Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA is a world-leading manufacturer of prosthetics and orthotics with over 100 years of experience in orthopedics. The company develops innovative solutions to provide people with greater mobility and quality of life, and operates a global network of over 400 patient care centers.
Due to rapid growth, internationalization, and acquisitions, Ottobock faced significant organizational challenges. Individual locations were often operating very independently, processes were not uniformly defined, and there was no central overview. Furthermore, there were around 500 different IT systems in use, many of which supported similar processes.
The goal was therefore to simplify the organization, standardize processes globally and make them more transparent. At the same time, regulatory requirements, particularly in the medical technology sector, needed to be reliably met. Another focus was on digitalization and the creation of a scalable system landscape.
Ottobock decided to build a structured Business Process Management (BPM) system and introduce the Aeneis software as a central platform.
In the first step, existing processes were analyzed, weaknesses were identified, and a clear target architecture was developed. In the process, over 75 workflows were evaluated and more than 125 areas for improvement were identified.
Subsequently, global end-to-end process maps were created and clear responsibilities were defined. Today, all processes and related information are documented centrally in Aeneis. A special focus was placed on the integration of quality and management systems. Processes are automatically checked for regulatory relevance and managed accordingly. At the same time, existing documents were converted into structured data and supplemented by workflows for review and approval.
With the introduction of Aeneis, Ottobock was able to make its process landscape significantly more transparent and structured. All relevant processes and content are now anchored centrally in the system and are quickly accessible to employees worldwide. This not only facilitates daily work but also improves collaboration across locations, as all parties involved work from a unified foundation.
At the same time, through the Standardization of processes cross-location synergies have been created and workflows made more efficient. Another important step forward is the successful implementation of an internal control system (ICS), in which risks and controls are integrated directly into the processes. Overall, Aeneis enables better management of the organization, reduces complexity, and creates the foundation for sustainable further development.
You can find the call for entries and the website for the Process Solution Award 2022 here.
