Infor EAM with mobility for your team:

As technology advances, having data in as near real-time as possible is becoming more of a necessity than a commodity.

Being able to notify that an equipment is not working properly, create a work order and track anything relevant to the activities involved is now possible thanks to mobile devices. Paper has turned an enemy of productivity, since it can get lost or damaged over time, and the history of an asset is lost forever. Infor has been very proactive in developing mobility features and from feedback we’ve received from VisualK customers, they are right on point providing tools that users demand the most. Nowadays, most people have one or more mobile devices, and are very capable of taking selfies, texting, using GPS apps, and even playing games. The mobile version of Infor EAM applies these same features to allow users to take down notes, pictures, read documents, track time, and even find equipment within a map.

When thinking of a mobile device within a worksite, many people see it as a distraction. Nevertheless, a smartphone or tablet is becoming a very powerful tool aiding in many aspects when maintaining assets that otherwise may be difficult to keep track of. Let’s start where a job starts: someone notices something wrong and creates a work request. When working on small sites or centralized stations, it can be easy to have a work request put in a shared computer. However, when dealing with power generators, sizes vary and tasks are usually performed by different experts. For example, let’s say a mechanic is performing rounds and finds an electrical issue. If a company has some sort of “See Something, Say Something” policy, it is the mechanic’s duty to report the issue so the expert in that area, in this case an electrician, is aware and can address the issue as fit. If the mechanic has a mobile device, then creating a request will reduce the time to repair the issue. How so? Compare this to other means: paper or maybe a walkie talkie. If paper, he/she will have to walk back to the shop to write the issue so an electrician will have the request within a “Request Box” that everyone checks once in a while. If the paper is lost, the request is non-existent. A faster solution is a walkie-talkie, where you can talk with other people instantly, but words can be gone like the wind. Mobile devices allow you to notify real-time and document all information, including comments and pictures. Worst case you can always call or facetime directly from an Apple device, since conveniently you have a phone at hand.

Once a request is in place, you can start executing. Mobile devices allow you to assign work orders and set filters that will only show a list of work orders assigned to a particular user, so they do not have a broad list of all jobs to be completed by everyone (hint: increases productivity). Here’s a brief overview of main functionalities within mobile work orders:

1. Time Keeping: The mobile devices have a chronometer, that will enable users to measure exactly the time taken with each activity. It will also let you know if you have another activity open at the time of attempting to start your time, in case you forgot to stop previous activity.
2. Document management: Documents can also be accessed within the devices, be it a PDF document or even pictures. One nice feature is that it can access a camera and microphone to take pictures, videos or voice memos, allowing users to capture scenarios or provide explanations for future reference that before were not really as simple to have.
3. Parts Usage: Parts are usually necessary to complete tasks, and adding or returning these parts, or even planning them in advance is a built-in feature.
4. Checklist Completion: When performing repetitive activities, it can make sense to have a checklist in order to guide a technician to complete expected tasks. For example, when inspecting a pole, a few items to look at would perhaps be the actual pole (is it rotten, broken, etc.), transformers, brackets, cables and so on. Within the checklists, findings can be configured to expect particular options, numbers or leave a free text alternative.
5. Closing: To create measurable and trackable results, a company may rely on closing codes. These will be standard throughout the whole entity in order to have a universal language that can identify particular issues within specific equipment.
6. Signoff: There are two ways to have either users or external customers validate the completion of a task. First, eSignatures, where users sign with their user ID and password, and second, where anyone can sign with their finger or a stylus a proof of delivery.

When talking about inventory and mobility, usually big warehouses come to mind where a store clerk would need to walk around a lot of shelves to find parts. However, it can be a small warehouse with specific parts of high value or specific storage conditions as well. The main solutions included within Infor EAM for mobile devices are physical counts, PO receipts and barcoding functionalities. When performing inventory counts, you want to be able to have the information at hand, and be able to update it as needed. This task is usually performed on a sheet of paper and then someone has to sit down and update the database accordingly. With mobile, a clerk can scan barcodes, update the count and database on the spot, and go on with the next item (hint, again: increases productivity). Likewise, when materials come in, you can receive these within the mobile device, and this can trigger the barcoding printer to print your formatted code for that part.

Other nice features included within the app include being able to track an equipment’s history and comments and mapping functionalities. With X and Y coordinates, a crew can successfully get to a particular location. Having the history of an asset at hand is very useful, especially if a particular issue emerged before and was solved in a specific way.

Mobile devices are great tools that have been increasing productivity and enabling users to centralize actual information and communications. With paper records and having to go back and forth to get approvals, get parts, execute tasks or simply because you needed a manual or a reference from a colleague can be time consuming. Time is money and wasting time can truly be reflected in costs involved in executing work orders.