Industry:
Mechanical Engineering, Drive Technology
Key Technologies:
SAP PM, FlexMaint Maintenance Management
Areas of Application:
Operations, Maintenance, Repair, Service Management
Key Features:
Mobile maintenance management integrated directly into SAP, order dashboard with a tile-based design, photo documentation via tablet or smartphone, transparent time tracking, and automatic cost allocation
Mobile maintenance management
Mobile Maintenance Management Directly in SAP PM: Learn how Getriebebau NORD has significantly improved transparency, efficiency, and planning reliability in its operations using an integrated solution.
The operating technology department of Getriebebau NORD GmbH & Co KG has introduced a mobile maintenance management system integrated into SAP, thus ensuring maximum transparency, more efficiency and better working conditions. The supplier of the solution is Flexus AG.
Locksmiths, gardeners, electricians, mechanics, cleaning staff, and many more: The skilled tradespeople employed in Getriebebau NORD’s facilities management department are equipped to handle nearly all repairs, upkeep, and maintenance tasks that arise. The 30-person team at the Bargteheide site near Hamburg handles around 7,000 orders per year, with demand increasing year after year. Revenue is growing rapidly, and the facilities in the areas of automated warehousing
and the paint shop are becoming increasingly complex.
Getriebebau NORD is part of the globally active NORD DRIVE-
SYSTEMS Group, which is one of the industry leaders in mechanical
and electronic drive technology. The product range at
includes gearmotors, electric motors, industrial gear units,
variable-frequency drives, and motor starters, as well as variable-frequency drives
for decentralized drive control, which are used, for example, in port
cranes or baggage conveyors at airports
. The owner-managed family business was founded in 1965
and employs more than 3,900 people, who generate
revenue of approximately 630 million euros.
“From the very beginning, Flexus impressed us with its expert service
Deputy Head of the
and significantly exceeded our expectations for the solution
.”
Department, Plant Engineering, Getriebebau
Nord GmbH & Co. KG
Multi-stage selection process
Many orders were placed on an ad hoc basis and were not consistently documented. There was no structured process covering order acceptance, scheduling, and service billing. This was compounded by a high administrative burden and the lack of precise records regarding employee workload. Against this backdrop, NORD drew up a requirements specification and evaluated nine potential suppliers for a maintenance planningand control system—IPS for short. At the end of the multi-stage selection process, the company chose Würzburg-based Flexus AG. According to Getriebebau NORD, Flexus is one of the few providers whose solution is directly integrated into SAP PM.
Getriebebau NORD works with SAP and uses, among other things, the PM module, which stands for “Plant Maintenance.” It covers all the functionalities required for managing maintenance activities. “Integration with SAP® played a key role in our vendor selection because it allowed us to avoid programming complex interfaces,” emphasizes the SAP consultant at Getriebebau NORD GmbH & Co. KG. With Flexus AG’s guided process support for maintenance, customers can plan proactively, monitor operations in real time, reduce downtime, and increase productivity.
The implementation at Getriebebau NORD took place in several stages. After transferring the extensive master data, the processing of fault reports and service requests was first migrated to the new system. These two categories account for approximately 90 percent of all orders. The remaining 10 percent consists of recurring maintenance work, which has also been handled in the IPS since 2018.
User-friendly tiles
Recurring maintenance tasks are based on the machine manufacturers’ established maintenance schedules and do not require any additional recording. As soon as a task is due, the system generates the work order, which is then displayed in the Work Order Cockpit. The clearly organized Cockpit is part of the user-friendly, tile-based interface. With a single click, you can view all open orders, which can then be assigned to the appropriate technician via drag-and-drop. A graphical representation with colored bars on a timeline significantly simplifies scheduling. Fault reports and service requests must be entered manually by the responsible foreman. This process is also supported by the easy-to-understand tile-style menu navigation.
Mobile Maintenance via Tablet and Smartphone
The trouble tickets and service requests recorded in this way appear in the Order Cockpit, just like recurring maintenance tasks, and can be scheduled and monitored from there. To carry out the work, field technicians, engineers, and installers have access to smartphones and tablets equipped with the Fiori app developed by Flexus. This allows them to track, document, and complete the maintenance and repair process. If photos are taken during the work, they can be captured using the mobile devices and attached to the order. Required replacement parts are immediately assigned to the order and posted in SAP.
A major advantage of the solution is the precisely documented working hours. With the introduction of the solution, every hour is now billed according to the user via SAP, which has significantly increased the cost awareness of the workforce. This applies in particular to the service requirements: In the past, one had “quickly had a picture hung up by an employee in the technical department”. Such unstructured orders are a thing of the past thanks to IPS. Today, every service has to be legitimized by an order entered and approved in the system, which means that the “quick” hanging of pictures is only requested in exceptional cases.
Greater Efficiency Through Integrated Maintenance Processes
Despite this apparent hurdle, the maintenance technicians at Getriebebau NORD still have their hands full. In 2018, the company even hired two additional employees, as the analyses now available allow for transparent, hour-by-hour workforce planning. Thanks to the FlexMaint maintenance solution , every employee can now see exactly which tasks they’ve been scheduled for, thereby reducing the risk of mental strain. Conclusion: Getriebebau NORD is completely satisfied with Flexus AG’s mobile FlexMaint maintenance management system. The same applies to the project process and the support provided during implementation.
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SAP EWM Mobile Apps / SAP EWM
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