Cohesive Solutions' Blog

This month’s employee spotlight shines on Jim Sawyer. He is a Senior Consultant and Business Analyst at Cohesive Solutions. He is an IBM Maximo Certified Asset Management Functional Analyst and Deployment Professional. Jim has over 19 years EAM Implementation and Project Management experience and [...]

Over the past 12 months, IBM released two different updates to their Maximo Enterprise Asset Management Software, a comprehensive asset life cycle and maintenance management platform that optimizes your assets and business in 6 closely integrated modules of asset, work, service, contract, [...]

My journey towards Maximo BIRT Reporting started in the banking industry with Actuate eRDPro development tool.  The evolution of this tool to Eclipse BIRT took place over the past fifteen years.  And maybe that is one of the reasons I am so biased towards BIRT and its integration into Maximo. 

Cloud platforms are enabling new, complex business models and orchestrating more globally based integration networks than many analyst and advisory firms predicted.  Cloud options give organizations the high-level functionality of enterprise software, without the maintenance of hosting it [...]

Every year I attend a number of industry-based conferences.  For the semi-annual conferences, my typical MO is to attend the keynote and plenary session presentations, then retreat to a common area to address the mountain of email that had accumulated over the prior two hours. The typical format [...]

This month our Employee Spotlight is Dianne DePuy. She joined Cohesive Solutions in January of 2018. Dianne has been providing work and asset management services and software to many of the world’s largest utility companies for more than 20 years. As a strong client advocate Dianne has collaborated [...]

IoT is not rocket-science but there are similarities and lessons that can be applied. Success exists in the small wins or the truths that we learn on a journey. The ‘success journey’ has been on my mind a lot lately. Last month I visited Houston for the GOMaximo event. Houston has a special [...]

SRO Solutions is a global value-added Maximo solution partner to Cohesive Solutions. Cohesive leverages SRO's Data Utility  (SDU) toolkit to provide Maximo upgrades with zero downtime. This unique partnership generates extensive Maximo consultancy knowledge for joint implementations. Working [...]

The Cohesive team is heading to IBM’s IoT Exchange in Orlando, FL next week. The IoT Exchange is a new conference hosted by IBM, that focuses on IBM Maximo and IBM’s Internet of Things solutions. This is the first year that IBM is hosting the conference, and we are eager to see what is in store!

  Spring is here, and that means – Spring cleaning! Here are five simple things you can to do clean up your Maximo system and ensure it is running at optimal performance.  1. Maximo Licenses

Recent U.S. based surveys have shared that manufacturing companies are committing $907 billion per year toward greater connectivity and smarter factories. Enterprise asset management systems, security solutions, automation tools and all the processes that go along with those billions will be [...]

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, 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 chain are [...]

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 discussed some of the challenges nuclear organizations face in moving from older systems to more updated, integrated systems. Based on the expanded footprint of functionality within Maximo Nuclear, there are now opportunities to absorb other applications inside of Maximo [...]

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 [...]