Enable Your Field and Plant Floor Technicians: How to Implement Mobile EAM
DigitalThinker will take a look at how to enable with EAM mobile to be the best and break free from paper operations.
Re-Thinking Business as Usual
It is common for technicians to receive their instructions, shop manuals, or schematics via hard copies. Why make field and plant floor technicians work harder and not smarter?
At the end of the day, the entire process was cumbersome and slow. This resulted in significant challenges when needs for a plan for the future.
However, times are changing. Today, business leaders are seeking to eliminate their reliance on hard copy records through the use of mobile access within EAM systems. There is a great focus on allowing technicians to easily access information when they need it while also offering leadership the opportunity to realize immediate visibility on where bottlenecks might lie and gain new insight into work processes.
Enable with EAM Mobile
There is a proven process in how to make sure Mobile EAM works for your business and its technicians. Take these steps in order to successfully shift your operations from paper focused to paper free!
- Plan your paperless transformation by devising your vision. Work out what you want the end goal to be and then begin working backwards to where you are at right now.
- Establish what each step of the process looks like and the goals that are associated with it. Then, determine how you measure those goals and gauge performance.
- Ensure that each and every member of the executive leadership team is on board.
- Analyze your existing operations and document accordingly. This will allow you to get a sense of how a mobile system (such as Hexagon EAM) will enhance your current operations and allow workflows to be made more efficient.
- Execute upon a pilot test on a micro level to see if this idea has macro-level legs to stand on. Identify a work group that is most in sync with the idea of what you are trying to implement or a group that has requested that improvements be made. Allow them to be the “test bunnies” if you will and see how this idea works in a practical setting.
- Keep track of your successes as well as where you have failed. Ultimately, this is a big job and not everything is going to go according to plan all of the time. Log where you have succeeded as well as what you have learned. This will help when driving to realize an enterprise-wide roll out or when planning a gradual, phase-based roll out. Chart this course based on what it best for your organization as well as its overall size.
- Seek to create benchmarks of individual departments or business units and use this information when conducting a comparative analysis.
- Finally, realize that this is not a “one and done” process. By working to improve your business and go from a paper-focused system to a mobile application you must realize that technology and innovation are in a state of constant flux. This, in particular, is why you must commit to creating a culture focused on continuous improvement.
Additional Points to Consider
Key points to note when transitioning from a paper to a Mobile EAM system consist of, keeping user input simple and removing screens or fields that aren’t important or necessary. After all, if the point of this is to make information easily accessible, then you must ensure the platform works well on a mobile device.
Also, word on the street says that Mobile EAM is making users happy. With the Mobile EAM app, individuals are able to create and/or complete work orders while present on the scene. Technicians can take before and after pictures which attached directly to the work order.
Your system will not be any good for your business if your plant floor and field technicians don’t know how to use it. Invest in training for your staff so they are comfortable, confident, and eager to ensure this platform benefits your business. Luckily, that’s where DigitalThinker can help. Contact our team today and learn about our on-site and off-site training options. We are happy to come to you or host you in our facility. DigitalThinker is committed your business goals to enable with EAM mobile technology.
Thinking About an MP2 Upgrade? 5 Reasons to Transition to Hexagon EAM
In the ever-evolving world of asset management, technology plays a central role in driving efficiency, productivity, and cost savings. While CMMS systems have served their purpose, the time has come to embrace a more comprehensive and sophisticated solution.
Making the Jump: Upgrade MP2 to HxGN EAM
1. Unleash the Power of Advanced Technology
HxGN EAM is built upon cutting-edge technology that empowers organizations to reach new heights. Featuring interfaces like Infor Ming.le™, Infor ION®, and Infor Business Cloud®, users gain seamless access to real-time information, single-click navigation, effortless cross-platform integration, cloud deployment options, and much more. This transformative platform not only streamlines operations but also enhances data integration, far surpassing the capabilities of MP2.
2. Empower Employees with Intuitive Tools
A happy and productive workforce is the cornerstone of any successful organization. Upgrade MP2 to HxGN EAM equips employees with the tools they need to excel. The solution intelligently distributes information based on individual roles and utilizes built-in automation and analytics. This empowers employees to make informed decisions on the spot, driving efficiency and overall business success.
3. Adapt to Your Unique Needs
HxGN EAM is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is highly customizable to align with the specific preferences of your employees and the unique requirements of your business. As well as the robust capabilities to integrate with rest APIs. The platform enables cloud, server and hybrid access, enhancing the compatibility with smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. This unparalleled portability and flexibility ensure that HxGN EAM seamlessly adapts to your business's evolving needs.
4. Reduce Costs and Maximize ROI
Every business strives to optimize its operations and minimize expenses. HxGN EAM delivers a comprehensive strategy to achieve these goals. By continuously monitoring asset energy consumption, the solution identifies and eliminates energy waste, leading to significant cost savings. Additionally, HxGN EAM provides valuable insights into asset performance, enabling informed decisions regarding asset replacement or repair, further optimizing resource allocation.
5. Streamlined Upgrade Process
Transitioning to HxGN EAM is a smooth and efficient process. Contrary to common misconceptions, software upgrades don't have to be disruptive or time-consuming. HxGN has streamlined the implementation process, significantly reducing the overall timeline. In addition, your organization can complete user training in as little as two weeks, enabling you to quickly reap the benefits of HxGN EAM.
This is just a short list of the benefits of moving from MP2 to HxGN EAM—and the DigitalThinker team would love to help you get started. We are EAM experts and can offer both software and services as well as on-site and virtual training—and customize all solutions to fit your needs! Reach out to set up a meeting today and let’s get a conversation started.
DigitalThinker, Inc. Partners with Bentley University for Major Hexagon EAM Upgrade
DigitalThinker, Inc. is one technology company that big organizations can depend on to roll out new technological endeavors. For example, we recently partnered with Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. On a mission to upgrade the school’s Hexagon Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software suite.
“DigitalThinker started providing services to Bentley University’s Facilities Management Department in 2003,” shares Tony Bolan, the founder and CEO of DigitalThinker. “In fact, they were our second customer when we started the company. Over the years they have come to us to help them solve problems and expand their use of EAM. They are like family to us, and it is our privilege to partner with them.”
Mr. Bolan and his DigitalThinker team provided functional and technical support, as well as project management. The upgrade project, an ambitious undertaking, was also supported by personnel from several Bentley departments. “We had only 20 days to organize many moving parts into an organized, collaborative team and complete the upgrade before students began arriving on campus for fall semester,” Bolan explains. “During that time, they have acquired a significant number of records and utilize many additional add-ons and integrations, making for a complex digital landscape.”
The upgrade is one of many successful projects between Bentley University and DigitalThinker. In 2014, DigitalThinker upgraded Bentley from EAM Enterprise version 10.1.2 to EAM Enterprise version 11.1. In the years following that upgrade, Hexagon has released several additional software updates for version 11.1, all of which Bentley has implemented. “These updates increase ‘out of the box’ functionality, improve the overall end user experience on PCs and mobile devices, and enable the use of checklists on mobile devices for Bentley’s facilities maintenance team,” Bolan explains.
Every project the Bentley team has reached out to DigitalThinker, confidently knowing they would deliver and get the job done. “Having DigitalThinker guide us through the upgrade has made the process so smooth!” notes one Bentley representative. “Thank you for all of your help with the Hexagon EAM upgrade! It was great working with you, and you made the experience a great one!”
DigitalThinker can help your team upgrade Hexagon EAM or migrate from MP2.
Issues Printing Work Orders with Documents Attached: Resolved! Gallery Issues Printing Work Orders with Documents Attached: Resolved!
Imagine this: You're in the middle of a crucial project, deadlines looming, and you need to print a critical Hexagon EAM work order. You click the print button, and... nothing happens. Your heart sinks as you realize the familiar dread of printing complications. This isn't just a minor inconvenience; it's a productivity killer that can disrupt entire workflows.
Question: Why does Hexagon EAM work order printing documents not print. How do we fix that?
Answer:
For cloud-based customers: We've recently addressed a widespread issue that prevented the printing of WOs with attached documents.
For on-premises customers: Please reach out to our support team for specific guidance tailored to your environment. We'll work diligently to identify and resolve the root cause of your printing problems.
If you're still encountering issues, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're committed to providing timely assistance and resolving any technical challenges you may face. Visit our Customer Portal!
Hexagon EAM Upgrade V11.3 – Issues Running Reports SOLVED!
Issue
When printing from the PO Receipt screen or running the report from the report menu, several PO Receipts were coming back as “No Records Found”.
Troubleshooting
Investigated the reports in Cognos to see if there was anything that would causing the errors. They used a modified version on the Goods Received Note, so we looked at the original version of Goods Received. We found there were issues running that report as well. At this point, since we were unable to identify any issues that would be causing these reports to error, we submitted an incident to HexagonXtreme.
Solution:
- Go to Administration | Setup | Report
- Filter for Base Reports
- Find report SZRCVF
- Click on the Parameters Tab
- Find the Print report parameter
- Change the default value from blank to +
- Save the change
You will not see this parameter on the prompt page for the report when you run it from the menu in EAM. The only place to change this parameter is the parameter tab of the Report Setup. This is not something that customers have been made aware of. Therefore, we wanted to share the solution to keep you from getting frustrated by looking for an issue in the actual reports. If you do any custom Hexagon EAM report writing, you know how daunting and time consuming it can be to look for that needle in the haystack.
If you apply this solution and still are having issues, please reach out to us or your EAM support team.
PO Suppliers – How to Change it in Hexagon EAM
“How can I change a supplier on a PO?” Well to the answer the question, you can’t… Good news is there is a way to fix your problem!
The idea is to delete the part lines from the PO and cancel the PO. Then you go to the Requisition and change status to “Unfinished” and then change the Supplier. You can approve the Requisition and generate another PO. Here is the quick down and dirty way to get this PO to your vendor.
Scenario: Requisition is “Approved”, PO was generated. Buyer figures out the Supplier is incorrect.
Steps to correct the issue:
Buyer: Navigate to Purchasing | Purchase Orders
- Go to the PO that is incorrect, make sure the status is “Unfinished”
- On the Parts Tab, Delete the Part Lines from the PO
- Go to the record view of the PO and change the status to “cancelled”(Do not cancel the Requisition/Lines when the windows asks if you want to)
Requisitioner: Navigate to Materials | Requisitions
- Go to the Requisition with the incorrect Supplier
- Change status to “Unfinished”
- Go to the Part line with the incorrect supplier and choose the correct Supplier
- On record view change the status back to “Approved”
Buyer: Navigate to Purchasing | Process | Generate POs
- Enter the Originator
- Enter the supplier in the Supplier field
- Click on the Preview tab
- Select the Requisition lines you corrected the Supplier on
- Click the Generate button
Now you have corrected the Supplier and created a new PO. As always, if you need any help or more information on this topic, please reach out to us. We would be thrilled to help you out!
Hexagon EAM Fields – Custom or User Defined?
Hexagon EAM fields, the availability of both types of fields is great in EAM and there are some significant differences – which is why you need to know the difference before you choose which one to use.
What you need to know about User-Defined Fields:
- You can have user defined character, number, or date fields. There are also user defined checkboxes and buttons.
- You can define a default value or create a list of values for a lookup.
- You can make the user defined fields available on mobile devices.
- You can select if the field prints on work orders.
- You can create them specific to one or multiple user groups of your choosing.
- You can search based on the values in a user defined field.
- User defined fields will only show on the screen it is created for. For example, if you create a UDF on the asset record view, you will not see that same UDF on a system, position, or location field.
What you need to know about Custom Fields:
- You must create them for a specific entity (Equipment, Events (work orders, work requests), etc.)
- You can create them for a specific class within that entity. For example, you can create a custom field that will only show up when someone looks up or creates an asset record for an asset with the class of motor or pump.
- You can specify if the field is character, numeric, date, date/time, code+description, or entity. Furthermore, you can require a specific minimum/maximum length and have it included on the grids (or list view).
- You can define the lookup type and list of values of the lookup.
- You can select if you print the custom field.
- You can choose if users can update the field.
We are here to help if you need us!
I hope this quick list helps you understand and decide which field is best to use. However, if you still have questions, please feel free to reach out and email. I would be more than happy to answer your questions.
Hexagon EAM Mobile – iPad Vs. Android
I have a Samsung Note 4 that I absolutely love. Before I switched to an Android, I was a die-hard iPhone/iPad user for probably 8-9 years. I do still have an iPad and still love it.
I have used Hexagon EAM on both platforms and I can say, without hesitation, I would run EAM Mobile on an iPad over Android all day long. There are really not a lot of reasons why I choose iPad over Android, but I will lay them out for you here so you can decide. Keep in mind these are merely my opinions.
User Interface
For the most part, the user interface is the same. One of the biggest differences is the ability to FaceTime on the iPad. At first, most people just shake this off because they obviously don’t want employees using FaceTime on company time. But here is the thought behind it…How much time could it save if your employees have the ability FaceTime with a maintenance manager or lead technician to troubleshoot a problem instead of having to radio for them and wait for them to come to their location? Then add to that the time to go get the additional tools or parts, if needed? And what if your employee is off site on a job at a different location?
Functionality
The functionality for iPad is more consistent. I see far less ‘glitchy-ness’ from iPad. For me, it’s the difference in running EAM from Chrome and running it from IE or Firefox…night and day difference. Users tend to have a much easier time with iPads than Androids. I have trained on both devices with large groups and have found that iPad training was smoother. In my opinion, it is simply because users are used to this type of interface more so than an Android.
What do you think?
That is what I have found so far in my experience with Hexagon EAM mobile. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or please comment below to let us know if you agree or disagree with my opinion.