SAP Asset Strategy and Performance Management: smarter, balanced maintenance 

SAP Asset Strategy and Performance Management empowers asset-intensive organizations to define, plan, and monitor optimized maintenance strategies for their physical assets. By delivering relevant data and actionable insights in a clear, structured format, it enables smarter decision-making and drives operational excellence. 

The challenge: balancing input and output 

In asset-intensive industries, achieving the right balance between maximizing machine output and minimizing operational input is an ongoing challenge. Profitability hinges on the availability, speed, and quality of production – machines must perform reliably at high speeds and deliver consistent results. 

At the same time, operational input – especially maintenance costs – needs to stay low. This balance is complex, as output and input are tightly connected: Increasing maintenance can improve availability, performance, and quality, while reducing it may compromise overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). 

While this relationship generally holds true in principle, the ideal balance between output and input depends on the specific context. Three key factors influence this equilibrium: 

• Direct economic considerations: Maintenance efforts are justified when the gains in output exceed the associated costs.  
• Indirect economic effects: For premium manufacturers, consistent quality and on-time delivery are non-negotiable – neglecting maintenance can lead to reputational damage. Comprehensive maintenance thus ensures the company’s continued existence and future economic success.  
• Holistic shop floor perspective: Not all equipment is equally critical. While some machine failures might be tolerable, even minor malfunctions in essential systems can bring entire production lines to a standstill. 

Ultimately, companies must weigh both input and output to navigate this delicate balance and drive sustainable performance. 
 

ISO 55001: setting the standard for asset management systems 

The ISO 55001 standard defines the requirements for effective asset management systems, with a strong emphasis on the ongoing evaluation of cost, risk, and performance. By fostering greater transparency – often absent in traditional maintenance approaches – the standard helps organizations make more informed, strategic decisions. 

Many companies struggle to quantify how reduced maintenance affects the likelihood of equipment failure or how increased maintenance can boost availability. Gaining these insights is essential for developing effective maintenance strategies aligned with the DIN EN 13306 standard. 

A critical aspect of this process is selecting the right maintenance approach: Is corrective maintenance – where action is taken only after an asset fails – enough to ensure operational efficiency? Or is preventive maintenance, involving scheduled servicing at fixed intervals or based on asset condition, a more effective approach? In many cases, predictive maintenance offers the most strategic advantage. By leveraging real-time machine data and analytics, organizations can forecast potential faults and determine the optimal timing and scope of maintenance activities.  

IT solutions for standard-compliant asset management 

Effectively implementing ISO 55001 requires more than traditional tools – basic Excel spreadsheets are no longer sufficient for managing complex asset data and analytics. Robust, integrated IT solutions are essential for achieving transparency, traceability, and efficiency in asset management. 

SAP offers powerful cloud-based solutions through its SAP Intelligent Asset Management Suite, part of SAP Leonardo. These solutions are designed to work seamlessly with SAP Plant Maintenance in both SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA environments. 

The suite includes the following: 

• SAP Asset Intelligence Network (SAP AIN) 
• SAP Predictive Maintenance and Service (SAP PdMS) 
• SAP Predictive Engineering Insights (SAP PEI).  
• SAP Asset Strategy and Performance Management (SAP ASPM) is available as an additional cloud solution. 

What is SAP Asset Strategy and Performance Management? 

SAP Asset Strategy and Performance Management provides access to detailed machine and plant data, supporting the development, execution, and monitoring of optimal maintenance strategies. A range of integrated tools guides users through this process. 

1. Asset data management 

It all starts with collecting and structuring relevant data to evaluate asset costs, risks, and performance. Data from SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) is transferred to Asset Central in the cloud and standardised according to frameworks like ISO 15926, IEC 60050, ISO 14224, EN 15380, and eCl@ss. 

2. Risk and criticality assessment 

Once the data has been collected, a risk score can be calculated for each asset, reflecting the likelihood and potential impact of failure. This score takes into account multiple factors, including operational context, environmental conditions, and safety implications.  

By combining the probability of failure with its potential consequences, the asset’s criticality is determined. This assessment helps gauge how significantly a machine or system failure could affect value creation. Assets identified as highly critical should undergo in-depth analysis. 

Potential maintenance strategies: 

• Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) focuses on achieving the necessary reliability of assets at the lowest possible cost by strategically combining corrective, preventive, and predictive maintenance. Key factors such as safety, environmental impact, and potential follow-up costs also influence the choice of maintenance approach. To optimize this mix, it is essential to clearly define the intended function of each critical asset along with its required performance. Additionally, the conditions under which a function fails or performance falls short must be specified. 

• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic method used to identify potential failure modes that prevent an asset from fulfilling its intended function or achieving the required performance. Each identified failure is evaluated based on its effects and the likelihood of occurrence. The analysis relies on three key metrics: the severity of the failure’s impact, the probability of its occurrence, and the likelihood of detecting it before it happens. These factors are combined to calculate the Risk Priority Number (RPN), which helps prioritize risks. Based on the results, targeted measures can be developed to either reduce the likelihood of a failure or improve the chances of detecting it early. 

• Preventive Maintenance Review (PMR) involves evaluating existing maintenance plans to assess their effectiveness in preventing equipment faults and failures.  

3. Implementation and monitoring of maintenance strategies 

Based on the conducted analyses, appropriate maintenance strategies are defined, implemented, and carried out for each asset. The resulting data is systematically recorded and consolidated. It forms the foundation for ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement. 

Benefits of SAP Asset Strategy and Performance Management 

SAP Asset Strategy and Performance Management creates transparency regarding the maintenance costs, failure risks, and performance of each asset. This transparency equips companies with a solid foundation for making informed decisions about the most suitable maintenance strategy – tailored to each individual asset. 

One of the key advantages of the solution is its adaptability: Maintenance strategies can be continuously assessed and refined. The platform enables real-time monitoring of asset performance and strategy effectiveness, allowing companies to quickly determine whether implemented measures are delivering the intended outcomes. 

Moreover, as external conditions evolve, maintenance strategies can be recalibrated. For instance, cost-efficient sensors may make predictive maintenance viable for assets where it previously wasn’t justified, opening up new opportunities for optimization.