What Is SAP PM? A Quick Guide To SAP Plant Maintenance

SAP is one of the market leaders in enterprise resource planning software. It controls more than 20 per cent of the market in the ERP area.

SAP is a popular choice for businesses around the world. That’s why it’s such a good idea to learn how to use it efficiently and effectively.

Of course, there are many different SAP modules. While it’s a good idea to learn those most relevant to you, you may also want to explore other modules. One of those might be SAP PM.

What is SAP PM, and what is it used for? This handy guide will answer these questions and more.

What Is SAP PM?

SAP PM is short for SAP Plant Maintenance. It’s one of the many different SAP modules available for enterprises.

This particular module assists with planning maintenance resources for factories. Businesses may choose to put in place SAP PM to help them maintain their plant operations.

What Does SAP Plant Maintenance Do?

This module covers three primary areas. They are:

• Inspection
• Preventive Maintenance
• Repair

Each of these areas is key to keeping plant operations running smoothly. Inspection can flag machines that may need service soon or identify safety issues.

Preventive maintenance is just what it sounds like. It includes following up on inspection recommendations. It also includes routine, day-to-day maintenance that helps keep machines running longer.

Repair is an unfortunate reality in most factories. Machines break down, sometimes because they’re not maintained. Sometimes it’s from misuse of the machine or a faulty part.

The end result is the same. The machine needs to be repaired before it can function again.

Allocating Resources the Right Way

The SAP plant maintenance module helps SAP work managers allocate their maintenance resources. They can schedule inspections, so they can make sure machines are looked at on a regular basis. They can assign employees to conduct these inspections, then keep records of when they’re done.

This is also true of preventive maintenance tasks. An employee can be assigned to conduct any outstanding maintenance tasks. You can create schedules for recurring jobs, and the system will have logs of completed tasks.

Repairs can also be logged in the system, creating reports. Using this information, it’s possible to see how many repairs the plant is dealing with on a regular basis. You can also see how long those repairs take.

With this information in hand, it becomes easier to plan resources. Should you be putting more employee hours to inspection and preventive measures? Maybe you need to hire an extra mechanic or two to meet the demand for repairs.

If the number of repairs is high or taking a long time, you may even consider the budget for upgrading equipment.

In this way, the SAP PM module can help plant managers keep operations clipping along in an optimal way. In turn, they can also use their resources the right way. With SAP PM, it’s easier to plan employee resources and use budgets in the best way.

Automating Tasks

Another feature of SAP PM is its ability to automate some tasks. An example is automatically reordering parts that you need to replace often. When your stock reaches a certain level, the system will reorder for you.

This can reduce the amount of time team members spend on these tasks. It also helps avoid shortages, so your team can complete regular maintenance.

Integration with Other SAP Modules

One of the reasons SAP is so popular is that there are so many different modules. Different modules cover different parts of the business. Plant maintenance is one, but there are also modules for Human Resources, Sales and Distribution, and so on.

Many of these modules integrate with each other. This allows information to flow through the business. Each department can get a clearer view of what’s needed.

Integration with the Personnel Management module lets you track how the team is being used. You may recommend hiring more mechanics to keep up with maintenance tasks. You might also recommend a different way of dividing up tasks.

Other key SAP PM integrations include:

• Material Management
• Controlling
• Production Planning
• Sales and Distribution

These modules need to work together to keep the flow of information moving. Material management can let the maintenance team know what parts they have and when they’re running low. Production planning and sales and distribution need information about when production capacity falls.

How SAP PM Works

SAP PM allows you to decentralize or centralize maintenance planning as you see fit. In decentralized planning, each plant handles its own maintenance planning. When planning is centralized, one location is responsible for all planning.

The SAP system facilitates the creation of work orders. When the system receives a notification, it will create the work order. If there are materials needed to complete the work order, it will create a request for those items as well.

The parts are then assigned to the work order, which you review and release. It’s then scheduled and assigned to a team member, who finishes the task. You’ll close the work order when the task is complete.

Suppose you have a machine that needs oil once a week. The system receives a notification when it’s time to oil the machine. It will then create a new work order, and it will request materials like oil.

The work order will then be reviewed, scheduled, and released to a team member. The team member will then complete the task and report back. When the employee finishes, you can close the work order.

Get Training for SAP PM and Other Modules

SAP PM and other modules are quite common, so it’s a great idea to undertake training and learn how to use them properly. SAP can be a little overwhelming at first, but the right training makes it easy to learn and use.

Looking for SAP module training? You’re in the right place.

Get in touch and discover the many different paths to becoming a SAP expert.