Business Challenges
Maintaining Dow's complex installations requires efficient, high-quality preparation. In the so-called 'Make Product Work Process', the scope is processed into clear work packages. These packages are in turn related to thorough planning of internal and external employees, materials, tools and equipment.
Dow's maintenance processes are supported by a suite of systems, including SAP Enterprise Asset Management (SAP EAM), Oracle Primavera for scheduling, and GE Predix APM for risk management. "SAP is essential for managing our processes and creating comprehensive work packages," says Age Balt. "However, we observed inefficiencies in system usage, with previous work packages not being reused, leading to redundant efforts Additionally, some Maintenance Group Leaders (MGLs) did not fully understand what the field planners needed to process in SAP. In turn, field planners often lacked knowledge of the production plant. This resulted in suboptimal work packages, leading to capital inefficiencies and poorly prepared job starts.”
Robson Pollitz, an MGL, noted, "After the implementation of SAP, field planners mainly learned which buttons to press, but not the rationale, missing optimization opportunities. Effective field planners must utilize SAP intelligently."
Keys to Success
Dow enlisted Emixa to develop tailor-made training programs aimed at optimizing SAP usage and enhancing the productivity of field planners to the right level.
Emixa has been involved in the project from day one, collaborating closely with Dow to form a team that includes every role in the ‘Make Product Work Process’ “After extensive investigation of the maintenance process and the associated systems via interviews, we quickly determined that Dow has a highly mature maintenance organization,” Burgemeester, an Emixa consultant noted. “However, opportunities were being missed due to inconsistent data recording. Multiple operational methods were used for the same process. Therefore, Dow needed to streamline to one way of working to ensure consistency and optimize performance.”
The team systematically explored the best practices for Dow’s field planners and how SAP could optimally support them. Burgemeester explained, “Our PowerPoint presentation gradually grew into a comprehensive document describing accurately Dow's working method. This formed the basis of a seven-day training course, including a tough exam. Next the material was refined through pilot testing and feedback.”
Results
While the training primarily focuses on the field planner role, the initial training days also cover the other roles in the ‘Make Product Work Process’. This ensures that everyone understands their specific role within the working method and what the consequences of any imperfections may be.
Dow’s approach, requiring all field planners to follow this training, ensures a uniform and consistent method across all plants and specializations. To date, more than 150 people have followed the training in eighteen training cycles.
Overall, the field planners became significantly more efficient and productive by reusing previously created work packages. This initiative marked an important step towards efficient planned maintenance through optimal use of SAP and well-trained people.