In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, efficient asset management and maintenance operations are essential in helping organizations stay up-to-date with industry requirements and ahead of the game.
One solution that has revolutionized the way businesses approach these challenges is SAP CMMS or Computerized Maintenance Management System.
SAP CMMS is a comprehensive platform designed to enhance the management of assets, streamline maintenance processes, and ultimately boost operational efficiency. It also offers benefits like increased safety, improved communication and collaboration, and the ability to analyze historical maintenance data to make long-term strategic decisions across teams.
In this article, we will explore the main capabilities and advantages of SAP CMMS software, how it performs maintenance management and improves insight into critical business processes, and where our team of expert SAP consultants can come in to help.
What is CMMS Maintenance Software?
A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is a software system that centralizes asset data, drives efficient maintenance activities, and improves the availability and utilization of physical assets, like vehicles, machinery, plant infrastructures, and more.
The core of CMMS software systems lies in their database, which offers a comprehensive data model that organizes critical asset information and outlines maintenance operations and the materials, equipment, and other resources needed for proper maintenance execution.
What is SAP CMMS?
SAP CMMS software offers various device solutions and resources designed to help users manage critical business assets, schedule and manage maintenance operations, and track work orders across the entire enterprise.
With CMMS SAP functionality, companies can gain real-time insights into asset management and maintenance management operations, ensuring their business processes are aligned with predefined objectives and that their most important assets are allocated, utilized, and managed properly.
The SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM) module is at the core of the SAP CMMS system, providing intelligent capabilities that cover all asset management activities, including preventive maintenance, inspection, spare parts inventory, and repairs.
Key Features of CMMS Software
Here’s a closer look at the main features of the SAP CMMS system:
Work Order Management
Work order management serves as the main function of CMMS software, and it includes critical information about business assets and asset performance, including:
- Work order number
- Order type (scheduled, repair, replace)
- Cause and remedy codes
- Order description and priority
- Personnel and materials assigned
The work order management component includes functional capabilities that help business users:
- Reserve and schedule materials and equipment
- Record and track planned and actual costs for asset operations
- Automate work order generation and management
- Assign and schedule maintenance shifts, employees, and crews
- Review planned and unplanned maintenance tasks and track downtime
Asset Registry
With a comprehensive asset registry component, users can manage critical asset information, such as:
- Asset location and position
- Statistics for asset performance and downtime
- Asset manufacturer, serial number, model, and equipment class
- Availability for meters, sensors, and Internet of Things (IoT) instrumentation
- Related asset management documentation, like repair manuals, warranties, and more
Resource and Labor Management
The resource and labor management component enables organizations to assemble work crews and assign specific tasks, organize predictive maintenance shifts, monitor pay rates for maintenance team members, and keep track of available employees and equipment over time.
Materials and Inventory Management
SAP CMMS software includes a materials and inventory management component that simplifies inventory management operations and improves visibility into distribution centers and facilities.
With comprehensive inventory visibility, companies can also inventory, distribute, and reclaim maintenance and repair operation (MRO) equipment across storage areas and track inventory costs across various areas of the organization.
Preventive Maintenance
Companies can leverage the functional predictive maintenance component to organize and manage assets across multiple different orders and schedule preventive work orders as needed.
It also allows users to base work order initiation and management on various different metrics, including time, usage, triggered events, and more.
Reporting, Analysis, and Auditing
With advanced data analysis and reporting functionality, SAP CMMS software allows users to better understand asset availability and performance and generate reports across various maintenance categories, including materials usage, labor and material costs, asset availability, and supplier assessments.
Users can also analyze business information to understand performance trends, asset availability, MRO inventory optimization to organize information to support more informed business decisions, and manage information during the entire lifecycle of their most important physical assets.
EAM vs. CMMS – What’s the Difference?
While CMMS and EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) are often used interchangeably and do offer similar capabilities, there are a few key differences between the two solutions.
CMMS software builds the foundation for more efficient enterprise asset management activities, offering overlapping functions and broader functionality to foster collaboration across teams, offer better business context across the entire lifecycle, and provide better integration with other SAP modules, like SAP ERP, SAP Service and Asset Manager, and more.
On the one hand, SAP Enterprise Asset Management solutions make it easier for users to gain context into critical business processes and analyze the impact of asset maintenance on process management, procurement, risk and compliance, asset disposal, and more.
On the other, SAP CMMS software emphasizes asset uptime and fixed asset availability to automate workflows, manage work orders, schedule labor, manage materials, and generate reports to manage all critical asset data.
Main Advantages of the SAP CMMS System
Improved Asset Management
SAP CMMS allows organizations to maintain a comprehensive record of their assets, including equipment, machinery, vehicles, and infrastructure. This leads to better asset management, tracking, and more efficient use of resources, helps extend the lifespan of assets, and reduces the risk of unplanned downtime.
Increased Operational Efficiency
SAP CMMS streamlines maintenance processes by providing a centralized platform for managing work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, and spare parts inventory. This automation and organization result in increased operational efficiency and reduced downtime, leading to cost savings.
Enhanced Data Visibility
The system provides real-time access to maintenance data and key performance indicators, allowing organizations to make data-driven decisions, improve maintenance strategies, and allocate resources more effectively.
Regulatory Compliance
SAP CMMS helps organizations meet regulatory and compliance requirements by enabling them to track and document maintenance activities. This is particularly crucial in industries with strict regulatory standards, such as healthcare, aviation, and manufacturing.
Better Resource Allocation
With SAP CMMS, organizations can optimize resource allocation by effectively scheduling maintenance activities, assigning tasks to the right personnel, and managing spare parts inventory. This results in reduced labor and inventory costs while maintaining asset reliability.
How Can We Help?
Whether you need help implementing the SAP CMMS module for the first time, additional support understanding how SAP CMMS integrates with SAP solutions like ECC and S/4HANA, or just an extra hand getting started on your journey with SAP, Surety Systems can help.
Our senior-level, US-based SAP consultant team has the functional knowledge, technical skills, and real-world experience needed to handle all your most important project needs and help you make the most out of your investments.
Getting Started with Us
Interested in learning how SAP CMMS can help you build schedules for asset maintenance and ensure your most important assets operate at peak performance? Ready to get started on a project with our team of senior-level SAP consultants?
Contact us today for more information!
