Modernizing Manufacturing with Connected Workers and SAP

The impending loss of institutional knowledge is a critical challenge across the manufacturing sector. The veteran maintenance technician, whose expertise is crucial for diagnosing and resolving issues, represents a repository of experience that is difficult to replace. As this skilled workforce retires, manufacturers are likely to start having knowledge gaps that can disrupt operations and impact the bottom line.

The financial impact of this issue is staggering. According to CAI Software statistics, unplanned equipment downtime costs industrial manufacturers an estimated $50 billion annually, with the average cost of a line stoppage reaching as high as $260,000 per hour. These disruptions are frequently traced to aging equipment, human error, and insufficient knowledge transfer.

Furthermore, a recent study shows that 52% of workers in U.S.-based manufacturing roles would consider leaving their jobs for a more modern, digital environment. This puts manufacturers vulnerable to losing valuable, skilled workers and at a disadvantage to hire new employees as well.

Digitizing Frontline Operations

A connected worker platform like Parsable from CAI Software addresses these challenges by acting as a digital interface between frontline teams and core enterprise systems. Equipment downtime can also be identified and monitored through the use of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) like CAI Software’s ShopVue MES. Parsable transforms static, paper-based procedures into dynamic, step-by-step digital work instructions accessible on mobile devices like tablets and phones. ShopVue MES’ Digital Machine Interface provides real-time machine data to operators and plant managers for fast decision making and minimized production interruptions.

The capability of Parsable’s Connected Worker platform is a significant advancement for technicians. Instead of relying on memory or cumbersome manuals, they are guided through complex tasks with clarity and context, including rich media and integrated data collection points. This approach not only accelerates onboarding and training but also standardizes work execution to ensure quality and compliance.

Parsable is designed to digitize a wide range of plant-floor activities, such as maintenance, safety, production, and quality.

Creating a Closed Loop with SAP

For enterprises running SAP, the pivotal question is how such a platform integrates with their system of record. Parsable is engineered to augment SAP’s capabilities by supplying it with clean, accurate, real-time data directly from the point of execution.

The integration establishes a seamless, bidirectional data flow between the plant floor and the SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) module:

From the Plant Floor to SAP: Imagine a scenario in which a technician performing an inspection with Parsable identifies a fault, such as a hydraulic leak. Within the application, they can document the issue with photos and notes. This action initiates an API call that automatically creates a Maintenance Notification in SAP PM. The notification is instantly populated with the equipment ID, a detailed fault description, and supporting media. This process eliminates delays and transcription errors, providing planners with immediate, actionable data in SAP.

From SAP to the Plant Floor: In response, a planner converts the notification into a Maintenance Work Order in SAP. When this work order is released, it is automatically transmitted to Parsable, where it appears as a specific, assigned task for a technician. The work instructions contain all relevant details from the SAP work order, ensuring the technician has the information needed to execute the job efficiently.

Improving Key Performance Indicators in SAP

The high-fidelity data captured through this integration directly enhances the reliability of key maintenance metrics tracked within SAP:

• Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): With instant access to digital work instructions, technicians reduce time spent on research and problem-solving, leading to faster repairs. The precise timestamping of when work starts and stops in Parsable allows for highly accurate MTTR calculations back in SAP.
• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): Enforcing standardized PM and inspection procedures leads to more consistent and higher-quality maintenance work, extending equipment life and increasing the mean time between failures.
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE): This integration drives OEE improvements across all three factors: reducing unplanned downtime, enabling efficient, standardized work, and minimizing process-related errors.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Transform your frontline into a real-time sensor network for SAP. This integration moves beyond simple data entry. It strategically converts every worker on the plant floor into an intelligent sensor, feeding context-rich data directly into SAP PM. For SAPinsiders in maintenance, this means shifting from managing a calendar of scheduled tasks to triaging a live feed of field intelligence, allowing them to prioritize work based on actual asset condition, not just the clock.

Make process compliance an automated byproduct of work. By embedding guided instructions and mandatory data capture into the workflow, process adherence automatically results in completing the job. For management and auditors, this creates an unbreakable digital audit trail directly linked to the SAP work order, thus satisfying both operational and regulatory demands without extra administrative steps.

Build the data foundation for predictive asset management. This integration’s true strategic value lies in creating a highly reliable, granular dataset within SAP. This trusted data is required to move from reactive reporting to predictive analytics, enabling manufacturers to leverage AI tools to anticipate failures before they bring operations to a halt.