Severstal will distribute to technicians hundreds of mobile devices with a SAP software

In December, 2014 representatives announced Severstal plans to replicate on production the complete solution on management of repairs and maintenance based on mobile devices and a SAP software.

In the solution the protected mobile terminals which are issued to the technicians who are engaged in service and repair of the equipment and also a SAP software of MRS and SAP Work Manager are used. The first is intended for planning and purpose of works on service and repair of the equipment, and the second – for issue of tasks to technicians and accounting of execution of works on collecting using mobile devices and to accounting of indications of the devices and parameters affecting reliability of operation of the equipment.

The protected mobile devices of Motorola which are used in a pilot project of mobile repairs at "Cherepovets iron and steel works"

Planned maintenance works and to repairs form on the basis of process charts by means of the module SAP PM for management of maintenance and repairs, balancing of loading of jobs and arrangement of personnel in SAP MRS is executed, on the mobile device in the automatic mode transfer of replaceable tasks is performed. Data on the fact of the performed works, the recorded failures and faults with further replanning of a task for future shift, in turn, are transmitted through Work Manager SAP application from the mobile terminal.

The equipment on production is equipped with RFID tags which are distributed on the nodes which are subject to survey. To use the mobile device, the repairman should approach an equipment node with a RFID tag and activate the device, schitav its data. After that on a terminal display unit the task for it is displayed, and after task performance via the same device the specialist reports on the done work.

The equipment layout in one of workshops on production, RFID tags are designated by yellow color

In the pilot mode use of the solution of mobile repairs began in 2013 in two workshops at "Cherepovets iron and steel works". For a pilot project about 50 mobile security terminals of Motorola were purchased,Vadim Germanov, the director of repairs of the Severstal Russian Steel division told. According to him, particular problems in mastering of use of new technology at repairmen did not arise.

Among positive effects which were gained during a pilot project and on the basis of which, including, the decision on replication of technology of mobile repairs was made in Severstal call reduction of time of a bypass of objects by repairmen, increase in transparency of their workflow and also causes of failure if like that occurred.

"Sharp increase in discipline of repair personnel and also number of the revealed faults, somewhere by 3-5 times, and somewhere and more became one of the first effects. In general it led to decrease in number of hardware failures on those objects where the mobile solution – is set approximately three times", - Germanov says.

Reading out RFID tags using the mobile terminal, the repairman is marked out at each node of the equipment which he examines

Expansion of the project on implementing solution of mobile repairs is going to begin in February, 2015. An ultimate goal is equipment of all personnel on duty the solution of mobile repairs and also parts of day personnel. It is going to complete the project in the 4th quarter 2015. At the expense of it eventually in the company expect to reduce number of unplanned equipment downtimes by 2-3 times.

For replication of the solution Severstal is going to buy another, more modern, model of the protected mobile terminals, than that that is used in a pilot project. As of December the company tests two models, both based on Android OS.

The director of repairs of the Severstal Russian Steel division Vadim Germanov (on a photo at the left) and Yury Shekhovtsov, the director of information technology of Severstal

The expected benefit from the project in financial expression in the company is not called. The director of information technology of Severstal Yury Shekhovtsov told TAdviser that returnable investments on a pilot project initially were calculated for term in three years, however now it is visible that it will pay off quicker – for term less than two years. Economy on repairs is reached because now less personnel are required, it is less than spare parts, etc.

The project on mobile management of repairs in Severstal became a part of reorganization of repair activity which began at the enterprise in 2012. According to Vadim Germanov, since the beginning of reorganization the total number of repair personnel at the enterprise was reduced approximately by 35%.