FM & TECHNOLOGY
IN THE NAME OF PRODUCTIVITY
Alan Cambridge, Co-founder of Peacock Engineering, examines how companies can mobilise asset management systems to improve effi ciency.
Many FM businesses are realising that they need to modernise their work practices, in order to improve their effi ciency and keep up with their competitors. This has already been demonstrated by the widespread adoption of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software in the FM industry – in fact the market leading EAM solution, IBM Maximo, is already used by eight of the 10 largest FM companies in the UK. EAM packages such as Maximo have a proven track record of effi ciently managing complex FM processes in a single application, and enabling staff to have access to real-time data on all the assets under management.
Removing paper and spreadsheet-
based systems However, one major block to effi ciency is that the data available in the EAM system is only as recent as the data inputs – and if these are coming from disparate sources, such as paper-based or spreadsheet-based systems, there can be a signifi cant delay in getting data into the system, severely limiting its usefulness. Additionally, if data has to be collected once, then input into the EAM separately, the possibility of manual error increases immensely, and there is a signifi cant cost involved in all the data entry.
“A recent study by Salesforce calculated that mobile EAM apps increased worker productivity by 34%.”
This is where mobile apps come in. Because of the complexity of EAM systems, creating a mobile app is a major task, and until recently mobile implementations could only deal with particular parts of the Enterprise. But now, full-feature mobile EAM solutions are available, which enable a seamless link to all parts of the EAM solution, including work orders and execution, inventory and stock control, purchase orders, HSQE, spatial and mapping, and much more.
Worker productivity increased by 34% The best-in-class mobile apps will support all aspects of an
30 | TOMORROW’S FM
FM organisation’s work requirements in the fi eld. They can enable fi eld workers to access your EAM data in real time, and feed data back to your EAM solution, as soon as it is entered in the app. The potential productivity gains are huge – a recent study by Salesforce calculated that mobile EAM apps increased worker productivity by 34%. It is clear that FM companies that don’t take advantage of these productivity gains will be seriously limiting their competitiveness.
Increased customer satisfaction and
SLA compliance Up-to-the-minute data in the hands of your fi eld workers leads to faster diagnosis of problems, and better fi rst- time-fi x rates. These in turn helps you to meet your SLAs, and lead to higher rates of customer satisfaction.
Better billing, increased revenue and
contract profi tability Mobile asset management solutions are meeting the ‘on demand’ needs of an ever-increasing mobile FM workforce, while ensuring a more consistent and compliant asset management solution. For example, the Work Execution module available in some apps enables a fi eld team supervisor to allocate work to a particular technician, and re-allocate if an individual is not available.
The supervisor can also issue follow-on work orders, if they fi nd that extra work is required, once they are on- site. All work carried out, and any other cost inputs, are immediately captured digitally, making it much easier for you to justify costs on your invoices, aid cash collection and improve profi tability.
Enforce your procedures in the fi eld You can also enforce your processes in the fi eld, by using mobile forms – some mobile apps include the ability to add complex conditional logic forms, to guide your fi eld workers through every part of a work procedure. These forms can also capture valuable data, which feeds straight back to your EAM solution; and they can also capture signatures at various work stages, to form a robust digital audit trail. This is very useful for any organisation which needs to demonstrate regulatory compliance.
Optimising planning and scheduling
of work FM organisations can also benefi t from using automated planning and scheduling, which EAM solutions such as IBM Maximo support with a suite of tools. These range
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