How Miami-Dade County Mobilizes Asset Management with Hexagon
Modern asset management solutions have a transformative impact on maintenance capabilities. For organizations looking to improve the reliability and performance of critical equipment, facilities and infrastructure, Hexagon’s Enterprise Asset Management software (HxGN EAM) is an essential resource.
So what does this look like in practice?
Miami-Dade County in Florida is a long-term user of HxGN EAM, first adopting the solution in 2003. The county uses EAM across 11 departments for asset and inventory management, alongside the overall maintenance of asset equipment. From water and sewer services to the Transit Department and Miami International Airport, Miami-Dade and its community are benefiting greatly from a consolidated and centralized approach to asset management.
To learn more about this, we spoke to Rawle Griffith, IT Manager for the EAM System at Miami-Dade County, and Zahkia Allen, Division Manager for the EAM Business Process Section at the Water and Sewer Department.
HxGN EAM in Action
Miami-Dade County is one of the largest counties in the United States, serving a growing population of 2.7 million. Keeping operations not only up and running, but functioning efficiently across various departments, requires an innovative and data-driven method for asset management.
At Miami-Dade County, HxGN EAM serves several purposes. In the game for more than 30 years, this asset management solution is designed to extend asset lifecycles and improve productivity. EAM secures reliable public infrastructure services by enhancing predictive maintenance, ensuring regulatory compliance, reducing costs and supporting sustainability initiatives.
Water management, transportation, aviation, public safety and parks and recreation services rely on HxGN EAM daily. The county’s departments, field crews and local community all benefit from the optimized approach to asset management made possible by this solution.
Optimal Integrations
For Miami-Dade County, the integration points available with HxGN EAM are essential. It’s this capability that helps teams to work more swiftly and accurately.
For example, for Water and Sewer, Allen comments that the department can integrate and identify customers more quickly; “We’re able to identify the breaks and repair them faster because of the integration with the Geographic Information System (GIS) and EAM.”
Resolving issues in a timely manner is also made possible by having an EAM solution. Integrations enable links to the department’s customer care system and GIS that support the creation of work orders for operations crews. With a greater visibility offered by these integrations, planning, time and resource management is strengthened. Systems can sync up and synergize to provide the insights needed to maintain and improve on the county’s essential services and equipment.
Proactive and Predictive Operations
The ability to predict future events using data plays a valuable role in Miami-Dade County’s approach to asset maintenance. Allen says that for her department, the ability to do this with HxGN EAM has been a “huge benefit.” For operating systems, data is generated based on repairs. It’s these insights that, over time, tell a larger story. “If we needed to switch the manufacturer because we've had so many breaks with that particular valve, our management team, operations management, they're able to query the system just to find that equipment and identify what they need to change.”
This capability enables teams to be proactive in their roles. It saves time, money and shows what equipment needs to be prioritized at any given moment. Repairs can be attended to quickly and future equipment breakdowns can be prevented. Combined, these learnings equip the county with the knowledge they need to create best practices for the future and constantly improve on the quality and efficiency of its public services for the community.
A Cross-Departmental Tool
EAM has been embraced widely by Miami-Dade County. HxGN EAM’s reliable uptime, paired with its flexibility and scalability, means that the county can use the solution in multiple areas. “The Miami-Dade Transit Department uses (HxGN EAM) for all of their fleet equipment (and) all of their facilities,” says Griffith. “Miami International Airport also uses EAM for their facilities maintenance and other operations.”
HxGN EAM’s core modules such asset performance, work, materials, procurement, budget and inspection management mean that the solution can be used for a diverse range of services and systems. Miami-Dade County, for instance, uses HxGN EAM as a single solution to coordinate the entire county. Platforms are unified, and data is unlocked at every stage of the asset lifecycle, across a range of asset types, to truly make the most of the data available. EAM is also configured in a way that each department can use the solution in the ways that will benefit them most. This may differ per department or division, but the central tool remains the same. This facilitates a unified, yet tailored, approach to asset management.
Why HxGN EAM?
Miami-Dade County requires a one-size-fits-all solution for their organization; a solution that drives a consolidated and centralized approach to asset management. This calls for a digital asset management tool that is multi-purpose, flexible, helps reduce infrastructure costs and makes life easier for their teams on the ground and for end users – the county’s residents. HxGN EAM meets these demands, while also catering to the county’s specific needs in terms personalization, security, usability and the ability to support every asset type.
Planning for the Future
You never know what the future holds. Although, equipped with the right data and insights, you can plan and prepare for it. This requires investment, of course. Knowing which areas or technologies to adopt and develop to grow your business and improve operations. Equipped with asset investment planning capabilities, HxGN EAM enables organizations to choose their next moves wisely.
Miami-Dade County originally harnessed EAM to further earlier modernization efforts to move from main frame applications to desktop and web-based systems. Griffith notes that this digital evolution required a “consolidated method of obtaining an asset management software.” This was found with HxGN EAM.
Looking ahead to a cloud-based SaaS model, the county will be able to embrace EAM to an even greater degree. Adopting mobile applications, such as HxGN EAM Digital Work, is a future initiative that will provide significant operational improvements for Miami-Dade's departments and end-users.
The key? Increased visibility into assets that enable better capital spending decisions. Looking ahead, Griffith foresees an expansion of EAM to even more departments within the county.
Learn more about HxGN EAM and how your organization can harness modern asset management solutions to improve maintenance capabilities and empower workforces in the field.