Why is SAP VC different than other SAP Modules ?
SAP Variant Configuration module (VC) is Product-centric, requiring in-depth collaboration with the business Product Managers, Engineers and Manufacturing Engineers, unlike other SAP modules that are process-centric. Process Transformation projects have a luxury of using standard templates and tweaking them to the client needs. Designing the efficient VC models requires a good understanding of client specific Products, their product change and launch strategy.
We focus on the following niche skills and work collaboratively with other consultants in integrating VC into Sales, Manufacturing, and Cost Accounting. Though we have automated many steps in creating VC Models, most of it still needs to be manual, requiring VC expert intervention since every Product is different. This is one of the reasons why VC development is usually a long lead time activity in SAP projects involving complex configurable products.
It is not surprising to see, at the end of many projects, our VC modelers become as good as the client employees in their product structure understanding. This is where we come in to help establish their Center of Excellence (COE), train their employees, and also provide a cost-efficient ongoing support to their business critical NPI Projects.