Starting situation

As a globally active multi-brand enterprise, VW is constantly faced with new challenges along the entire supply chain. In the case of on-board manuals, the goal was to implement a cost-optimized and timely distribution of vehicle operation instructions as needed directly on the assembly line at 11 production sites. To adequately and cost-effectively accommodate up to 12,000 theoretically possible combinations in just one vehicle model series, individualization of the operating instructions was to be done as late as possible.

Solution

Prior to this project, arvato services had already been a logistics partner of VW for many years and was responsible for the provision of marketing materials and technical information within the dealer organisation. The on-board manual service in its present form, i.e. disposition, production, and distribution, resulted from continuous joint development of the processes based on experience gained during many years of collaboration. An essential role is played by the IT expertise of arvato services. The systems aligned with VW’s processes handle the daily demand for different versions of on-board manuals and ensure that the right on-board manuals are available as needed and on time to the respective assembly lines.

Sophisticated IT solutions facilitate cross-process and thus precise disposition along the supply chain. This allows us to produce for VW in line with their demands. In combination with the targeted consumption of residual stocks, arvato services is able to provide VW with clear cost savings. In addition, the central picking and packing of a basic version of each on-board manual and the later generation of variants at the production site ensures that on-board manuals can initially be produced in large quantities. This makes it possible to exploit economies of scale, which facilitate further reductions in costs.

The precise documentation of the process fulfills legal requirements while also ensuring that it is possible to determine which on-board manual was provided for a specific vehicle, even years later. On-board manuals can then easily be reproduced for the individual vehicle even at a later point in time. This ensures that customers can continue to enjoy the service they’ve come to expect from VW even years later.