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A new approach to maintenance planning with SAP
Südostbahn ensures transparency regarding resources and capacity
Schweizerische Südostbahn AG (SOB) has comprehensively digitized its maintenance planning and restructured its processes for long-term and medium-term planning. Using SAP Fiori apps and dynamicCAPACITY, the company has created an integrated solution that provides transparency regarding capacity, resources, and material requirements, and simplifies planning in the long term.
About the SOB
The Schweizerische Südostbahn AG (SOB) is an independent, integrated Swiss railway company headquartered in St. Gallen. It was formed in 2001 through the merger of the former Südostbahn and the Bodensee-Toggenburg-Bahn and operates both its own infrastructure and a growing range of regional and long-distance services. The SOB is best known for its modern, copper-colored Traverso trains and for its attractive routes, which appeal to both commuters and tourists.
SOB has established itself as an innovative, service-oriented provider. It combines a strong regional presence with a clear focus on quality, reliability, and a pleasant travel experience.
Background
Südostbahn aims to fully digitize its maintenance and logistics processes—from procurement to the overhauled vehicle.
A key lever in this effort is planning. Both the long-term strategic direction and operational capacity management were to be significantly improved. The goal was to make resources, maintenance orders, and material requirements more transparent and to prepare them for cross-departmental use.
In reality, however, the situation was characterized by fragmented data, manual processes, and limited reliability in planning and forecasting.
Project Goal
The goal was to standardize maintenance planning processes, create transparency, and provide a solid foundation for informed decisions in controlling, purchasing, and work planning.
Challenges in Maintenance Planning
The existing planning processes were heavily reliant on manual tasks and isolated data silos. This led to limitations in several areas.
In collaboration with valantic, SOB has implemented two key solution components that are seamlessly integrated into the existing SAP system landscape.
Custom SAP Fiori Apps for Long-Term Planning
Two custom-built SAP Fiori apps were developed for strategic planning over a period of up to ten years.
These enable:
- Integrated, cross-departmental planning based on consistent SAP data
- Transparent analyses of maintenance orders, labor hours, and material requirements
- Flexible analysis options by time period, location, or organizational unit
- Aggregated reports on a monthly and annual basis
Implementation of dynamicCAPACITY for Medium-Term Planning
For planning over a period ranging from three months to one year, the dynamicCAPACITY solution was implemented and specifically tailored to SOB’s requirements.
Key features:
- Graphical planning board for capacity planning
- Intuitive drag-and-drop control
- Visualization of over- and under-utilization
- Transparency regarding planned and unplanned orders
- Integrated capacity utilization calculation
Key Figures & Facts at a Glance
100
Percent of SAP-Integrated Planning
Central Database
Single Source of Truth
2
Fiori apps for long-term planning
3
Key functional areas integrated (Controlling, Procurement, Work Planning)
The project was necessary because SOB’s maintenance planning was characterised by manual processes and disparate data sources. This resulted in a high level of coordination effort, limited transparency and reduced planning reliability across various time horizons.
The solution provides end-to-end transparency regarding capacity, resources and material requirements, based on a central data source. Manual processes have been reduced and planning has been significantly simplified. At the same time, the integrated view enables better coordination between departments and supports informed decision-making in medium- and long-term planning.
The roll-out was carried out iteratively in close consultation with the business departments. Requirements were defined in stages and incorporated directly into the solution. Both the SAP Fiori apps for long-term planning and dynamicCAPACITY for medium-term planning were designed, tested and implemented in parallel. This approach enabled a targeted implementation and early go-live.
The new solution has significantly reduced the effort required for planning and coordination and has greatly increased transparency regarding capacity utilization and demand. Today, SOB benefits from a more stable planning foundation, improved resource utilization, and greater planning reliability in purchasing and controlling.
Results
The new solution works on multiple levels—both strategically and operationally:
Consistent Transparency
- Centralized database spanning all departments
- Clear overview of future maintenance, capacities, and needs
- Reliable basis for decision-making
Significant efficiency gains
- Elimination of manual Excel processes
- Significantly reduced effort for reconciliations
- Faster rescheduling in the event of changes
Improved Planning Quality
- More accurate forecasts for costs, personnel, and materials
- Early identification of bottlenecks or excess capacity
- Better coordination between departments
Optimized Resource Management
- Capacity is utilized more evenly
- Unplanned orders can be integrated more quickly
Greater Planning Certainty in Purchasing
- Early transparency regarding material requirements
- A better basis for framework agreements
- Reduction in short-term procurement
Would you like to modernize your maintenance planning?
Our experts will help you standardize, digitize, and optimize your maintenance processes using SAP EAM. Contact us for a personalized consultation!
