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Interface SAP SuccessFactors

In just three months from a filing system to a transparent digital process 

How the world-renowned brake manufacturer BSCCB now manages its staff’s absences more easily, quickly and transparently – and how everyone benefits from this

Unless you’re a motorsport enthusiast or a car mechanic, you may never have heard of the name. Yet, with around 600 employees, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic Brakes (BSCCB) is actually one of the major players in the industry. Founded in Italy in 1961, the Brembo Group claims to be the world leader in the development and manufacture of high-performance braking systems for leading manufacturers of cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles. Furthermore, the company has established itself as the main supplier of braking systems in Formula 1, where it celebrates new victories with the drivers practically every season.

The daily nuisances

Amid all the glamour, it is easy to overlook: even major players struggle daily with quite ordinary administrative processes that cost time, money, and nerves. At BSCCB, it was the HR management that had reached its limits with the manual processing of holiday requests and other employee absences. Something new had to be done – but how to start?

The process should
  • be fully digital from the application through to the approval,
  • transparent and easy to handle for both employees and supervisors,
  • prepared for all conceivable types of absence (holiday, T-time, flexitime, home office),
  • to be processed by SAP HCM and
  • to be connected to SAP SuccessFactors.
BSCCB initially turned to its system partner Bavaria Zeitsysteme GmbH in Munich. The company has been managing access control and time recording at the Meitingen site for around 25 years and relies on the software solutions of Drakos GmbH.

Bavaria Zeitsysteme and Drakos assess the needs and develop a concept

It is early October when the project team starts planning. First, the existing structures and interfaces need to be identified. BSCCB uses SAP HCM at the Meitingen site, but is connected to the headquarters in Stezzano (Italy) and other locations via the cloud-based SuccessFactors. The existing access management JaniAccess and time recording JaniTime – or their overlay JaniWeb – is at this time only connected to SAP HCM. JaniAccess exchanges data with this practically in real time: it receives employee master data and returns time bookings from the terminals.

This structure now needs to be expanded with an absence management system with workflow – and linked to SuccessFactors. Because the approval processes necessary for absences are processed by BSCCB not only locally but also in Stezzano and at other locations connected via the SAP Cloud.

Appearance: JaniConnector

Already by the end of October, the details are being addressed: Drakos is setting up its JaniConnector for BSCCB. The cloud application developed by the Hanau team, which can be configured remotely, connects the on-site time recording with the SAP Cloud and is thus the central element of the new constellation.

The technicians are developing an interface that precisely mirrors the company’s data structure, thereby ensuring the error-free exchange of information with SuccessFactors. In this way, they can, for example, retrieve the structure of the teams and their line managers – including email addresses and other information – from SuccessFactors. At the same time, Drakos is installing the JaniTime Pro module, which provides the necessary functions for absence and holiday planning, including workflow, and is customising it to meet BSCCB’s requirements.

Just a few weeks later, trial operations begin – and after countless test runs, quality checks and final tweaks, the time has come: after just three months of planning, development and implementation, the new, fully digital absence management system goes live as planned, on schedule and within budget.

What has been achieved?

All absence planning at BSCCB is now fully digital. Instead of having to fill in cumbersome paper forms, staff at the Meiningen site can conveniently submit their requests via their browser. Line managers in Stezzano or at other sites are automatically notified, and applicants receive a message as soon as their request has been processed. Subsequent changes can be made in the same way. Team calendars in JaniTime Pro ensure maximum transparency by displaying all a department’s absence periods clearly and in real time. And thanks to the parallel integration with SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors, all time data is now available company-wide.

"Overall, the introduction of JaniTime Pro represents an important step towards further digitalisation and efficiency enhancement of our processes," says the company. There is a high level of acceptance among employees – shortly after the introduction, positive feedback from the specialist departments was received, reports Richard Lohmeier, the project manager at BSCCB. Andreas Dietrich, managing director of Drakos, adds: "Through our online training, we prepare all parties involved well in advance for the transition. The implementation then usually proceeds smoothly."

Bavaria Zeitsysteme and Drakos can look back on more than 30 years of experience with holistic system solutions for access control and HR management. Drakos was a pioneer in the development of SAP interfaces and offers tailored solutions for time tracking and access management in small and large companies and institutions with its Jani system.

 




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What does the JaniConnector do?

The JaniConnector is a cloud-based, remotely configurable integration solution for reliable data exchange between existing time management systems and SAP® SuccessFactors.
The application ensures that time-relevant information, such as clock-in/clock-out bookings, is automatically and almost in real-time available in SAP® Time Tracking. This accelerates processes, improves data quality, and avoids manual transfers.

Thanks to the support of the standardised HR-PDC interface, the JaniConnector communicates independently of the manufacturer with a variety of time tracking systems and end devices. This allows hardware solutions from almost all providers that support this standard to be connected.