SAP EAM provides an excellent tool to allow the planning and scheduling of preventative maintenance, the management of reactive and refurbishment work, and the capture of the history of work carried out on the asset.
Work history includes key reliability data such as breakdown information, asset availability and failure codes and cause of the damage. It also contains key asset condition and performance information such as measuring documents which can be used to show deterioration and condition of the asset. Work history also contains key financial information such as the cost of repairing the asset. This is all key data which can be used to tell asset managers exactly how assets are performing and what they are costing to maintain. The question must be asked “is this data being used to its full potential?”
Whilst SAP EAM is good at the planning management and recording of work on our assets, it does not allow predictive analytics to be performed. Predictive analytics allow asset managers to be able to improve reliability and availability. SAP EAM does not provide data modelling functionality. Maintenance operations have a finite budget to plan which assets to refurbish, replace or plan new capital investment. It is therefore essential that they have a means of making the best decisions for the business based on accurate performance and condition information.
Asset investment managers need to run models based on the asset condition and performance data that is collected by maintenance management systems, to ensure that the correct assets are repaired or replaced, to ensure that the maximum improvements in reliability and availability are made, drive down operational and reactive maintenance costs and make sure the quickest and maximum return on the investment can be achieved.
It is clear that Asset Managers and Asset Investment Managers need more than the standard maintenance management systems currently provide. But how can this be achieved? The answer is through Asset Performance Management (APM). There are a number of APM solutions in the market place that are capable of using the wealth of asset information that asset intensive organisations collect as part of day to day operations. APM solutions can give both, Asset Managers and Asset Investment Managers the ability to run predictions, projections and perform models on the data held in SAP to provide the following benefits:
- Improve asset reliability
- Improve asset availability
- Drive down the costs of reactive maintenance
- Drive down the costs of operational maintenance
- Maintain assets with the minimal maintenance
- Improve the amount of asset that can be maintained
- Reduce backlog
- Ensure the correct assets are repaired or replaced
- Better mid and long term asset investment planning
- Achieve the quickest return for asset investment
To get the maximum benefits from APM solutions, it is essential that maintenance organisations prepare correctly for the implementation APM. Failing to do so will minimise the effectiveness of these products, and the associated benefits that can be achieved from adopting them. This White Paper outlines the steps required to prepare for APM to achieve the maximum benefits both in terms of asset management and asset investment from the APM solutions.”