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Efficient yard operations and well-maintained equipment are critical for seamless logistics and supply chain performance. In this blog, we explore how integrating SAP Yard Logistics (YL) with SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) can unlock significant business benefits by streamlining yard operations and ensuring asset reliability.
SAP YL empowers businesses to optimize and manage yard logistics, enhancing operational visibility and efficiency. Meanwhile, SAP PM focuses on maintaining plant equipment and machinery, ensuring they are always in peak condition. By bringing these two powerful solutions together, organizations can:
- Minimize Operational Delays: Ensure yard assets, such as vehicles, cranes, and machinery, are available and in top condition to avoid disruptions in logistics.
- Enhance Asset Lifecycle Management: Proactively monitor and maintain equipment to reduce unexpected breakdowns and increase operational reliability.
- Optimize Resource Utilization: Align maintenance schedules with yard logistics demands for seamless equipment availability.
This blog demonstrates the seamless integration between SAP YL and SAP PM, offering insights into the underlying processes and showcasing how businesses can achieve a smoother, more resilient supply chain with better resource management and minimized risks.
Prerequisites
The fundamental yard setup, yard structure and Plant Maintenance setup should already be configured. Here we are mainly focusing on the integration part.
SAP Yard Logistics Configuration:
Assign PM Workorder Content Structure to a Yard Number and Storage Type
This setup helps you link maintenance tasks to the right locations in the yard, ensuring smooth and efficient operations.
Assign PM Equipment Category to a Yard Number
The purpose of assigning a PM Equipment Category to a Yard Number is to make sure that maintenance tasks are linked to the right equipment in a specific yard location, making maintenance and tracking easier.
Set Activity Type relevant for PM Integration
Activity relevancy for PM is needed so that Yard Logistics (YL) knows that when this task is executed, it requires integration with the Plant Maintenance (PM) system.
As a technical requirement for proper integration between SAP YL and SAP PM, the transportation unit name must not include any underscores, as the equipment name on the PM side does not support these characters.
SAP Plant Maintenance Configuration:
Create Functional Location Structure Indicator for SAP Yard Logistics for SAP S/4HANA
This setup helps to identify each asset’s location and ensure it gets the right maintenance when needed.
Scenario:
In this blog, I have focused on an Outbound Rail scenario. After a train with several individual railcars is checked in and inspected, it is found that one of the railcar units is damaged and needs repairs before it can be loaded. In SAP YL, a task related to Plant Maintenance (PM) is created. Once the PM-related yard task is activated, a corresponding PM work order is automatically generated. After confirming the active PM-related yard task, the linked PM work order is released, the transportation unit is moved to a designated repair area, and the transportation unit is locked within SAP YL.
Once the integrated PM workorder is technically completed, the relevant transportation unit is unlocked, and the SAP YL process can proceed.
Note: If the PM relevant yard task is cancelled, linked PM workorder will be marked as cancelled and the deletion flag will be set.
Execution:
Assume that the railcar has already been checked in and is awaiting inspection.
During the inspection, it is discovered that a railcar unit is damaged and unsuitable for loading the product. As a result, the yard operator selects the appropriate options from the questionnaire and confirms the task.
An ad-hoc task relevant to SAP PM is created and activated based on the results of the questionnaire.
After the task is activated, a workorder is generated in SAP PM, and the corresponding notification can be found in the SLG1 logs.
The generated workorder can be viewed using the Fiori tile ‘Find Maintenance Orders’.
Once yard task is confirmed, railcar unit is moved to damaged siding storage bin for repair and a notification to release workorder is sent to SAP PM.
Once the workorder is released, the user must enter the required details in the workorder to assign tasks to workers. This can be done using the Fiori tile ‘Change Maintenance Orders’.
After the workers have repaired the railcar unit, confirmation of the completed work can be provided using the Fiori tile ‘Perform Maintenance Jobs’.
Now using the Fiori tile ‘Change Maintenance Orders’, the workorder can be technically completed.
Once the integrated PM workorder is technically completed, the relevant transportation unit is unlocked, and the SAP YL process can proceed.
The railcar unit can now be moved from the damaged siding storage bin and continue with the loading process.
Conclusion.
To sum up, the integration of SAP Yard Logistics (SAP YL) and SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM) provides an efficient solution for managing both yard operations and maintenance activities. By automating key processes such as task creation, workorder handling, and equipment upkeep, businesses can minimize downtime, boost operational efficiency, and optimize asset usage.
This integration enhances visibility and coordination between logistics and maintenance teams, resulting in improved resource management, timely maintenance, and more seamless operations overall. Whether you’re managing outbound rail shipments, overseeing maintenance tasks, or looking to optimize your logistics processes, the integration of SAP YL and SAP PM offers a robust solution.
If you’re looking to implement this integration in your organization or have experiences to share, feel free to drop us a message. Stay tuned for more insights on how to optimize your SAP processes for greater business efficiency!
