Digitizing and Automating Maximo Data Capture with a Mobile App
By AB&R
To keep power, gas, water and other services flowing to customers and communities, many utilities now use IBM’s Maximo asset management software to manage all the parts and equipment they need to build and maintain the right infrastructure. But solutions such as Maximo are only maximally effective when utilities are able to get the right asset data and information into the system as efficiently and accurately as possible.
To be able to truly monitor all of your assets and use Maximo to predictively manage inventory, replenishment and maintenance, you need a fast, efficient and reliable way to track each asset and get its data into your Maximo software. If you’re doing it with manual data entry and tracking processes outside of Maximo, then you’re losing time and potentially creating delays, errors and inaccuracies in your asset management.
This is where it pays to have a digital data capture system to help automate and error-proof the process of tracking your assets and getting your asset data into Maximo. Instead of relying on paper forms, manual data entry, and other time-consuming and error-prone processes, you can use barcode labels, mobile computers or tablets, and some simple mobile software to automatically capture and update the right data and get it into Maximo in real time or in batch updates.
At AB&R, we help utilities do this by implementing a simple, affordable but powerful mobile software solution called Accuviti. It’s a solution that we developed from decades of helping utilities streamline and error-proof their asset and inventory management processes. And it’s designed specifically for companies using IBM’s Maximo.
Accuviti works with Zebra mobile barcode and RFID label printers, touch mobile computers, and rugged tablets to create a completely digital, accurate and vastly faster and more efficient process for tracking assets and getting their data into Maximo.
In the warehouse, in the lay-down yard, in the meter lab, or out in the field, workers use our app to print and apply a barcode label or RFID tag to each asset or to a bin or other storage container. The label or tag has a unique identifier that matches the assets or items in the bin to the corresponding items in Maximo.
Once an item or a corresponding bin or storage container is labeled or tagged, its barcode or RFID tag can be scanned and tracked automatically and digitally using the Accuviti mobile app and Zebra’s mobile devices, which feature built-in barcode scanners or RFID readers.
The Accuviti software provides tools to print labels, scan labels or tags, and perform basic asset management tasks and transactions on the spot, such as the following:
Receiving
Put-away
Move in
Move out
Material verification
Material returns
Inventory searches
Yard changes
Much more
All of these transactions are available on a very simple and easy-to-use touch screen interface that can be used with a finger, gloved finger or stylus. Once they’re completed and quantities or statuses are updated, Accuviti sends the resulting data to Maximo. Your data is transmitted and updated in real time over a Wi-Fi or wireless mobile network, or you can scan and update assets and perform transactions offline, and Accuviti will automatically connect to Maximo and do a batch update once you have a signal.
The end result is that your workers can track assets and perform related transactions far faster, more efficiently, and with digital accuracy. The data will also get into Maximo in real time or as soon as the Accuviti app is able to connect to your system, and then Maximo can provide the dashboards, insights and advanced analytics tools to manage your assets more effectively and proactively.
Ultimately, it’s a modern and innovative solution built for a very old saying: “garbage in, garbage out.” If the data you’re entering into Maximo isn’t accurate and doesn’t reflect your true assets as well as their correct status, location and inventory levels, then you’re not going to get the value or benefit out of your Maximo solution. Additionally, you’ll probably be dealing with a lot of headaches, lost time, and increased cost over inventory out-of-stocks, time-consuming manual inventory searches, maintenance and calibration issues, and much more.
The better approach is to automate and error-proof your data capture with digital tools, and that’s why we developed Accuviti in the first place.
To learn more about Accuviti mobile software and our recommended Zebra tracking solutions and mobile devices, feel free to connect with us to schedule a demo and an online discovery meeting at your convenience. To get started, contact us now at 800-281-3056 or send us a quick email.
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