How to get the most out of your SAP Plant maintenance implementation

How to get the most out of your SAP Plant maintenance implementation

Once SAP Plant maintenance implemented, project is over and focus lights are off it’s hard to keep up momentum for getting best from implementation. Here are few tips that may help business users to get best out of SAP Plant maintenance implementation. Assuming CMMS is implemented right, adopting system will increase productivity. Further using system will leverage department’s position for future system improvements project (e.g. getting SAP Plant maintenance on mobile)

There are four main groups of users who that can maximize benefits of SAP PM implementation. Common to each of these groups is an understanding of their culture and the environment in which the system will be used.

1 Maintenance and operation managers: Managers should view the SAP PM as a means of obtaining metrics regarding maintenance deployment and equipment performance. Manager can run PMIS report like MCI5, MCI7; list edit reports like IW28 or BI reports. Through reporting on work performed, planned and in process, management can improve its decision-making process. Management can use various reports to measure and improve resource utilization. Reports can be run for checking utilization of personnel manager can use IW47, CADO, MCI8 or BI report. Having updated information on equipment maintenance history and relative maintenance cost enables management to schedule equipment replacement budgeting. These reports can be used as KPI matrix.

2 Production line / Equipment users: Production and engineering personnel must see the value SAP PM delivers for prompt and effective maintenance. These are the resources responsible for producing product and generating output; therefore, their lines must operate at their highest levels as much as possible. Preventive maintenance must be coordinated with production and unplanned maintenance must be performed quickly so as not to impact production. Production planner can integrate their planning with maintenance preventive maintenance planning with use of workcenters in equipment master record. In workorder/task list specify system condition = 0. Planner can use CM50/CM21 to plan capacity.

3 Maintenance personnel / Technicians: Technicians must see the SAP PM as a tool that will help them do a better job, be more efficient and improve work processes. It can't be viewed as a system management is using to micro manage maintenance personnel. Maintenance technician should be able perform their daily job with only two-three transaction. User can setup list variants for IW38/IW28 etc to minimize switching between screens and use screen as their running work list. Personal defaults and personalized list in all fields for data entry will reduce data entry effort.

Technician should be able to review historical information easily. Example report: IW28. Technical should be able to find part required/consumed from system e.g. IH01, IW13 etc. Attaching drawing of equipment and parts to master data via document info record will help technical to retrieve information they need without leaving SAP screen. SAP PM will become an integral tool that they learn to rely on and trust in for helping them do their jobs to their best abilities as maintenance professionals every day.

Personnel at the production line/plant level will be able to recognize the value of a SAP PM and understand that proactive maintenance on critical equipment is essential.

4 Purchasing and spare stores: This group is tightly integrated to maintenance group. Purchasing non-stock parts and services require integration with buyer. Here workflow implementation can make big impact of smooth information flow. Seamless integration between these group is key for smooth operation of maintenance. Using MRP for part replenishing is significant for stock management. E.g. MD01, MD04, IWBK, ATP check from order etc.

One group not listed here is maintenance planner/master data maintainers. This group is backbone of SAP PM.

Conclusion

Bringing these groups together during post implementation will set the tone for ongoing success. These components will influence how an organization will achieve the desired results from a successful SAP PM implementation. Implementing above suggestions require very less effort and provide great benefits for system adoption.

SAP implementation alone can not improve how an organization handles maintenance. System users must understand how SAP works and how it can be used as a tool to improve efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance.

I welcome your comments and experience