Cohesive Solutions' Blog

Achieving operational goals is often hampered when there is a gap between operational strategy and day-to-day procedures. We see pressures rising for management to reduce costs and improve reliability. These demands put a challenge on the leaders who strive to keep their organization ahead of the [...]

According to a study by Aberdeen in 2015, we've seen a 59% increase in the cost of downtime over the past three years across all industries. Aside from the capital cost and penalties associated with unplanned downtime, decreased customer trust, lack of productivity, and disruption in the supply [...]

Every Implementation Requires a Healthy Balance Between the Client and Consultant 

As a utility, you will have moments when you realize it is time to give up the homegrown solution. Leaders of utilities often believe their business requirements are so different from those of other companies that they cannot be met by using a commercial off the shelf (COTS) solution. This thought [...]

In the executive conference room of Cohesive Solutions’ Kennesaw, GA headquarters, you will find a cocktail napkin with a few ink scribbles framed on the wall; an unusual choice of décor for the IBM business partner and systems integrator. However, with a closer look, you will discover four names [...]

Are you new to Maximo and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)? We understand trying to embrace a new technology and community like EAM can be a tremendous task. We have outlined a brief ‘How to Get Acclimated’ resource full of suggestions to get newcomers off and running.

Every November on Veteran’s Day, we thank Veterans who serve our country in both the past and the present. In honor of this day, we chose a team member who is a Veteran to spotlight this month. We sat down with Stephanie Robinson, former Commander in the United States Navy, to ask about her Navy [...]

Forbes says there are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day. We use this data to make decisions, improve systems and processes, and gauge success on projects, initiatives, and goals. This only works, however, if the data we are using is 'good' - accurate and clean. How do you determine if [...]

In a previous blog post, we alluded to some of the challenges nuclear customers face in moving from older systems to Maximo Nuclear. Based on the expanded footprint of functionality within Maximo Nuclear, there can also be opportunities to collapse other applications inside of Maximo.  These [...]

If your supply chain operations have been in motion for more than ten years, you probably are past a due date or two for technology and process upgrades. But before investing in innovative technology, we should stop and consider the people and the processes that surround your current supply chain.

Recently we announced our Maximo MOC solution that enables clients to maintain safe and regulatory compliant operations. We will be holding a virtual demonstration of this solution on September 28th, hosted by Rebecca Collier. Focusing on Rebecca’s Change Management and MOC knowledge, she is this [...]

In the age of IoT we see an increasing amount of data streaming in and out of an organization. From this data, organizations learn how to improve and adapt their business processes to better meet their organization’s objectives. Propel is a performance management tool used to align daily activities [...]

Organizations in asset intensive industries face a substantial challenge maintaining and improving asset health.  Failure to manage assets can interrupt production, prevent growth, increase total cost of ownership, and even threaten people’s safety.

  The United States has used nuclear power for more than 60 years to produce reliable, low-carbon energy and to support national defense activities. Nuclear power offers a unique combination of attributes that are especially suited to improving our nation's energy infrastructure.

Supply Chain Management has met sizable evolution in recent decades and is now recognized as one of the critical departments in any utility’s operations. Utilities continuously review the effectiveness of their supply chain and are regularly improving its efficiency.

Reporting in Maximo is one of the best ways to stay on top of your data and BIRT is the embedded report engine and primary reporting tool utilized in Maximo. BIRT has been used with Maximo since Maximo V7.1.1 with BIRT V2.1.2. Since Maximo V7.5.0.0, BIRT has grown in popularity with clients and is [...]

Realizing Data in a Maintenance and Reliability Program Now more than ever, there are rising pressures for operational managers to reduce costs and improve reliability. This puts a challenge on maintenance and reliability engineers worldwide who strive to keep their organization as a leader in cost [...]

Compatible Units Defined: A Compatible Unit (CU) is a template used by utility companies to estimate routine, repetitive and primarily capital work such as line construction. In the simplest form, a CU is comprised of Labor, Material and FERC accounting, but can include extended information related [...]

At a High Level Compatible Units (CUs alternately referred to as Estimating Units, Assemblies, Kits, Standards, etc.)  have been used in the electric, gas, and telecom utility industry (primarily in Distribution) for well over 50 years.  In the simplest form, a CU is comprised [...]

Cohesive Solutions is celebrating 20years in business! Part of what makes our organization unique is the people that make up our team and the combined years of experience we have in the industries we serve. In honor of this milestone, we sat down with Matt Logsdon, Executive Vice President of Sales [...]

During a recent implementation of Maximo Everyplace I encountered a recurring issue with Mobile Start Centers. In my research, I discovered an IBM Maximo Customization and Development blog from 2013 written by Mr. Bruno Portaluri that was very helpful to me. I thought it would be useful to share [...]

I came across an excellent article by Forbes titled: "Why Performance Management Fails," which discusses the challenges of performance management. In this case, the focus is on Human Resources (HR) or individual performance management and associated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The points [...]

When we say “Work Management versus Supply Chain” some of us may feel a small pang of angst. Some of us might even compare the business units to Rock’em Sock’em robots!

Many companies have Supply Chains that impact nearly every organization within their company. In order for these Supply Chains to run effectively, they require a rich understanding of the organizations they serve as well as the technology each uses. Well-orchestrated supply chains offer huge [...]

Supply Chain impacts most organizations throughout the business, as they are dependent upon the integration of Supply Chain into their respective processes. Asset management depends upon Supply Chain to deliver and maintain an adequate number of critical spare parts and deliver materials and [...]

When looking into Performance Management, there are many ideas to consider. This blog written by contributing author, Melanie Zamora of OE Advisors, shares her experience and some good questions to consider when evaluating EAM performance.

Electric Utilities are in the mode of replacing their old legacy systems with the latest technologies for Transmission and Distribution Work and Asset Management. Applying these systems along with proven industry best practices offer powerful capabilities to integrate business processes fully and [...]

IBM Think 2018 - A Mega Event  I attended IBM's Think conference this week in Las Vegas, and there were a lot of great moments and takeaways to share. Our team has attended IBM's InterConnect conference many times over the past few years, and this new event is bigger and broader than any IBM event [...]

Have you had a chance to explore the new Maximo Work Centers? The team at Cohesive has spent a lot of time over the last few months investigating the newly updated Work Centers. We like what we see!

Business processes that you rely on are as much assets to your organization as the physical ones you maintain for production. It appears the hot Enterprise Asset Management topics are all focused on operational excellence, business transformation and process optimization. How are organizations [...]