MHP Management- und IT-Beratung GmbH is one of the leading consulting companies and a subsidiary of Porsche AG.
As a technology and business partner, MHP has been digitizing the processes and products of its around 300 mobility and manufacturing sector customers worldwide for 27 years and providing support for their IT transformations along the entire value chain.
Interview with Christian Suchan, Associated Partner – Alliance Lead AWS & Walter Heibey, Partner at MHP.
Walter and Christian, tell us about your range of products/solutions.
Christian Suchan: As a technology and business partner, MHP digitizes its customers’ processes as well as products and supports them in their IT transformations along the entire value chain. MHP is a digitization pioneer in the mobility and manufacturing sectors and transfers its expertise to a wide range of industries. MHP operates internationally – with headquarters in Germany and subsidiaries in the USA, UK, Romania and China – providing both operational and strategic consulting and proven IT and technology expertise as well as specific industry expertise. Besides consulting, MHP has launched a software-as-a-service offering: Industrial Cloud Solutions, ICS. The idea is to provide customers innovative software solutions for production and logistics.
Walter Heibey: At MHP, the focus is on providing holistic services that span across different areas, from engineering to production. Our approach includes the execution of cross-functional projects that ensure seamless horizontal integration of services. By focusing on our clients’ key challenges, we aim to deliver integrated solutions that transcend individual disciplines and promote a connected customer experience.
Walter, which products/solutions sell the most?
W.H.: One key area is steering clients through SAP S/4HANA transformations, as well as broader transformation initiatives and software developments. We also provide consultancy services in the area of generative AI, given its growing significance in the industry. Additionally, our aforementioned ICS products represent an important facet of our business. They enable us to combine in-depth, functional knowledge of production and engineering, and deliver innovative digital, solutions tailored to the needs of our customers. This approach positions MHP as a leader in forward-thinking consulting services.
Christian, what are clients looking for when they intend to buy products/solutions from your range?
C.S.: At the heart of our customer relationships is the search for innovative solutions to overcome both operational and strategic challenges. At an operational level, they are struggling with rising costs due to inflation, and materials and skills shortages. Solutions to these challenges include migration to cloud platforms with intelligent operations management and the digitalization of existing processes to reduce IT costs. On a strategic level, they collaborate with us to explore breakthrough innovations such as generative AI, sustainability and autonomous driving to enhance their capabilities for digital transformation, regulatory compliance and competitive positioning. MHP’s products and range of services play a crucial role in this, providing customized solutions to overcome different challenges and ensure the sustainable success of companies.
Which aspects should clients focus on when deciding on a product/solution?
C.S.: They should focus on the commitment and availability of the necessary internal skills resources that the service provider has to offer. Of course, cost also plays a significant role: customers need to consider not only the cost of implementing the service, but also the operational costs that follow. In addition, the implementation of our products or solutions in the customer’s software environment usually involves a change management process that needs to be dealt with.
W.H.: Clients need to concentrate on their actual needs, a seemingly simple concept that often gets overlooked in reality. Establishing the “why” behind a digital transformation is crucial, especially within larger enterprises where this clarity might be lacking. It is imperative that clients possess a clear understanding of their challenges when seeking our assistance. In doing so, they pave the way for a more effective and targeted digital transformation process.
Walter, what should clients know when they plan to upgrade their existing solutions?
W.H.: Technical debt makes upgrades necessary in order to avoid working with outdated systems. However, upgrades are associated with a certain amount of effort. Therefore, they must be viewed in the broader context of digital transformation and seen as opportunities for progress. It is important to question upgrades and not to isolate them, but to evaluate them as part of the overall digital transformation strategy. When a license expires, it may make sense to introduce a new system, making the need for an upgrade a strategic step on the path to digital transformation.
Why do clients choose your products/solutions over other existing on the market?
C.S.: We provide a suitable consulting approach for many challenges as well as the necessary expertise in the areas of strategy, process optimization and system integration to support customers in making their activities more effective at a company level. We do this, for example, with the help of our Industrial Cloud Solutions (ICS). Thanks to the strong and trustful relationships we have – for example with Volkswagen Group or Porsche – we have the opportunity to develop and test cloud-based products directly at the point of value creation. This also enables us to make our customers’ production processes more efficient, data-driven and sustainable. In my opinion, it is also important that we not only advise customers, but also carry out the implementation and thus fully support them in the digitalization of their production and logistics.
W.H.: As a subsidiary of Porsche AG, we have in-depth, functional expertise tailored to manufacturers, particularly in the automotive industry. We have a deep understanding of processes, from which we can derive expert knowledge that integrates seamlessly into our products and services. This specific know-how developed from the Porsche context is a key factor that sets us apart and is a unique selling point for us.
Walter, what sets your products/solutions apart? What innovative/special features do they have?
W.H.: As a part of Porsche, we are able to actively contribute to and lead innovation in various areas, such as engineering, production and customer relations. We work in a dynamic testing environment that is integrated into Porsche production, enabling us to stay at the forefront of cutting-edge developments. This unique position enables us to drive innovation not only within our organization, but also throughout the automotive industry.
What products are new this year?
W.H.: The SaaS solution supply_it will expand our ICS portfolio as of March 2024. Following the successful introduction of the FleetExecuter, we have now added a more efficient logistics planning solution. By creating a digital twin of the logistics processes, savings of up to 10 percent can be made by in-house logistics by replacing manual steps with automated processes. The configurations with the lowest total costs are automatically determined, enabling proactive cost analysis and optimization.
C.S.: In concrete terms: supply_it enables a cost-optimized allocation of components in less than ten minutes. Compared to conventional manual planning, which often takes several days, changes to intralogistics planning can now be made in just a few minutes.