Optimization of Preventive Maintenance, SAP MRS and SSAM at Aspen
About Aspen
Aspen is a pharmaceutical company that produces high-quality Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) used in medicines. The company operates two sites in Oss and one site in Boxtel in the Netherlands. Aspen Oss B.V. employs approximately 700 people, including around 30 in-house technicians who perform both proactive and reactive maintenance. In addition, many maintenance activities are outsourced, although planning and coordination remain within the internal organization.
Since 2016, the Technical Affairs (TA) department at Aspen has been using SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM). In collaboration with Ideo, Aspen subsequently implemented SAP Multi Resource Scheduling (SAP MRS) to improve technician scheduling, while SAP Service and Asset Manager (SSAM) was integrated to enable mobile maintenance processes. To fully leverage SAP MRS and SSAM, it was necessary to critically review and optimize the existing maintenance plans. This three-pronged approach ultimately resulted in a 10% increase in efficiency.
The following interview features Theo Drost, former Business Process Lead at Aspen:
Better Support for the Preventive Maintenance Team
Theo explains: “For this project, we approached our SAP maintenance landscape as a three-part system. We knew that SAP MRS and SSAM could only deliver their full value if we first rebuilt the foundation in SAP. We therefore tackled the project from a multidisciplinary perspective with one key question in mind: how can we better support the preventive maintenance team? We are still in the process of restructuring and optimizing maintenance plans created in the past. At the same time, concepts and datasets, such as digital measurement points, continue to evolve.”
“This multidisciplinary approach led to a different way of structuring maintenance plans.”
Knowledge of End-to-End Processes
Theo continues: “I’m a strong supporter of Ideo’s pragmatic approach, which is based on a roadmap with clearly defined steps, the agile methodology, and short sprints. This focus—combined with short workshops, sessions, and analyses in between—made the project manageable. Ideo is not only an IT specialist but also a process specialist with a deep understanding of maintenance and end-to-end processes.”
“Ideo combines IT and process expertise and brings strong change-management capabilities.”
Results: 10% Efficiency Gain and Stronger Focus on Data Quality
Theo: “Through the optimization of preventive maintenance, planning with SAP MRS, and mobile execution via SSAM, we have seen a significant reduction in work order cycle time over the past six months – around 10%. By grouping maintenance activities, we have gained greater control over our operations and are now better able to prioritize tasks. There is also a stronger focus on data quality: which data truly adds value to operations on the shop floor? Naturally, this remains a long-term effort.”
Change Management Is a Discipline of Its Own
Theo concludes: “Change management is a discipline in its own right. Our industry used to be fairly conservative, but digitalization creates transparency and connectivity, which inevitably exposes underlying issues. However, bringing together different roles and departments led to greater understanding and insight, and this proved to be a catalyst for the next steps. Make sure you bring your people along internally through storytelling. Show them what the roadmap looks like, where you want to go, and teach them to think in terms of projects.”
“Bring your people along through storytelling.”
Facts
Client: Aspen Oss B.V.
Industry: Process industry
Service: Process Optimization
Products:
SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM)
SAP Multi Resource Scheduling (SAP MRS)
SAP Service & Asset Manager (SSAM)
