Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Companies like Endress+Hauser that sell complex solutions face challenging tasks when preparing quotes. The larger the project scope and the more sales subsidiaries worldwide are involved, the more time-consuming the process becomes. Without standardized structures and tools, this quickly leads to inconsistent templates and formats—and, above all, an enormous amount of manual work. The result is proposals that fail to meet the expectations of potential customers. Endress+Hauser demonstrates how project proposals can be created in a standardized, semi-automated manner and fully integrated into an existing SAP landscape using ESCRIBA’s automated document generation—a real-world example of what modern document management in SAP sales can look like.
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Table of contents
About 2,600 project proposals per year
Endress+Hauser was founded in 1953 by Georg H. Endress and Ludwig Hauser in Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg. The company was founded by Swiss engineer Georg H. Endress and German bank director Ludwig Hauser. The company’s current headquarters are located in Reinach, Switzerland. It is recognized as a global leader in measurement instruments, services, and solutions for industrial process engineering. With approximately 17,000 employees worldwide, total revenue of 3.7 billion in 2023, and 8,900 patents and patent applications, the company is driving both the development and implementation of innovative technologies.
However, in the Solutions division in particular, preparing extensive project proposals took a great deal of time. In 2023 alone, Endress+Hauser generated approximately 2,600 project proposals, including revisions. In search of a tool for efficient proposal creation, the company therefore opted for a solution from ESCRIBA. Two factors were decisive here: the ability to edit proposals in SAP before they are output as documents, and integration with SAP message processing.
| Company | Endress+Hauser |
| Industry | Measurement and Automation Technology |
| Headquarters | Reinach, Switzerland |
| Employees | Approx. 17,000 worldwide |
| Project Objective | Consistent and efficient creation of complex proposals for projects and solutions |
| Solution | ESCRIBA Composer with integration into SAP SD and the engineering platform |
Challenges in Preparing a Proposal
The initial situation was typical for internationally operating companies with decentralized sales structures. Each sales subsidiary had its own way of structuring project proposals. There was no common system for document management in SAP and no standardized software for document creation. This led to three specific problems.
- No standardized structure for project proposals across the individual sales companies
- No standardized tool for creating project proposals
- Complex project proposals could not be presented to potential customers in an appropriate format
That last point, in particular, carries a lot of weight: A project proposal is often the first tangible impression a client gets of a solution. Tables, charts, and images are indispensable for this—and must be incorporated in a clean, professional, and consistent manner.
The Goal: Consistent Proposals at the Click of a Button
Based on these challenges, Endress+Hauser defined clear goals for a software tool:
- A standardized structure for all project proposals
- Efficient, partially automated creation of project proposals based on standardized templates for the various solutions
- Meeting customer expectations regarding the layout and content of proposals, for example by incorporating tables, graphics, and images
- Full integration of the generated documents into the existing sales and engineering processes
Added to this was a requirement that would prove to be particularly important as the project progressed: the scalability of the documents. This is because a project proposal goes through various stages, from the initial budget estimate to the final proposal. The templates had to reflect all these stages while also functioning consistently across eight languages on a global scale.
The solution: ESCRIBA Composer with full SAP SD integration
Endress+Hauser opted for ESCRIBA’s automated document generation in an on-premises installation with a direct connection to SAP SD. As a result, the SAP ESCRIBA add-on is seamlessly integrated into the message processing of the SAP SD document. This allows project quotes to be generated right where the sales data is already available—without any media breaks or duplicate data entry. Since document creation and output run through the familiar SAP message processing system, document management in SAP integrates seamlessly into the existing sales process.
Dynamic document layouts instead of static templates
ESCRIBA does not use static templates, such as those found in Word. Instead, dynamic document layouts determine which elements appear where. Data—such as text elements, numerical values, images, and more—is read directly from connected systems and assembled according to rules during document generation. The layout and content are determined by the retrieved and entered data. Headers, footers, logos, and other fixed elements are automatically inserted according to current specifications. The result is highly customized documents that still consistently comply with corporate design and compliance guidelines.
Guided Creation and Flexible Editing
Endress+Hauser uses ESCRIBA Composer as a rich client for creating and editing project proposals. It guides users through predefined, customizable user interfaces. If information is missing from the backend, ESCRIBA prompts users for it via clear wizard dialogs. The wizard also helps users choose between multiple options for a given scenario.
Especially when dealing with complex project proposals, it is important to be able to customize documents before they are issued. ESCRIBA offers several options for this: selecting from predefined variants, selectively locking individual text blocks, and—with the appropriate authorization—freely editing the text manually. Changes are highlighted, can be compared with the original text, and are precisely logged—a key component of traceable document management in SAP.
Integration into the Engineering Process
In addition to SAP SD, Endress+Hauser’s engineering platform has also been integrated. To achieve this, the ESCRIBA Web Composer is embedded within the web application. This integrates quote creation directly into the engineering process, creating a seamless workflow from engineering to the final quote.
| “With the help of ESCRIBA, we have reached an important milestone in the Solutions division. By introducing standardized templates for customer-specific proposals, the company was able to respond to customer inquiries quickly, consistently, and with the required quality. In particular, the scalability of the documents—from budget quotes to final proposals—proved to be a key feature.” Wolfgang Schweizer, Global Portfolio Manager for Solutions at Endress+Hauser |
Step by Step to Success
The project began with a proof of concept at Endress+Hauser. This allowed ESCRIBA to demonstrate, using a specific use case, that the set goals were achievable. The project then proceeded in clearly defined phases:
- Proof of Concept Using a Use Case as an Example
- Description of Content Requirements and the Necessary SAP Interfaces
- Design and implementation of the integration into the SD document and the Endress+Hauser Engineering platform
- Step-by-step development of templates for the individual solutions in collaboration with ESCRIBA
- Phased rollout across the individual sales subsidiaries
- Continuous optimization of the templates and processes
The phased rollout had one key advantage: The templates could be developed solution by solution, tested in practice, and then rolled out worldwide. Thanks to continuous optimization, the proposal process continues to evolve even after the go-live.
The Benefits for Endress+Hauser
The project’s success was evident as early as the first quarter following the rollout: Endress+Hauser saves about one hour per quote using ESCRIBA. With about 2,600 project proposals per year, it quickly becomes clear just how much potential lies in this time savings. But beyond that, the company also benefits from the following advantages:
| 2,600 project proposals (including revisions) in 2023 | 1 hour of time saved per quote | 8 languages for globally consistent templates | 3.7 billion Total revenue in 2023 |
- Consistent, professional layout across all global sales subsidiaries—with options for customization
- Consistent document structure across the various solutions offered
- End-to-end process from engineering to proposal creation
- Easy creation of revisions to existing project proposals
- High degree of automation through the interface with SAP SD
- Integration into Endress+Hauser’s existing process and IT landscape
| “As early as the first quarter following the rollout of the new processes, Endress+Hauser saw a time savings of one hour per quote. This allowed employees to focus more on the content of the quotes while also increasing efficiency. The standardized templates and focus on scalability have made the proposal process more efficient and increased customer satisfaction.” Wolfgang Schweizer, Global Portfolio Manager Solutions at Endress+Hauser |
Conclusion
With ESCRIBA, Endress+Hauser was able to standardize project proposals across all its sales subsidiaries. Employees now have more time to focus on what really matters: the quality of the proposals’ content. And customers receive proposals that impress in terms of structure, layout, and content—from the initial budget estimate to the final proposal.
Here you’ll find everything you need to know about automated document creation and document management in SAP with ESCRIBA: Digital Document Management
