The Fall MUWG (Maximo Utility Working Group) show was held in Birmingham, Alabama, from September 26-29. The show was well attended, with 113 vendor representatives and 260 utility company end-users on site.
MUWG is a working group sponsored by the utility industry that provides a forum for Maximo users to exchange information, methods, and experiences to improve asset and work management practices and processes in the utility workplace.
Trends at this year’s conference
A clear trend at the conference among Maximo users was the desire to secure a mobile Maximo solution. There is a recognition that allowing field technicians or buyers to complete tasks on a mobile device can drive significant and immediate value.
Second, digital transformation to optimize the value of Maximo was on the minds of many attendees. Utilities shared their project experiences and advice in order to help others on their transformation journeys.
A third trend was a focus on operationalizing sustainability. This includes increasing asset efficiency and life span, reducing carbon emissions, and creating more sustainable supply chains.
On a more practical level, utility customers shared their day-to-day pain points with the Varis team. Most struggle with:
- Loss of wrench time searching for parts offline
- Finding the right part at the right time
- The time from demand to fulfillment is too long
This all leads to lost efficiency and, ultimately, project profitability. We had some very fruitful conversations around how Varis can help!
Skookum shares real-life examples
Scott Smith, director of reliability and asset management at Skookum shared his experience with using Varis integrated with Maximo at MUWG. He described the process of implementing Varis, receiving significant value in terms of efficiency and cost-savings, and more recently, of taking advantage of the Varis™ Connections suppliers.
If you missed the presentation, we have the Skookum case study on the Varis website. Skookum technicians use a mobile solution to interact with Maximo and Varis, which has saved 3,000 hours and $100,000 at the pilot site for the solution.
There were many other great presentations and conversations at MUWG’s fall conference, and we’re looking forward to attending the spring conference.