Transforming Energy Asset Management: Building a Unified Data Foundation with SAP BDC

By implementing SAP Business Data Cloud, LeverX provided a prominent North American energy company with a single, consolidated data source for thousands of disparate assets, leading to increased operational efficiency and precise strategic planning.

Client

Our client is a leading North American energy company that manages an extensive and complex infrastructure, including numerous power plants (thermal, hydro, wind) and distribution networks. The company also operates its own manufacturing facilities for producing and maintaining critical equipment (turbines, generators, transformers). The scale and geographical distribution of the client's operations across the continent demand unparalleled precision in asset and data management to ensure reliable energy supply.

Challenge

Before implementing the solution, the client faced a fundamental issue that hindered its digital transformation and effective management of its vast asset base: complete fragmentation of critical data.

• Isolated Data Silos
  Data on equipment, its condition, maintenance history, operational metrics, and supplier relationships were scattered across numerous disconnected systems: legacy ERPs (SAP ECC, Oracle E-Business Suite), specialized Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) systems, IoT platforms for sensor data, MES systems, external contractor databases, and even local Excel files.
• Inconsistent and Unreliable Data
  The absence of unified standards and synchronization mechanisms led to duplication, contradictions, and outdated data. The same piece of equipment could have different statuses or readings in various systems, undermining trust in reports and analytics.
• Lengthy and Complex Data Collection for Analysis
  Obtaining a comprehensive view of an asset's health, performance, or total cost of ownership required weeks of manual data gathering, cleansing, and reconciliation from dozens of sources. This critically delayed decision-making regarding maintenance, investments, and operational optimization.
• Lack of End-to-End Value Chain Visibility
  The inability to link data from design to operation and decommissioning prevented optimized asset lifecycles, forecasting spare parts needs, and effective risk management.
• Compliance and Reporting Complexities
  Meeting regulatory requirements (e.g., environmental, safety, energy efficiency) involved manually aggregating data, which increased the risk of errors and penalties.

Solution

LeverX implemented SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) to create a centralized, unified, and intelligent digital foundation for all of the client's asset and operational data. Operating on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), SAP BDC served as a modern data platform that overcame information silos.

Key aspects of the solution included:

• Unified Semantic Data Layer
  Leveraging capabilities from SAP Datasphere and Databricks, SAP BDC enabled the connection and harmonization of data from all key sources: SAP S/4HANA (Finance, PM, PP), industrial IoT systems (equipment sensor data), MES systems (manufacturing operations), and external data from suppliers and contractors. This established a single, consistent, and reliable data model for all assets.
• Automated Data Integration and Transformation
  Utilizing BDC's powerful tools, data from diverse sources was automatically extracted, cleansed, transformed, and loaded into the unified repository. This eliminated manual operations and ensured data freshness.
• Enhanced Data Accessibility for Analytics
  The unified source of truth within SAP BDC became the foundation for all analytical solutions. Managers and engineers gained instant access to consolidated reports on equipment status, performance, maintenance costs, and failure predictions through SAP Analytics Cloud and custom applications.
• Improved Asset Lifecycle Management
  With end-to-end data visibility, the client could optimize maintenance planning, spare parts management, and investment decisions by relying on complete historical data and predictive models.
• Strengthened Data for Compliance and Audit
  The centralized and standardized data structure significantly simplified compliance with regulatory requirements and the preparation of audit reports.

Technology Stack

The solution is built on an advanced SAP cloud stack, ensuring flexibility, performance, and scalability:

• Primary Data Platform: SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC)
  SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) for unifying, harmonizing, and managing enterprise data, offering capabilities for data integration, data cataloging, data warehousing, and data virtualization.
• Cloud Infrastructure and Services: SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP)
  SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) as the foundation for BDC deployment, integration, and extensions.
• Database: SAP HANA Cloud
  SAP HANA Cloud (part of BTP) for high-performance storage and processing of unified data.
• Data Sources: SAP S/4HANA (PM, PP, FI/CO)
  SAP S/4HANA (PM, PP, FI/CO), industrial IoT platforms, MES systems, third-party contractor systems.
• Analytics and Visualization Tools: SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
  SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) for creating dashboards and reports based on BDC data, including SAC BI (Business Intelligence) for reporting and SAC Planning for financial and operational planning functionalities.

Results

The implementation of SAP Business Data Cloud enabled the client to overcome data fragmentation and significantly improve operational and strategic asset management:

• 80% reduction in data consolidation time: Data collection and harmonization processes, which previously took weeks, are now performed automatically and significantly faster.
• Up to 98% increase in asset data accuracy and reliability: The single source of truth and automated cleansing processes eliminated errors and inconsistencies.
• 30% acceleration in maintenance and investment decision-making: Instant access to unified data allowed for quicker responses to equipment status changes and optimized expenditures.
• Reduced operational risks and improved compliance: A unified and controlled data flow simplified adherence to regulatory requirements and prevented incidents.
• Enhanced visibility across the asset lifecycle: Gained an end-to-end view from manufacturing to operation, contributing to more efficient planning and cost optimization throughout the equipment's lifespan.