The lamp sockets are only enough for the next two hours and the gearshifts will soon run out too: if the fitters at the BMW plant in Leipzig notice that the materials they need are running low, they don't have to pick up the phone or leave their workstation to reorder - they simply press a button and the supplies are guaranteed. Just in time and in the exact quantity required. This is because the small, intelligent button automatically connects to the Cloud of Things via NarrowBand IoT - a wireless technology for the Internet of Things. The data generated in this way can be processed directly - in SAP systems, for example. The IoT service button was developed by Deutsche Telekom in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) in Dortmund. Once the technician has pressed the button, colleagues in the warehouse immediately see what is missing, load the forklift trucks, drive to the assembly line and replenish the ordered materials.

Simply work more efficiently - on the Internet of Things

Optimizing production and business processes - a goal that companies of all sizes and from all industries are pursuing on an ongoing basis. And they are increasingly relying on the Internet of Things (IoT) to achieve this. According to the results of a trend study by the consulting firm PAC, 60 percent of small and medium-sized companies are already using IoT solutions to monitor and control their machines, vehicles and systems with sensors - from data analysis and digital services to completely digital business models.

In all of these application scenarios, companies are faced with the challenge of connecting devices, machines, sensors and IT systems with each other via interfaces and coordinating all of the resulting data. An increasingly complex task: Juniper Research analysts expect more than 50 billion sensors and devices to be connected to the IoT by 2022 - more than twice as many as today. This also increases the demands on internal company processes such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management (WM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM), which need to be combined with IoT applications.

How can I optimally interlink clouds?

SAP and Deutsche Telekom have developed an interface to optimally integrate existing IT applications with new IoT technologies: the Cloud-2-Cloud Connector (C2C). It connects the Deutsche Telekom Cloud of Things with the SAP cloud by combining hardware, sensor data, platforms and the SAP landscape. This allows live data from the Telekom Cloud to be integrated directly into SAP applications. The information from the IoT applications initially ends up as raw data in the Telekom Cloud of Things. There, the C2C connector filters it according to individually defined parameters.

The first application of the shared IoT interface was a telematics module for logistics. It uses end-to-end data exchange to detect where goods are located and at what speed they are being transported. It also registers vibrations and temperature fluctuations - highly relevant information for a car manufacturer, for example, when it comes to clarifying any warranty issues following the transportation of spare parts. Or a valuable indication for freight forwarders and producers as to how reliably the cold chain functioned when transporting food. All relevant information is integrated into the customer's SAP systems via the cloud interface.

Automated processing thanks to SAP S4/HANA

The high-performance architecture of S/4HANA enables the automated processing of real-time data and constantly growing data volumes. SAP's fourth ERP product generation uses in-memory technology, in which data is stored directly in the main memory instead of on hard disks. As it no longer needs to be aggregated, it can be processed immediately. This allows users to react more quickly to deviations, fluctuations or failures. All processes are automated and simplified, making data processing highly efficient.

Integrating real-time data into the SAP landscape

Deutsche Telekom provides a wide range of products via its IoT platform. The cloud experts configure and implement the individual IoT components in customers' existing SAP structures. In practice, this means that users work in their familiar SAP environment, while the real-time data flows into applications such as SAP Global Track and Trace, SAP Connected Goods or SAP Vehicle Insights via the standardized open data interface. Deutsche Telekom collects all real-time data via its own mobile networks and those of its network partners, ensuring protection and security as well as global connectivity

With the end-to-end solution from SAP and Deutsche Telekom, users then automatically start the ERP invoice run when the van with the delivery leaves the yard, for example. If a raw material silo is empty, the system reorders it. Companies can manage their vehicle fleets more efficiently and cost-effectively, keep an eye on transport routes at all times and plan alternative routes in real time to ensure deliveries are made on time. The greater process accuracy also increases customer satisfaction. At the same time, companies can use real-time data to better protect parcels or entire vehicles against theft. According to the German Insurance Association, transport goods or vehicles are stolen every 20 minutes in Germany alone.

Track real-time data live

The Pairing App, which was recently awarded a prize as part of a hackathon organized jointly with SAP, goes one step further: Companies can use this solution to pair and unpair orders and sensors with their SAP system using a QR scan. The app is integrated into the SAP cloud, the server can immediately check the IDs and assign the request to the right place in the system. Users can see all current and past linked orders and sensors on their dashboard and can track live data such as location or temperature. The app also incorporates relevant data from the ERP and IoT system - without any human intervention.

From smart button to digital label

Even the fitters at the BMW plant in Leipzig would no longer have to take care of material replenishment themselves - if a digital label were used there instead of the smart button: Unlike the IoT Service Button, this digital solution means that people no longer have to intervene themselves: A GPS receiver and various sensors are integrated into the display of this label for tracking goods, and up to 1,000 documents can be stored here. The highlight: it displays different documents based on the geographical data. If the freight passes through several countries, the smart display automatically shows the documents - and always in the respective national language.

The authors

Henning Neuse, Business Owner Cloud of Things - T-Systems International GmbH

Henning Neuse has been responsible for Deutsche Telekom's IoT platform Cloud of Things as Product Manager since May 2018. His focus is on connected things management. As a mediator and decision-maker, he has been creating interfaces between commercial ideas and IT solutions for 25 years.

Sebastian Berg, IT Architect - T-Systems International GmbH

The IT architect has been working at T-Systems International GmbH for ten years. Prior to that, he worked for many years as a technical project manager and software developer. He develops innovative solutions for the SAP Fiori, OData and SAP Cloud areas in the interface to SAP applications in order to better integrate IoT and cloud-based processes.