AlyuminTechno automated MRO management processes using Desnol Soft solution

2024: Automation of MRO management processes

AlyuminTechno automated MRO management processes using the Desnol Soft solution, which announced this on July 11, 2024.

source = Desnol Soft

Alyutech Group of Companies is a large production and sales holding, one of the representatives of the market for roll systems and sectional gates in Western and Eastern Europe, a manufacturer of aluminum profile systems in the CIS.

The holding unites four production enterprises and more than 20 sales companies in the Republic of Belarus, Russia, the Czech Republic and Great Britain. The company has 4,600 employees, 1,600 of whom work at AlyuminTechno, a large plant in the group. It was from this plant that the comprehensive digitalization of the maintenance and repair unit (MR) of the equipment of the entire group of companies began.

In 2022, due to the situation in the foreign policy arena, Alyutekh faced difficulties in the maintenance of equipment from foreign manufacturers and the supply of spare parts to ensure repair activities. Most of the equipment at the enterprises is imported - manufactured by countries such as Italy, Germany and Japan. A similar situation affected inventory (inventory).

Some manufacturers refused maintenance. Problems began with the supply of materials. We are waiting for some spare parts up to a year. The situation is not becoming stable, - said Leonid Simonov, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Analysis and Development, Head of the Maintenance and Repair Project at Alyutekh Group of Companies. - We have to keep our finger on the pulse all the time and look for alternative solutions to have the necessary stock without increasing the warehouse. In 2023, warehouse stocks increased 1.5 times, including expensive equipment worth up to €100 thousand per unit.

The issue of reducing costs at all stages of the asset life cycle, the uncertain situation in foreign markets and the change of generation in the service of the chief engineer of AlyuminTechno became the prerequisites for a pilot project with Desnol, the developer and integrator of the EAM solution "1S:TOIR Repair and Maintenance Management of KORP Equipment." Another determining factor in the launch of the 1S:TOIR ecosystem product was the significant amount of physical assets of the enterprise (technological equipment and infrastructure assets, production and storage facilities), which are under the control of the chief engineer service.

In order to approach the main goal of digitalization of MR and reduce the cost of servicing production and infrastructure assets, as well as the purchase of materials, the company's management decided to start by building a unified digital data environment based on SAP ERP and integrating with the master system of the 1S:TOIR KORP solution.

Based on qualitative statistical data on the state of equipment and the history of its repairs, the company wanted to obtain analytical tools that would allow us to see a real picture of the need and provision of repair services with the necessary materials. For this, integration was necessary. The development of the integration mechanism took three months.

Price/quality ratio, as well as changes in the external macroeconomic environment, became the determining factors when choosing a solution and an integrator partner. Integration 1S:TOIR KORP with SAP made it possible to automate the accounting of spare parts in warehouses, track the number, movement and cost of materials, "said Leonid Simonov. - With the help of reports, we can analyze the data and assess the effectiveness of inventory management. For example, see the actual costs of repair objects (lines), predict future demand for parts, which helps to prevent a shortage or excess of stocks. In addition, automation allows you to eliminate duplicates in applications, reduce manual operations and obtain objective data to form an annual demand for materials.

When developing integration mechanisms, a comparative analysis of the business processes of the two systems with the business processes of AluminTechno played a special role. At the start of the project, Desnol's team conducted a survey of MR business processes, in which production, labor protection, industrial and fire safety, logistics, chief engineer service, warehouse, accounting and financial services took part. The results of the survey formed the basis for the development of a pilot operation program, which was successfully completed within the design period. The peculiarity of the project is the completely remote implementation of the KORP 1S:TOIR.

The data exchange was based on information on orders for repairs, acts of work performed, nomenclature, its value, write-off, capitalization of surplus goods and warehouse balances. It allowed you to keep records of spare parts by subdivisions, receive a report for the analysis of balances in the context of warehouses and know about the current balances at the time of the request.

Integration between information systems 1S:TOIR CORP and SAP takes place through the exchange of XML messages received in response to a specific HTTP service request. To obtain data on changes in the Item Master Data, inventory balances and prices 1S:TOIR KORP makes special requests to the HTTP service on the SAP side. In turn, in order to obtain data on the used commodity values from SAP, a request is made to the HTTP service on the side of the BCC 1S:TOIR.

It is too early to talk about optimizing inventory: by the end of the year we are doing a lot of work to normalize the nomenclature for more accurate work with data in the system. But we can already see the difference between the minimum necessary stocks of spare parts and the real picture in the warehouse, we understand what the minimum level of spare parts is necessary to maintain the equipment in working condition, - said Leonid Simonov. - To start working with analytics, you must first type statistics, and this takes at least a year. Now we are in the process of collecting information and training employees to work in the system - for us this is the main thing now.

According to Leonid Simonov, in order to achieve the planned indicators and achieve maximum transparency in asset management using digitalization tools, first of all, it is necessary to start with the development of the company's analytical culture in the field of maintenance and repair. An important role here is played by training personnel to work in the system, which avoids errors when entering data and improves the quality of subsequent analytics. To facilitate familiarity with the system, Desnol developed an educational program. It helps to quickly immerse specialists in working with the system. There are also standard instructions - the company can use them without the participation of Desnol specialists.

We are faced with the task of working with the team and instilling a certain analytical culture that concerns not only the discipline of entering data, but also working with this data. If earlier we planned a budget on the principle of "year to year," now we can already plan in more detail and understand: do we need 20 or, for example, four press washers per press are enough. There are statistics - there is also a justification, - added Leonid Simonov. - It is also important for us to instill the practice of working with analytical reporting, to go the same way that all companies once began when they automated processes in logistics and finance. So that the analytics in MR become the same given as the financial statements for the enterprise.

As of July 2024, AlyuminTechno and Alyutekh-Novosibirsk plants are integrating KORP 1S:TOIR with APCS. By the end of 2024, it is planned to launch KORP 1S:TOIR at the second plant of the group of companies - Alyutekh-Novosibirsk. There was also a generation change, after which the initiative group turned to the management company for advice - what software it could use to account for infrastructure facilities. The accounting of non-production assets is included in the functionality of the KORP 1S:TOIR.

The experience gained as a result of the pilot and work in a single information environment will allow you to quickly launch circulation at other enterprises of the group: the manufacturer's plans for 2025-2026 are to replicate the experience to the third and fourth plants of the Alyutech Portal Systems and Alyutech Incorporated group.