ERP to shop floor
SAP MES integration: from production order to confirmation, without retyping
SAP MES integration links SAP ERP with the shop floor so production orders, materials and routings flow down to the MES, and confirmations, goods movements, scrap and quality results flow back to SAP automatically. It removes manual entry, closes orders on time and makes SAP stock and cost match what the plant actually did.
Free scoping call. We start with one line, never change your machine logic, and you own the code and the data.
- material movements tracked a day, integrated steel plant
- 720,000+
- fewer dispatch errors with RFID and barcode dispatch
- 90%
- items an hour through RFID warehouse automation
- 16,800
Company reported project figures, not independently audited, not a promise for another plant. Samsung Business Insights: our RFID warehouse automation story (opens in a new tab). Forbes India Brand Connect (sponsored): founder profile (opens in a new tab).
Sound familiar?
- Production confirmations are typed into SAP a day later, in bulk.
- SAP stock and the stock on the floor disagree every month end.
- Orders stay open for weeks because nobody closes them.
- Scrap in SAP is lower than scrap in the scrap yard.
Each of these is output, margin or time you have already paid for and are not getting back.
What you get
A process walk
One order followed from release to goods receipt, on the floor and in SAP.
An interface specification
Each message, its trigger, fields, owner and error handling.
Standard interfaces only
BAPIs, IDocs, OData or your middleware; no custom tables where a standard exists.
A parallel run
Posted quantities compared with the floor before cutover.
What we have built
Our RFID and QR based vendor material system syncs with SAP in real time, covering vendor materials worth more than ₹20,000 crore (about US$2.4 billion) moved every day.
In an integrated steel plant in India, our material tracking covers warehouses, central stores and vendor yards: more than 720,000 material movements tracked per day, and a 90 percent reduction in dispatch errors after RFID and barcode based dispatch.
Figures are company reported from past projects. They are not independently audited benchmarks and are not a promise for another plant. Read the case studies.
How we work
Our SAP and ERP integration work
We integrate MES, RFID, warehouse and traceability systems with SAP, and with Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Tally and custom ERPs. We work with your SAP team or partner on the SAP side and take responsibility for the shop floor side and the integration layer.
How we start
- 1Process walk. Follow one order from release to goods receipt on the floor and in SAP.
- 2Interface specification. Each message, its trigger, fields, owner and error handling.
- 3Build and test. In the SAP quality system with real order scenarios.
- 4Parallel run. Compare posted quantities with the floor for a period before cutover.
How it works
How the integration is built
On SAP ECC and S/4HANA, integration normally uses standard BAPIs and RFCs, IDocs for asynchronous messages, and OData APIs on S/4HANA, often routed through SAP Integration Suite or another middleware. SAP Digital Manufacturing is SAP’s own MES option for plants that want the MES from the same vendor. For a custom or third party MES, the integration layer queues messages, retries on failure and keeps a log that both the plant and SAP teams can read.
Machine and RFID data should reach SAP through the MES or integration layer, never directly. SAP should see business events: a pallet received, a batch consumed, an order confirmed.
What makes an integration last
- Agree the master data owner for every object (material, BOM, routing, work center) before building.
- Decide confirmation granularity: per operation, per shift or per order, and which system calculates yield.
- Handle errors visibly: a failed posting should show up for a named person, not sit in a queue.
- Test with real orders, reversals and partial confirmations, not only the happy path.
- Keep the MES working if SAP is unavailable, and post when it returns.
Background
Why SAP and the shop floor drift apart
Without integration, SAP learns what happened on the floor from a person typing confirmations, often a day later and in bulk. Stock is wrong in the meantime, orders stay open, scrap is under reported and costs are estimates. Integration makes the posting part of the work: when the MES records an operation complete, SAP receives the confirmation.
The data flows
| Direction | Data | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| SAP to MES | Production or process orders, routings, BOMs, material master | The floor works on the current plan |
| MES to SAP | Operation and order confirmations with yield, scrap and time | Orders progress and close on time |
| MES to SAP | Goods issue of components and goods receipt of output | Stock matches the floor |
| MES to SAP | Quality inspection results and usage decisions | Quality records in one place |
| Both | Batch and serial numbers, genealogy | Traceability from raw material to dispatch |
When we are not the right choice
- You need SAP functional consulting (configuring PP, MM or QM). Your SAP partner leads that; we connect the shop floor.
- Your volumes are low enough that manual confirmation takes minutes a day.
Common concerns, answered
Will this disrupt production?
No. We connect read only first, install during planned stops, and edge devices buffer data so a network problem never stops a machine. Nothing writes to a PLC without your controls team and a test.
Our machines are old. Do we need to replace them?
No. Old machines are the usual case. A running signal, a cycle signal or a current sensor on the motor is enough to start, without touching the machine program.
We tried a system before and nobody used it.
That is the most common failure, so we design with the operators and supervisors who will use it, start with one report they already fill in by hand, and only extend once they rely on it.
What about IT security?
Read only by default, a segmented OT network, and a review with your IT team before anything connects, following the ISA/IEC 62443 zone approach.
We will not replace SAP or Oracle. Do we have to?
No. We connect to the ERP you already run through its standard interfaces and add what the shop floor is missing. Your ERP stays the system of record.
Do your engineers understand a heavy industrial floor?
Our systems run in steel plants, warehouses and process lines. We start every project by walking the line with your operators and supervisors, and the first release is tested by them, not only by IT.
Are we locked in?
No. You own the source code and the data, documented, in your own repository. Another team can maintain it.
Frequently asked questions
Does SAP have its own MES?
Yes. SAP offers SAP Digital Manufacturing, a cloud MES. Plants choose between it, other commercial MES products and custom MES depending on process fit, cost and ownership. Either way, integration with SAP ERP is required.
Which SAP interfaces do you use?
Standard interfaces: BAPIs and RFCs, IDocs, and OData APIs on S/4HANA, directly or through SAP Integration Suite or other middleware your IT team uses. We avoid custom tables and modifications where a standard interface exists.
Can we integrate RFID or machines with SAP?
Yes, through an MES or integration layer that turns reads and signals into business transactions such as goods receipts, transfers and confirmations. Direct machine to SAP connections are hard to maintain.
Do you work with Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics as well?
Yes. The flows are the same: orders down, confirmations and goods movements up. The interface technology changes with the ERP.
What happens when SAP is down?
The MES keeps recording production and queues the postings. When SAP is available again, messages are posted in order and failures are shown for correction.
Related reading
References
Start with one line and one number
We scope one line, agree the number that should move, and show it moving before anything is scaled. You keep the code and the data.
Step 1
An engineer reads it
Not a sales bot. Our team replies within 24 hours with questions or times for a call.
Step 2
30 minute call
Your process, machines, systems and the number you want to move. We tell you honestly if we are a fit.
Step 3
A written scope for one line
What we would connect, what you would see, how long it takes. You decide; nothing starts without your approval.
Reviewed by Amey Kadle, Founder, Ajinkya Technologies. Last reviewed: .