company-spanning IT infrastructure with a central master data 

management and distributed filing of CAD data, the easy integration of further locations, the 

fast solution roll-out for other locations and subsidiaries, and the integration and unification of 

technical, managerial and organizational processes and data into a single system using a single 

user interface. Moreover, development and change processes become more efficient.. 

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In the context of the SAP introduction project BIGS – Bitzer International Goes SAP, in 2003, 

the Karlsruhe based DSC Software AG implemented the mySAP PLM CAD solution. At each of 

both development locations, Schkeuditz and Sindelfingen, a SAP content/cache server for the 

test and the productive system, and a process-controlled conversion solution were installed. 

Today, each authorized user is able to access engineering data from each location, and from 

each subsidiary. „An essential demand of our users was to find again proved former 

Workmanager and CAD system functions and processes in mySAP PLM,“ says Victor Restivo, 

PLM-CAD Project Manager at Bitzer. The realization of the processes was achieved mainly by 

customizing the solution. The mySAP PLM solution at Bitzer went productive in October 2003 

in Schkeuditz, and in January 2004 in Sindelfingen. Initially, the CAD documents were filed to a 

database on a Windows 2000 server. Once the SAP SAP Content Server Version 6.30 for Unix, 

and storing to a file system was available, beginning 2004, the location Schkeuditz changed to 

the new SAP Content Server for UNIX. 

Figure 1: Schematic diagram demonstrating the migration process (Source: DSC Software AG) 

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Migration to mySAP 



Jointly with DSC, Bitzer migrated existing data from Workmanager to mySAP PLM. For the 

migration implementation DSC provided the program „Migration to SAP Import Toolkit“ 

customized to Bitzer’s requirements. In a first step, meta data and originals were extracted from 

Workmanager. Bitzer proved, eventually corrected data in Workmanager, and re-extracted it. 

Then the data was prepared for import, and transferred via the program MSIT into mySAP. 

Figure 1 sketches this process. 

„Overall, 25,000 ME10 drawings, 6,000 Unigraphics drawings, 5,000 Unigraphics models and 

600 technical documents and 450 specifications were migrated to mySAP,“ states Victor 

Restivo. 

Solution customizing to processes at Bitzer 

In Unigraphics Bitzer works according to the master model concept: Models and drawings are 

separate, associatively linked documents. In Unigraphics and ME10 drawing frames are not 

filed while saved, and dynamically loaded on opening. For document management the classes 

„models“ and „drawings“ were created. Among other things, the class „drawings“ manages 

the coordinates for the insertion point of the drawing frame, the frame used, the drawing type, 

and the change number. In ME10 the management of pure grid drawings is possible. In order 

to part ME10 drawings consisting of pure grid, vector or hybrid data, a specific characteristic 

was introduced. The class „Model“ manages model type, unfinished part weight, finished part 

weight, model mode, and change number. 

To part the different technical objects the document type is used. For ME10 drawings the 

document type ME10 is used, for Unigraphics models document type UGM, for Unigraphics 

drawings the document type UGD, for specification – these are MS Word documents – 

document type SPC, and for office documents the document type OFC. In addition, for each 

document type a separate status network was created. 

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Figure 2: Status network and authorization concept (Source: DSC Software AG) 

Process-controlled conversion of drawings 

At Bitzer, a process-controlled conversion solution was implemented. On specific status 

changes in mySAP, automatically a conversion process is triggered. On status change, 

Unigraphics drawings are converted to FR into format CGM, Unigraphics models to FR into 

format JT, and ME10 drawings to FR into format TIFF. 

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Figure 3: All relevant specifications are listed in the drawing (Source: Bitzer) 

Specifications 

Today all specifications are managed by mySAP. Specifications are MS Word documents, and 

maintained by SAP document management in mySAP. Especially for supplier, all specifications 

belonging to a component are listed in the drawing title block. To this end, DSC realized an 

user exit detecting all documents of document type SPC which are linked to the drawing’s 

material master. Since specifications are also subject to change, the title block lists all 

specifications without version display. In the mySAP system the current specification always 

corresponds to the highest released version. This ensures that on ordering a material always the 

current version is issued. 

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No product lifecycle without change management 

Over time, products are subject to many changes. In order to completely document changes, 

and to efficiently plan and control change processes, Bitzer uses the SAP change management. 

Figure 4: Each change is recorded in a message, and assigned to the change process (Source: 

Bitzer) 

Changes are reportable 

In case a component is to be changed, the engineer is required to notify the change. The 

change commences with the creation of a message number, and the selection of message type 

„change message (AM)“. The engineer describes the change and defines which department, 

for example, development/engineering screw compressor, is responsible for the change. The 

message is linked with a secondary document – a MS Word file – , and managed by the mySAP 

system using document type ECM. By assigning the message to a location or department, the 

message is fed into the related editing process. 

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In the editing process the department in charge notes in the secondary document whether it 

agrees or disagrees on the change. 

Figure 5: The secondary document displays the inspection result, and the changes made. 

(Source: Bitzer) 

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Figure 6: Change realization requires the creation of a change number (Source: Bitzer) 

Change units and change packages 

On releasing the change message, the SAP workflow comes into play. The system creates a 

change unit and change packages (location-independent and location-dependent). The change 

unit is location-independent and superior to change packages. The change unit and the 

secondary document are linked to the change message. 

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Figure 7: The change is assigned to the document by a selection of the messaage, or of the 

related change package (below) (Source: Bitzer) 

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Figure 8: The document is linked to a change master record (change package) (Source: Bitzer) 

After creation of the master data editing starts. To this end, the engineer selects the documents 

affected by the change and the released documents, and in PLM++Gate drags those 

documents onto a change package via drag&drop. This reserves the documents for the change. 

The released version is editable only in the respective higher version which the engineer now is 

able to create. The number of the change package is automatically transferred into the 

document info record. When the engineer has finished the change, s/he forwards the edited 

documents for inspection. The secondary document describes all changes. 

Via workflow even more reliable and effcient in change processing 

Within the SAP workflow, the respective department is informed about the change completion. 

Then the department, usually the group manager, or the standard department, releases the 

package. The mySAP system checks whether all affected drawings and secondary documents 

have been released. In case all packages are released, the change unit is ready to be released by 

technical management, and fed into the further work process. 

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Display of change unit 



The drawing header holds the number of the change unit to relate to the reference to the other 

change packages. The number of the change package is linked to the drawing’s dcoument info 

record. To this end, Bitzer mandated DSC to implement this function as customized extension. 

The desktop PLM++Gate displays the change units as master data. On opening the related 

change packages are listed. 

Figure 9: Explosion display of a compressor (Source: Bitzer) 

Standardized workflow speeds up development 

All Unigraphics and ME10 CAD systems are completely integrated into the mySAP PLM system. 

„For us the reliable and efficient guiding of changes, and the high transparency of editing 

processes are among the crucial aspects of PLM,“ sums up Victor Restivo. „Today changes are 

processed more efficient. And, in addition, everybody is at best informed about changes“. The 

access to drawings and other documents now is able via all workstations without the 

installation of additional software. The access is managed by an authorization system. 

User contact 


Victor Restivo 

restivo@bitzer.de 

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Success Story Bitzer Kühlmaschinenbau GmbH - DSC Software AG

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