Explaining the D&S Maintenance Processes

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Describe the installing and dismantling process
  • Describe the configuration check
  • Explain corrective and preventive maintenance processes
  • Describe the status board

The Installing and Dismantling Process

The image depicts a helicopter with its main components labeled: Cockpit, Rotor-Head, and Rotor-Head. The diagram shows the process of dismantling the helicopter and installing its Rotor-Head 1 and Rotor-Head 2 components from a Stock. The helicopter icon is shown at the top, and the Stock and installation process are shown below.

With SAP Plant Maintenance equipment can be installed and dismantled very easily. As you can see here in the example, Rotor-Head 1 is removed and brought to the stock and Rotor-Head 2 is installed. This is a very simple example, but especially with complex assemblies or weapon systems, equipment cannot simply be exchanged without checking whether this equipment is allowed.

You can monitor the installation times for a piece of equipment from both the Functional Location view and the Equipment view.

The following prerequisites must be fulfilled in order to install a piece of equipment at a functional location:

  • The equipment category must permit an installation.
  • The "Equipment Installation Allowed" option must be activated in the master record for the functional location. You can restrict this option by using the "Individual Installation" option.
  • Equipment has its own history and it records operational times, as well as maintenance activities.

The Configuration Check

The image depicts a comparison between the actual configuration and the authorized configuration of a system. The actual configuration shows a hierarchical structure with components labeled FL1, FL2, FL3, FL4, FL5, EQ1, EQ2, EQ3, EQ4, and MEQ. The authorized configuration shows an access node with several triangular icons representing the authorized components, and an engine component. The image also includes a label Master-Parts-List connecting the engine components in both configurations.

One of the top priorities of our customers is being able to ensure the safe condition of their assets and technical objects at all times. In the maintenance process technical planners and maintenance technicians work with objects that are characterized by complex product structures. The Configuration Control component allows configuration checks for these diverse products. One of the aims of this component is to provide the roles involved in the maintenance process with information on valid parts. The whole product structure can also be validated. The asset, or part of the asset, must have a valid configuration when it is released for operation. At present, the functions integrated in the Configuration Control component are mainly affected by the numerous maintenance activities performed during the operation of an asset.

With the help of the Master-Parts-List a system-side structure can be built up, which defines how exactly a structure of e.g. a specific ship like a frigate has to look like. Furthermore, it is possible to define a maximum configuration. For example, it can be allowed that not only one specific gas turbine can be installed as equipment under the function location gas turbine, but gas turbines of several manufacturers. Configuration control can therefore be used during maintenance work to check directly whether a component corresponds to the previously authorized configuration. Configuration Control is likely to discover data reporting incompleteness's, such as a new engine was installed in reality but the installation was not completed correctly in the ERP.

The Corrective and Preventive Maintenance Processes

In the following section, we will examine important maintenance objects in SAP Enterprise Asset Management more closely.

The image depicts a maintenance workflow in an aircraft hangar. It shows several workers in blue uniforms working on a large aircraft engine. The image also includes icons representing maintenance notification, task list, maintenance plan, and maintenance order. The overall scene suggests a structured maintenance process involving various tasks and documentation.

Maintenance Notification

A Maintenance Notification helps to describe the technical condition for an object. With the help of the Maintenance Notification, the maintenance crew can describe the status of a malfunction, assign it to the corresponding equipment and set a technical status. In addition, a breakdown of a technical object can be set over a temporary period.

Maintenance Plan

The Maintenance Plan is the central object for planned maintenance. It describes the maintenance and inspection tasks to be performed at a maintenance object and can have different intervals and triggers.

The Single Cycle Plan uses one characteristic to schedule a maintenance call. This can be f.e. Weeks, Months, or kilometers.

The Strategy Plan calls Maintenance objects depending on a strategy. Such strategy can have different intervals f.e. a basic maintenance every week, a medium maintenance every 3 months and a major maintenance every year.

The Multiple Counter Plan derives the scheduling of the maintenance calls from multiple counter. So a maintenance can be call when either the car kilometer reader exceeds 30.000 km or after 1 year.

The Maintenance Calls is an object which is generated by the system for a due maintenance task.

Maintenance order

The plant maintenance order is used to plan, execute, and control maintenance on technical assets. The Maintenance order is created either as a result of a malfunction on a technical asset or to carry out preventive maintenance (planned maintenance). The order consists of operations that can hold capacity and component requirements; the operations can be linked by relationships.

Task List

A Task list contain all operations that have to be processed to perform a maintenance task. All Operations in the task list can also include materials (e.g. spare parts), work instructions, safety measures or default times.

One Task List can be used in several Maintenance Plans. Once the Task List has changed, the change will be automatically transferred to every new Maintenance Object to be called. When Tasks are processed within a maintenance order, each operation can be tracked by a status which is displayed in the Maintenance Order.

Example Process - Corrective Maintenance

This simple representation of a corrective maintenance process is intended to help relate the maintenance objects presented previously.

The image depicts a maintenance workflow diagram. It shows that an unexpected malfunction triggers the creation of a maintenance notification. This then leads to two possible paths: creating a maintenance order, or checking if a task list is available. If a task list is available, the maintenance is performed, and the maintenance order is completed. If no task list is available, the workflow returns to creating a maintenance order. The diagram includes various icons representing the different steps and components of the maintenance process.

Let's follow the process with an example:

At the beginning, there is an unexpected malfunction for example of the gas turbine of a frigate.

The maintenance crew detects this malfunction and creates a maintenance notification. With the help of the Maintenance Notification the malfunction can be described. The affected equipment, a description of the problem and the technical status can inserted. In addition, a time breakdown could also be set if the gas turbine is no longer working. As a result of the maintenance notification, a maintenance order is created.

With the help of the maintenance order, the repair can be carried out. Classically, the processing status of the maintenance is recorded in order to keep an overview of which maintenance work is in progress and which still needs to be done.

It is now possible to call up a task list in order to carry out the maintenance with it. Of course, this task list is only available for known and foreseeable issues. It can also happen that a malfunction of the gas turbine occurs which is not yet known or does not require a detailed task list.

In the next step, maintenance is performed and the maintenance crew can record their required working and break time, as well as the required spare parts.

After that the processing status of the Maintenance Order is set to complete. This status indicates the successful completion of the maintenance.

Example Process - Preventive Maintenance

When using Planned Maintenance, we perform maintenance tasks in certain intervals or in accordance to performance of certain counters (e.g. engine hours).

The image depicts a maintenance workflow diagram. It shows that the process can start with either a predefined maintenance plan or a manual reading of measuring points. This leads to creating a maintenance order, which then involves checking if a task list is available. If a task list is available, the maintenance is performed, and the order is completed. The diagram also includes steps for developing a single cycle plan, strategy plan, and multiple counter plan as part of the maintenance planning process.

When using Planned Maintenance, we perform maintenance tasks in certain intervals or in accordance to performance of certain counters (e.g. engine hours).

For the example of a gas turbine of the frigate, fixed maintenance intervals are provided by the manufacturer of the gas turbine. These can be inserted into a maintenance plan for this equipment and processed by further individual adjustments. Various maintenance plans can be performed in the SAP system. These differ in whether the maintenance is time or performance-based. In a time-based maintenance plan, maintenance is always performed at specified time intervals. These can be weekly, monthly or annually depending on maintenance need. An example of a performance-based maintenance plan would be to monitor the machine hours of the gas turbine and then also maintain them at set intervals.

Of course, it is also possible to combine time and performance-based maintenance. Either the gas turbine should be maintained after 500 machine hours or at latest after one month. In order to perform the planned maintenance, a Maintenance Order is again required, which contains all relevant data for processing the maintenance. The measured values can be determined either automatically with measuring points or by manual reading by the maintenance crew.

In the Task List, not only the individual processing steps can be listed, but also the materials, tools and working hours required for each step. Overall, the maintenance can be planned in terms of time and price. If the maintenance was performed successfully, the status of the maintenance order is set back to complete and like in the corrective maintenance scenario the Maintenance Crew record their required time and spare parts.

The Status Board

The Status Board application provides an overview of the shown technical objects and status. It focuses on Technical Operations Control, Or Technical Fleet Managers, to quickly overview their assigned fleet of dispatch vehicles (planes, helicopters, border patrol ships, Trucks, APC's etc.) including the technical status of each vehicle in the fleet.

The image depicts various elements of a maintenance management system. It shows a status board with a grid of buttons, representing a user interface. The image also includes icons for maintenance plans, maintenance notifications, technical/operational status, measurement documents, flight orders, measuring points, maintenance orders, and weapon systems. The overall diagram suggests a comprehensive system for managing maintenance-related tasks, information, and processes.

The Status Board application also provides an overview of the current technical situation - which affects operations - for the selected technical objects. The master equipment, equipment, and functional locations are displayed with their dependent objects.

The status board is a summary of information from the following standard objects:

  • Technical object
  • Notification
  • Order
  • Flight
  • Measurement document
  • Measuring point
  • Maintenance plan
  • Revision

This example shows the Status Board in the SAP system. Here, the Model ID was searched for and the corresponding master equipment was displayed. In this case, we are referring to four Eurofighter jets, which have been assigned different statuses (operational and technical). The filter options can also provide other useful information such as open Maintenance Notifications, Maintenance Orders and so on for corresponding weapon systems.

The image shows a display status board in a maintenance management system. It presents a table with information about various equipment, including their tail number/identifier, model ID/WS, operational status, technical status, and technical object details. The table is filtered by Model ID/WS, Role, Explosion and shows four equipment items under the Master Equipment category. The table includes details like the Eurofighter Typhoon Tail No. and associated technical object numbers.

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