AI-supported scaling in HVAC

Heiko Kießling has always been passionate about the automation of administrative tasks. Since DAIKIN began its digitalization journey almost 20 years ago, the focus has been on data transfer between scheduling, the service team, and the SAP master system.

The collaboration with Rotex Heating Systems, beginning in 2009 and culminating in a merger in 2020, necessitated a robust, seamless integration. As the market demand for modern heating and ventilation solutions continued to rise, both the ecosystem of partner companies and the workforce expanded. In 2016, Heiko Kießling's team comprised around 35 service technicians; by July 2023, this figure had grown to 136. The number is projected to double once again by 2025.

This growth necessitates extensive automation of processes, swift onboarding of new employees, and the scalability and integration capacity of the software in use.

In particular, deployment and route planning was a long-standing problem. Over 25,000 orders per year (as of 2022) - often with short-term changes - can only be planned, dispatched, and settled manually with a high level of staff deployment. The goal was an intelligent system that supports dispatch with AI assistance in flexible and at the same time absolutely precise deployment and route planning.

"We were always interested in automating administrative tasks. Above all, this included the automatic transfer of all prices, materials and hours from the orders to our master system. But there are also subtasks such as confirming appointments to our customers and predictive route planning." Heiko Kießling, Service Manager Heating Technology DAIKIN Airconditioning Germany GmbH

The solution approach with mfr

DAIKIN and Rotex opted for mfr back in 2015, when the solution for mobile field service management was still in its infancy. However, the openness of the management and the development team at mfr enabled Kießling and his team to actively help shape the software.

"Since the beginning of mfr, I have trusted our customers. They know best what works for them and what doesn't. That's why it has always been a matter close to my heart to work with our customers and - as far as technically possible - to take their needs into account." Jan Höppner, CEO mfr

"It was a completely new experience for us that a software manufacturer listened to us and took our wishes seriously ". Heiko Kießling, Service Manager Heating Technology DAIKIN Airconditioning Germany GmbH

This resulted in a close and trusting exchange, which has been reflected in new features and adaptations over the years.

Three mfr functions have made life particularly easy for DAIKIN::

1. AI-supported deployment and route planning automatically suggests the best service technicians for a job with the shortest travel time for the day. Three pieces of information are intelligently combined:

• Skills (education, certificates, experience)
• Route from the place of residence
• Distance to other customer appointments of the service technician on this day

1. The automated data transfer from and to SAP means that, among other things, the report and invoice are already with the customer when the service employees are just leaving the customer's yard. Other automated processes automatically inform customers once a deadline has been set or inform service technicians when ordered materials arrive at the warehouse.
2. The mobile warehouse not only ensures that the service teams always travel to the customer with a complete list of materials. It also simplifies the work of purchasing and accounting. This is because consumed materials are simply scanned and neatly stored in the order so that they can be invoiced correctly.

"With the AI-supported deployment and route planning, I receive a fresh daily overview of all service teams with details of travel times and kilometers to be driven. This enables me in scheduling to make optimum use of my employees and minimize travel times and distances. And all at the touch of a button". Heiko Kießling, Service Manager Heating Technology DAIKIN Airconditioning Germany GmbH

The gain

With mfr, DAIKIN can not only optimally coordinate its 136 service technicians (as of July 2023). Service teams from partner companies are also integrated into the digitalized, automated processes via the subcontractor module. The accounts are managed by DAIKIN. However, the partner companies can schedule their assigned orders themselves and thus benefit from AI-supported deployment and route planning. Some of the service partners have since switched completely to mfr themselves.

The extent to which the move to mfr has reduced DAIKIN's daily administrative workload is illustrated by a comparison with the self-developed tool that DAIKIN previously used to organize its service teams. According to Heiko Kiessling, the company saves a good 40,000 working hours a year.

"With its route planning, Google can't reload as quickly as we can clock in the orders. With mfr, that's no problem. And this year we are already well on the way to beating our order record from 2022 by over 20 %."Heiko Kießling, Service Manager Heating Technology DAIKIN Airconditioning Germany GmbH

All photos © DAIKIN Airconditioning Germany GmbH, as of April 2022