As a long-standing SAP user, Alupress knows that the ERP system leaves hardly anything to be desired in terms of functionality, but in terms of clarity and handling of its user interfaces – keyword usability – there is generally still room for improvement with SAP. This was also the experience of the maintenance department of the South Tyrolean die-casting manufacturer, which used to work with SAP EAM (Enterprise Asset Management), formerly Plant Maintenance. Chargebacks, for example, were always a high effort: first create the chargeback slip on paper, then transfer the message 1:1 into SAP. This meant double work, cost time and was no longer sustainable for maintenance in the long run.
Since autumn 2015, Alupress has therefore been “refining” its SAP EAM module with OPRA (Optimized Proactive Lifecycle Approach), the SAP-based application for the maintenance of mobile and stationary systems and devices from DATAGROUP – a huge step in terms of usability, finds Stefano Sudaro, project manager for the topic of maintenance in the IT department of Alupress.
Before OPRA went live at Alupress, the solution had to undergo extensive evaluation and comparison with the competition. On the market, one mainly finds isolated solutions that are aimed at specific sectors and include interfaces to SAP. OPRA, with its sector-independent approach and 100% integration in EAM, occupies a special position among them.
Mass changes on different maintenance orders in the order cockpit, for example. There, the user can change fields collectively – “Change, click, enter, done!” Unlike in SAP, where this is only possible order by order. Since the beginning of September, the Tier 2 automotive supplier has been introducing the solution department by department, starting with surface finishing. The production areas are therefore only gradually changing over from the previous fault report by paper form to the electronic variant. According to the experience of the maintenance team at Alupress, it is advisable not to have all those involved in machine maintenance write their reports immediately via OPRA. Rather, it makes sense to introduce the employees slowly.
In future, if damage occurs to a machine, the production manager selects the machine in question from a list in the OPRA screen, attaches photos if necessary and then sends an error message via the system. This is received electronically by the head of maintenance, who converts it into an order and assigns it to the responsible colleague (in the case of electrical damage, to the electrician, etc.).
At Alupress’ four production sites – the parent plant in Brixen, two sites in Germany and one in the USA – a total of 30 colleagues are involved in maintenance.
While production is gradually switching over, they have been working with the system since OPRA was introduced – first with the desktop solution, and in future also with OPRAmobile on their smartphones. With the mobile solution, in future, when a maintenance order is processed on a machine, the maintenance technician can already scan the machine with the barcode in parallel.
On his smartphone, he then sees the other orders that are available for this system. “This is the ideal way to use downtime for further maintenance,” explains Stefano Sudaro. Above all, the maintenance technician can use OPRA mobile to report back to SAP the working time spent and the components installed, which are then immediately booked out of the warehouse. Until now, this feedback was done on paper and then manually transferred to the ERP system.
With OPRA, Alupress will in future be able to set up flawless Industry 4.0 scenarios in the area of maintenance. “This is a big issue for our management,” reports Benjamin Kaser. Sensors on the machine automatically send information to the central SAP system. When certain threshold values are exceeded, actions are triggered automatically: either the maintenance interval is adjusted, fault messages are generated or spare parts and consumables are ordered. Alupress wants to be ready in two to three years. For the South Tyrolean aluminium specialists, the path with OPRA clearly leads in the direction of Industry 4.0.
Alupress AG has been known as a die casting specialist since the 1965s.
Through the continuous development of the company and various acquisitions in recent years, the company is now active in the production, machining and assembly of complex aluminium die castings with locations in Brixen (I), Hildburghausen (D), Berlin (D) and Laurens (USA).