One of the business processes that can greatly benefit from mobile apps is the area of Asset Management. Utilities have far-flung assets in areas with no Internet connectivity in many cases. It is very important to keep these assets up and running as they provide vital services. When an outage does occur, services need to be restored as quickly as possible. Assets like sub-stations, transformers, lines, or poles need to be Inspected and Repaired on a routine basis.

Spare parts inventory levels need to be checked before workers are dispatched to repair equipment. Mobile apps can enable all these Inspection and Repair processes to be completed using mobile devices instead of on paper. Environment, Safety, and Health (ESH) forms can also be filled out on tablets or smartphones instead of paper forms. This allows for data analytics that can lead to better preventive maintenance and reporting for audits. Map views of the assets can be provided on tablets enabling route optimization using GPS that allows greater efficiencies.

The mobile apps need to have the ability to function offline as there is no connectivity in many cases. When connectivity is restored, the data needs to sync up automatically with Asset Management systems like SAP Plant Maintenance or IBM Maximo.

Unvired has delivered mobile apps for Utility customers in the area of asset management to improve efficiency of Field Service.