Dive Brief:
- Limble on Wednesday announced a new integration of its maintenance management system with SAP’s S/4HANA enterprise resource planning software.
- The integration allows S/4HANA users to automate data synchronization for spare parts inventory, vendors and purchase orders, ensuring that real-time information flows across departments, according to a news release Wednesday.
- Bringing maintenance management into ERP systems can help organizations align their maintenance needs with broader business goals while improving data visibility, driving operational efficiency, cutting operational costs and boosting productivity, Limble said.
Dive Insight:
When maintenance operates in a silo, it can cause ripple effects through the entire organization, Limble said in the release. Supply chain issues can disrupt the availability of critical tools, parts and equipment, leading to breakdowns and extended downtime, reduced production efficiency and increased maintenance costs, according to its 2024 State of Maintenance in Manufacturing and Facilities report. To combat these challenges, facilities management teams are looking to diversify suppliers and strengthen supplier relationships, with 39% citing backup inventory and 25% naming product changes as other avenues for ensuring the availability of critical supplies, Limble says.
SAP’s S/4HANA is an enterprise resource planning platform that provides supply chain and procurement tools, enabling companies to perform transactions and analyze business data in real time, according to a product overview on SAP’s website.
Sharing real-time data on spare part stock levels between the two systems gives maintenance, accounting and procurement teams visibility into usage trends and allows them to forecast future parts needs, according to the release. Once the purchase order is submitted, a new purchase order will be automatically generated in S/4HANA, including the original order’s location, vendors, dates and additional details, Limble said. The integration further syncs vendor data across systems to eliminate potential data inconsistencies, ensuring accurate and reliable data in both platforms, Limble noted.
