1. What is SAP Plant Maintenance?

SAP Plant Maintenance application component provides organization with a tool for all
maintenance activities to be performed. All the activities that are performed under maintenance
are interconnected and hence this module is closely integrated with other modules- Production
Planning, Material Management, and Sales and Distribution.
2. Which all modules you can integrate with SAP PM?
This module is closely integrated with other modules- Production Planning, Material
Management, and Sales and Distribution, Controlling, Customer Service.
3. What are the key responsibilities in SAP Plant Maintenance?
You perform the following activities under Plant Maintenance −
Inspection
Inspection is done to check the actual condition of a technical system.
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is used to maintain high availability of the technical system. It includes
maintenance planning and work scheduling activities for technical objects.
Repair
Repair involves all measures that can be performed to restore the ideal condition. Repair
process it is can be performed at many planning stages- like work scheduling, resource
planning and initial costing, etc. and you can response immediately w.r.t to a damage events
causing production shutdown. You can create required Purchase requisition, processed work
orders to reduce the downtime.
4. Explain the life cycle of SAP Plant Maintenance Notification process?
Key Steps that are includes as part of Work Order Notification under SAP PM −

 Notification
 Newly Created Work Order
 Creation of Purchase request for work orders
 Purchase Order created and parts Received
 Parts issues to Work Order
 Approval and Planning of Work Order
 Scheduling and Releasing Work Order
 Work Order Execution
 Closing a Work Order
5. What is a Technical object in Plant Maintenance?
To effectively manage SAP Maintenance activities in an organization, you need to divide
existing maintenance structure into technical objects. Technical objects are used to define the
machine types that exists in an organization and using the object characteristics, you can
further define other technical objects.
6. What is Maintenance Plant in Plant Maintenance?
Maintenance plant for a technical object is known as plant in which you perform the
maintenance tasks for the objects and planning is done. You can perform the following
activities in Maintenance Planning Plant −

 Defining Task list as per maintenance plan

 As per BOM in task list, you perform material planning.
 Management and scheduling of maintenance plans
 Maintenance Orders creation and execution
7. What is Maintenance Planning? What are different types of Maintenance Planning?
As per the structure of the company, maintenance planning can be performed. You define the
tasks under maintenance planning as per the structure and defined technical objects. Following
types of maintenance planning is possible −

 Centralized Maintenance Planning

 Decentralize Maintenance Planning
 Partially Centralize Maintenance Planning
8. What is different between Centralize and decentralize Maintenance Planning?
Centralize Maintenance Planning
Within an organization, centralize planning supports following structures −
There is only one plant for all the technical objects which is maintenance planning plant and
maintenance plant.
In other scenario, it is possible that a company has multiple maintenance plants and one plant
is there in which maintenance planning is performed. All other plants has this plants as
maintenance planning plant in which all activities are performed and this plant is indicated as
maintenance planning plant in the system.
As per above example −
Plants 001, 002
Maintenance Plants 001, 002
Maintenance Planning Plant 002
Plants assigned to maintenance planning plant 001
Decentralize Maintenance Planning
In this scenario, company consists of multiple plants and each plant acts as its own
maintenance planning plant and in SAP system all plants are mentioned as maintenance
planning plant.
Plants 001, 002
Maintenance Plants 001,002
Maintenance planning plants 001, 002
9. What do you understand by object related structuring of Technical Objects?
In this structuring, you divide your technical system in to pieces known as equipment. An
equipment is an individual object which can be placed in a technical system or part of technical
system.
10. What do you understand by Functional Structuring of Technical Objects?
In this type of structure, you divide your technical system as per functional locations. With the
division of product line into functional locations, individual unit can act as functional locations in
the system.
11. What is Equipment Master Record?
An equipment is known as an individual object in the system that is maintained independently.
Equipment can be installed at different functional locations. You can create individual
equipment in an organization based on Object based structure of a technical system.
12. What are the functions of using Equipment master?
Using equipment you can perform following functions in the system −

 You can manage individual data from a maintenance perspective in SAP system.
 You can perform individual maintenance tasks for each technical object in the system
 You can use this to maintain a record of all the maintenance tasks performed for a
technical object.
 In case you want to see data for an object for a longer time, you can use equipment
master record for the same.
13. When to represent an object as Equipment or as Functional Location?
In case of breakdown, you should represent an object as Technical Object if it is repaired.
When you define an object as Technical object, you can maintain service history of the object
in system. Note that you can’t change the equipment number once it is created in the system. If
you have entered an incorrect number mistakenly you need to achieve this to change it.
When you are using multiple piece of equipment you need to classify the equipment to perform
a qick search.
When you exchange an object in case of breakdown due to its low value and in this case you
don’t need to maintain service history. For each functional location, you have to define a
structure indicator as mentioned in previous topic. When you maintain a functional location in
another functional location, you can’t store the installation location history.
14. When you mistakenly enter wrong master data for an equipment, how do you manage
this?
To make changes to equipment master record- There is possibility that data has been
changed, or you mistakenly enter wrong data, and you have to change the master record.
T-Code: IE02
15. What do you understand by data transfer between Technical Objects?
It is possible to transfer master data from one functional location to other functional location or
between functional location and piece of equipment.
Using data transfer function, you can maintain data at superior level in hierarchical structure or
you can also maintain data for objects assigned to functional locations.
What do you understand by Horizontal and Hierarchical data transfer?
Hierarchical data transfer
In Hierarchical structure, you can maintain data at high level and system will automatically
transfer the changes to below level.
Horizontal data transfer
Using horizontal data transfer, you can transfer data from reference location to functional
location or from functional location to piece of equipment.
16. What is a Milestone Confirmation?
The milestone confirmation is a special form of confirmation, in which the confirmation of one
operation causes other operations or sub operations to be automatically confirmed at the same
time.
Milestones are operations that have the corresponding indicator in the control key.
Operations can be defined as milestone operations in their control keys. If a milestone
operation is confirmed, then previous operations are automatically confirmed.
17. Can we change Equipment category once defined?
Yes, T-Code: IE02
Explain the use of use of item number in maintenance order?
Item number is used to identify the material component that is to be used for an operation in
the maintenance order. It is generally given in increments of [Link] is the first field in the
Components tab of a maintenance order.
18. What is Breakdown Maintenance?
In SAP PM, when there is a malfunction occurs for any of the equipment which requires a
response from Maintenance team. The process of correcting this situation is known as
Breakdown maintenance.
19. When do you perform Breakdown Maintenance?
Breakdown maintenance, it is required in following situations −
In breakdown maintenance, equipment is not working properly.
In breakdown maintenance, production is effected when a technical equipment went
breakdown.
20. What is the order type for Breakdown Maintenance?
PM02
21. What is Corrective Maintenance?
The corrective maintenance contains all the process steps that are involved in preventive
maintenance and regular maintenance process. Using corrective maintenance, following
functions can be performed under Plant Maintenance −
 Plant Maintenance user can enter a notification in SAP System to request maintenance
and to repair defective equipment.
  Maintenance planner can create, plan, and schedule a maintenance work order in the
system.
 Work order is received by the technician and enter the information.
 An authorized person in PM system approves and completes the work as per the work
order.
22. What is difference between Corrective Maintenance and Preventive Maintenance?
In Preventive maintenance, routine checks are performed as per company’s maintenance
strategy to ensure that machines are running as per the required parameters. In SAP PM,
using routine maintenance plans you create a preventive work order.
In Corrective Maintenance, you correct a malfunction or a machine failure by raising a
notification in the system. Work order is received by the technician and enter the information.
An authorized person in PM system approves and completes the work as per the work order.
In certain scenarios, a corrective work order is created as a result of preventive work order
when a routine checkup is performed, technician finds a failure or a malfunction in operating
machine and a corrective work order is created to clear the fault.
23. What is order type for Preventive Maintenance?
PM03 is for performing Preventive maintenance.
24. How is Corrective maintenance different from Breakdown maintenance?
You perform a Corrective maintenance to improve the working condition of the machine. It is
performed when a malfunction is detected and machine is not operating properly as per
designated function.
Breakdown maintenance is carried out when your equipment has a breakdown and not
working. In Breakdown maintenance, production is affected. In SAP system PM02 order type is
used to perform Breakdown Maintenance.
25. What is Preventive Maintenance and key submodules under this?
Preventive Maintenance in an organization is used to avoid system breakdown and to avoid
production breakdown. Using Preventive maintenance, you can achieve various benefits in
your company. Preventive maintenance term is used to perform inspections, preventive
maintenance and repairs. Maintenance plans are used to define dates and the extent of
preventive and inspection maintenance tasks which can be planned for technical objects.
26. What is the task list in Preventive Maintenance?
Task list in Preventive Maintenance is defined as the sequence of activities that are performed
as part of Preventive Maintenance in an organization. They are used to perform repeated tasks
as part of Preventive Maintenance and to perform them efficiently.
Using Task lists, you can reduce the effort by standardizing the work sequence. All the updates
are performed at one specific spot in the corresponding maintenance task list and all the
maintenance orders and maintenance items in the system receive the updated status of work
sequences. With help of task lists, it helps in reducing the effort required to create maintenance
Orders and maintenance Items as you can refer back to Task list to see the work sequences.
27. What is Planned Maintenance?
All the schedule activities include inspection, maintenance and repairs come under Planned
Maintenance. In Plant Maintenance, you define the time intervals when the work steps has to
be executed and work sequences in which they have to be executed.
28. What is an Ongoing Maintenance?
Task list for ongoing maintenance contains the work sequences based on current inspection.
All inspection that is done without a regular schedule comes under ongoing maintenance.
29. What are different components under Maintenance Planning?
Maintenance planning component is integrated with different components of other modules and
subcomponent in Plant Maintenance −

Maintenance task lists

 Maintenance orders
 Maintenance notifications
 Work Clearance Management
30. What is the Maintenance Plan? Different type of Maintenance Plans?
Maintenance plan defines the schedule and list of tasks to be performed under Maintenance
Planning. A Maintenance plan can be created as per company’ work like different objects can
be maintained on different dates and scope can be different as per the object type.
Following procedures can be used to create Preventive Maintenance Plan −

 Single Cycle Plan

 Strategy Plan
 Multiple Counter plan
 Maintenance plan for service procurement
 Maintenance plan for an outline agreement
31. Is Maintenance strategy mandate for Maintenance Plans?
No
32. Which Maintenance plan type is suitable for performing annul service of a car?
Single cycle maintenance plan is used to define exactly one time-based or performance-based
maintenance cycle, in which you specify the interval at which the maintenance plan should be
executed. It is one of the simplest maintenance plan used for Maintenance planning.
Example
A single cycle maintenance plan- annual maintenance of a car or service of a Printer after 1
million copies.
What is multiple counter maintenance plan?
A multiple counter plan can be created without a maintenance strategy and is used for
performance based maintenance. In the multiple counter plan you create maintenance cycles
and allocate counters of equipment or functional locations with different dimensions to them.
In live scenarios, you use multiple counter plan for the individual activities or for the individual
groups of activities.
Where do we use multiple counter maintenance plans? Explain with an example?
A multiple counter plan can be created without a maintenance strategy and is used for
performance based maintenance. In the multiple counter plan you create maintenance cycles
and allocate counters of equipment or functional locations with different dimensions to them.
In live scenarios, you use multiple counter plan for the individual activities or for the individual
groups of activities.
Example
Multiple Counter plan is suited for the airline industry. You can capture where dimensions like
inspections of the landing gear should depend on the number of kilometers flown and the
number of take-offs, etc.
33. Which maintenance plan is suitable for managing outline service agreement and what
call objects are required?
Using Maintenance plan with outline agreement, it allows you to simplify the processing of
services as per the outline agreement for different objects. When you create a maintenance
plan with an outline agreement, following maintenance call objects are created −

 Service Notification
 Service Order
34. What is Equipment category for Laboratory equipment in PM?
Eqiup. Category Q
35. How do you create Activity type in Plant Maintenance?
T-Code: KP26
36. What is Maintenance Event Builder? What are the key functions of MEB?
Using MEB in SAP Plant Maintenance, you can easily manage the maintenance planning
consists of work packages. The capacity of work centers are shown in graphical manner and
you can use new planning tree for displaying capacity view of planning board.
Using Maintenance Event Builder MEB, you can plan smaller maintenance projects in the form
of individual work packages.
MEB is technically a workbench and it supports the following functions −

 To see backlog- worklist of notifications.

 To bundle the notifications for revisions.
 To create orders from notifications.
 To assign the orders.
 To display open work requirements, orders or due dates.
37. What is Refurbishment process?
Refurbishment is defined as process to repair spare parts and to return the spare parts to
warehouse or to the equipment. You can define a Refurbishment order as Maintenance order
by which you can execute the process of refurbishing damaged equipment and to perform this
you need a material and Serial # combination.
As part of Refurbishment process, you can uninstall the damaged equipment or material from
the maintenance plant and this is moved to Warehouse using movement type 101. A
Refurbishment order is created to collect the cost for the refurbishment process.
Once Refurbishment process is completed, you change the conditional state of material from
damaged to Refurbished state. The Refurbished equipment can be reinstalled in the
maintenance plant and order is closed.
38. What is the movement type to move the material to a Warehouse in Refurbishment?
Movement type 101
39. Explain the key steps performed in Refurbishment process?
Key Steps in Refurbishment process −

 Uninstall the damaged Equipment from the Maintenance Plant.

 Movement type 101, to move the material to Warehouse.
 Creation of Refurbishment order to collect cost for the refurbishment activity.
 When Refurbishment process is executed, state of material is changed from damaged to
Refurbished.
 Reinstallation of equipment in the Maintenance plant.
40. What is the use of Warranty Claim Processing function?
Warranty claim processing function in Plant Maintenance is used to handle large number of
claims automatically. This module is developed to meet the needs of vendors, supplier, and
manufacturers for all type of products. Warranty claim processing is complex process cos of
length of service, age of product or to perform different checks in claim processing.
Warranty claim processing component is closely integrated with Material Management, Sales
and distribution, Customer Service and other processes of Plant Maintenance.
41. Do you have any idea about mobile applications for EAM? What are the advantages?
Using mobile application enterprise asset management, you can perform maintenance
processing on any mobile device. Using Enterprise Asset management on Mobile devices, filed
service technicians can access all the work related information on their mobile devices.
You can perform order processing and notification processing using mobile end devices.
Various functions w.r.t Notifications can be performed on mobile devices −

 Display a Notification List

 Display a Notification
 Create a new Notification
 Create a Notification with reference from Order, technical object or for a Functional
Location.
 Change a Notification
42. In an Organization, work place safety depends on which all factors?

 Task Category
 Technical specifications of the system
 Organization within the maintenance department
  Employee skills and education
43. What is the use of CATS?
Cross Application Timesheet component is a tool used for recording time and tasks in Plant
Maintenance. Employees can record their own data and hence ease the administration
workload.
44. What are the different common roles in Plant Maintenance process?

 Maintenance Manager
 Maintenance Supervisor
 Maintenance Planner
 Maintenance Engineer
 Technician
45. Which task lists are Object based?
Equipment Task List
Functional Location Task List
46. What are the different reports under Plant Maintenance in Information System?

 Information Structure
 Standard Analysis
 Characteristics and Key Figures
 MTTR/MTBR

What is Next?

Further you can go through your past assignments you have done with the subject and make
sure you are able to speak confidently on them. If you are fresher then interviewer does not
expect you will answer very complex questions, rather you have to make your basics concepts
very strong.
Second it really doesn't matter much if you could not answer few questions but it matters that
whatever you answered, you must have answered with confidence. So just feel confident
during your interview.