Plant Maintenance Overview

If we take any manufacturing industry or assembling plant, many machines and equipment are installed in the plant. These
machines continue to function as long as they are in good condition and would stop working if something went wrong (nothing
but breakdown of machine). So to avoid this breakdown, the team involved in up keeping of machines are called maintenance
personnel/team. The prevention work they do is usually known as preventive maintenance and the repair work, they do when a
machine broke down is breakdown maintenance.

The entire life cycle of an asset, and not just the plant maintenance point of view, should be taken into consideration.

The SAP solution Asset Life-Cycle Management integrates the processes of plant maintenance, and also allows you to map all
processes in the entire life cycle of an asset.

This begins with the selection of externally procured assets, or with the integration of the design and engineering process of
internally manufactured assets. In the manufacturing or procurement phases, you can use the procurement functions, or the
SAP Markets EBP solution, to map the procurement process. The integration with the structure browser in production allows for
a seamless transfer from project management and production to the asset operators.

The installation, the testing, and the start-up of assets are further phases in the life cycle that can be supported using the
software solution, for example, by using quality notifications and characteristics, as well as inspection lots and usage decisions.
The operation of the assets is guaranteed through plant maintenance processes with comprehensive master data functions,
document management, and order processing with planned and unplanned tasks. The history allows you to perform analyses
using all standard key figures.

The refurbishing of assets, and their modification are also logistically and commercially supported.

The cost evaluation, taking into consideration depreciation and operation costs, as well as the plant maintenance key figures,
allows you to determine the best time for the replacement of an asset.

Assets that are equipped with high-tech components must be treated differently from traditional, mechanical assets. Due to the
speed of technological advance, the best time for replacement of these assets must be determined in a different way to that
used for traditional assets.

The technical life cycle can, for example, be determined due to lacking compatibility with other assets or products. Examples are
software products, and combinations such as printer drivers and operating systems.

The rate of wear and tear is also no longer comparable with the rates for mechanical assets. Therefore, we must find new
criteria, and not just of a technical nature, to optimize the time of asset replacement.

Plant Maintenance includes “combinations of all technical and administrative measures as well as of management measures
throughout the lifecycle of a unit, which are aimed at preserving or restoring its functional state so that it can perform the
required function.” Maintenance essentially comprises the following four tasks: inspection, maintenance, repair, and
improvement.
Inspection - To ensure both the high availability and operating safety of the machines, Inspection technical systems, and
equipment, regular inspections are required to determine their technical condition and to define the necessary maintenance
tasks. Defines inspection as all tasks for determining and assessing the actual condition of a unit, including identifying the cause
of wear and tear and deducing the consequences necessary to ensure its future use. The inspection includes the following
measures in particular:

 Checking
 Measurement
 Observation
 Assessment
 Deriving consequences

Repairs defined as all tasks for restoring the target condition. Defines as repairs all physical tasks that are carried out to restore
the functioning of a faulty unit. Via maintenance and repairs, nonfunctioning components, assemblies, and so on in machinery,
plants, and equipment, both unscheduled (fault clearance) and scheduled (planned shutdowns), are replaced, and full
functionality is thus restored. Repairs thus consist of the following activities in particular:

 Unit exchange
 Restoration of functions
 Breakdown resolution Improvement


Improvement tasks, defined as the combination of all technical, administrative, and management tasks to improve the
reliability, maintainability, and/or safety of a unit without changing its original function. The constant improvement of the plant
serves to increase the operational and functional safety of machines, plants, and equipment. At the same time, a corresponding
potential for improvement is identified, solutions are designed, and specified measures are implemented.

 Elimination of weak points

The planners within a maintenance planning plant are defined by the following maintenance planner groups:

● Plant-specific planning

Plant-specific planning is done in the maintenance plant (planning plant). In most organizational structures, maintenance
measures are planned in the same plant where the maintenance requirement occurs. The maintenance orders are executed by
workshops from the same plant, and the spare parts are stored in the same plant (for example, plant 1000).

● Cross-plant planning

Multiple maintenance plants are assigned to a planning plant. For example, in a plant (for example, plant 1200) needs for
maintenance because a technical system there requires maintenance (maintenance plant). All further functions (maintenance
planning, order execution, and spare parts storage) are however, the responsibility of another plant.

You may have a plant (for example, Plant 1100) where additional partial functions (order execution) are also the responsibility of
this plant, but other partial functions (order planning and spare parts storage) are the responsibility of other plants (for
example, Plant 1000).