Context
A global packaging company needed to correlate CAD data (Excel) and SAP data to speed up and improve the reliability of technical analysis on prototypes and installed machines.
Problem
The company needed to integrate Excel files containing CAD models with BOM data in SAP.
Aligning design BOM and production BOM required manual checks, slowing down decisions on prototype production readiness and cost impact.
Analysis
The assessment identified key friction points between CAD exports and SAP/SAP S/4HANA structures: non-uniform coding, BOM granularity mismatch, missing structured economic comparison and fragmented decision workflows.
Normalization and correlation rules were defined to ensure reliable design-vs-production BOM comparison.
Solution
F2XP delivered a CAD-SAP integration tool with a technical comparator between design BOM and production BOM.
First release introduced structural comparison and estimated/actual prototype cost calculation to support production go/no-go decisions.
Later releases added visual comparison: upload of 3D PDF files, graphical diff between models and an interactive 3D environment (rotation, zoom, comparative inspection).
Architecture
- Ingestion layer for CAD Excel files and BOM data from SAP/SAP S/4HANA - Normalization, matching and differencing engine for design/production BOM - Economic module for estimated vs actual prototyping/production cost comparison - 3D visual comparison module with 3D PDF import and model-diff analysis - .NET 9 backend services using gRPC and dedicated APIs - WinForms operational client for engineering teams
Results
- Robust correlation between CAD datasets and SAP/SAP S/4HANA BOM - Reduced manual verification effort on BOM differences - Better technical/economic visibility before production decision - Faster and more accurate decisions through structural + visual 3D comparison
Impact
The process moved from fragmented handling to a structured flow where engineering and production can objectively evaluate BOM differences and economic impact, with 3D visual validation before final production decisions.
Stack / Capabilities
CAD/ERP system integration, heterogeneous data engineering (Excel + SAP), advanced comparator development, 3D visualization and technical-economic decision support.
Technologies: .NET 9, gRPC services, backend APIs, SAP/SAP S/4HANA integration, WinForms client.
Next Step
Extend the comparator to additional engineering use cases and integrate with enterprise approval workflows.
Do you recognize these problems? - Our systems do not communicate. - We rely on many Excel files and lose time on manual checks. - We need to integrate SAP / ERP / CAD with other systems.
Next Operational Step
If you recognize similar issues in your environment, we can start a focused technical assessment on integration, operational continuity and roadmap.