Going Paperless with MEX
We live in a technological age, where each day something new comes along with the promise of simplifying the way we do things. Some are promising but never amount to much, others really do revolutionise the way we do things. When smart phones, iPads and tablet pcs first came on the scene, they had real promise and with the development of the cloud in recent years, the reality of using these devices as a mainstream tool to carry out most of our daily tasks at work came true.
Utilising this advancement in technology, the MEX range of apps were designed to not only make maintenance management easier, but also to save you money by going down the paperless and environmentally friendly path.
The MEX Mobile Solutions
Not only can the MEX maintenance software take complete control of your maintenance operation, MEX can allow you to get work done on the run, with more ease than ever before. MEX now has two mainstream iOS apps on the market.
Both the MEX and MEX Ops app are free to download from the apple store and only require a MEX license to use the app.
MEX iOS App
The first of the two is the MEX iOS app. This is essentially an extension of the main MEX system, providing essential tools to perform all the tasks that an engineer would need to comfortably carry out their tasks whilst in the field. This includes:
- Routine inspections
- Create, Edit and close off Work Orders
- Record Equipment Readings
- Submit Maintenance Requests complete with pictures of the issue
- Track Personnel
- Instantly view any one of the 250+ reports in the MEX System.
For those companies that have the stores module, users can
- Purchase stock
- Issue & return spare parts
- Stock take Inventory
Custom fields
With the introduction of Custom Fields, the MEX system can be adapted to suit the way you do things. From adding a new field on any form in MEX to introducing a whole new module. To make this more dynamic, any new custom module you make in MEX will flow straight onto the MEX iOS app. Now you can capture exactly what you need with MEX on the run.
MEX Ops iOS app
Not everyone in your organisation will need to use the MEX app. To cater for those users who really only need to request maintenance work to be carried out, we have created the MEX Ops iOS app. Simplifying the whole process of submitting a maintenance request, submitting a request is now as simple as sending a text message, with the added bonus of being able to take a picture of the issue and attaching it to the request.
The request is sent directly to your Maintenance team and is available for immediate processing within the MEX system. If more information is required, a chat tool allowing for two way communication has been built into MEX.
The MEX Ops iOS and the MEX CMMS apps
Why go down this path?
At $1000 a tab/iPad buying five right away is a big investment and may prove to be the deterrent for companies looking to use our apps. But in actual fact moving to these devices will pay for itself in no time.
- Your reliance on your paper based filing system is slowly retired and halving printing costs in the process saving a whole heap of money.
- The hours spent organising and searching through filing cabinets of work orders and other print outs is eliminated as everything is stored online. Improving file security, searching becomes a breeze and your employees can redirect their efforts to other more profitable tasks.
- The old document room is suddenly free, giving you more office space. You can shelve your renovation plans for more space.
- Disaster recovery is a less stressful tasks as all files would be stored on a network and you have the ability to back up these files offsite.
Going Green!
By going paperless, you are going green. Your company will take its first step towards becoming an environmentally friendly company. No more paper, no need for complex filing systems and filing cabinets become a thing of the past.
Going Anywhere, Anytime
With the MEX Apps, MEX users can Access MEX data anywhere, anytime. Pull up equipment manuals attached to assets and be alerted of any special procedures required to carry out tasks before they do them. The non-MEX users can submit job requests instantly, helping your maintenance team identify issues before they escalate into breakdowns and all.
Even when you don’t have a direct connection to the MEX database, the MEX iOS app can go offline and allow users to continue entering information to MEX. Once they are back in range, a simple sync is needed to get all the work carried out updated on the live system.
Going Paperless is worthless without a process
Before you look at going paperless, make sure you have the support systems in place to make this move a success. Ensure that you have the infrastructure in place to access MEX, store documents needed for MEX and effectively backup your systems. Don’t assume that this move will also fix inefficiencies in your maintenance operation. Sit down and identify these inefficiencies, draw up a plan to fix them, work out your priorities and then go paperless.
MEX App Download Links
Written and Published By:
Paul Faunt
MEX Marketing Manager