HERMA: Automation of the process chain from ERP to dispatch
Date: 18.05.2026
The challenge: complexity in variant production
HERMA, a specialist in self-adhesive technology, manufactures products in enormous dimensions - „jumbo rolls“ up to twelve kilometers long. Before the process optimization, the coordination between the recipe specifications in the SAP system and the actual machine parameters was a complex task. The handling of defects was particularly critical: These had to be manually localized and documented so that they could be removed in later processing steps.
Transformation to action-controlled production
The company implemented direct PLC-to-SAP communication via industrial middleware. Instead of simple status queries, HERMA worked with our experts to develop a completely action-controlled process landscape. The system acts as a bidirectional translator: SAP sends recipes and speeds to the machine; the machine reports back defects and quality data in real time.
Demonstrable benefits and operational excellence
The result is a highly integrated factory with impressive key figures:
* Drastic waste reduction: Since the system stores defects precisely, downstream cutting stations automatically stop at the exact position so that employees can remove defects.
* High availability: With around 15,000 data telegrams per day and booking times of less than 15 ms, production downtimes have been almost completely eliminated by the system.
* Predictive maintenance: The machines send wear data via the data hub directly to the SAP maintenance module, which automatically creates tickets for service technicians.
