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Even the most reactive maintenance team can start collecting, organizing, and using equipment data to automate maintenance -- Join this webinar to learn how! Driving Automated Maintenance Solutions with Real-Time DataTuesday January 26th | 1:00 pm ESTREGISTER NOW Webinar SynopsisManufacturers understand that maintenance is a make-or-break activity, especially in high-dollar, fast-moving, and high-competition verticals.So, how do you take the leap from a state of reactive maintenance to predictive and prescriptive maintenance? How do you reap the benefits of a modern maintenance strategy while avoiding pitfalls along the way?In this webinar, Graham Immerman of MachineMetrics and Sandy D’Souza of Fiix, will discuss how to build a roadmap to maintenance automation, as well as demonstrate the power of our new combined offering that enables manufacturing teams to monitor the health of equipment in real-time to automatically trigger maintenance activities. Want a sneak peak of Fiix + Machine

In this clip, member @Tdufton explains how he and his team went from "hesitant" to "lovin' it!" and why they now think the new Fiix mobile app is a great change. Thanks for reminding us Tdufton that not liking change just means we’re human...so true :)  (loose) TranscriptBuy-in and change-culture -- when we’re doing something as big as going from pen & paper, legacy employees, and legacy maintenance, into full-on we’re going to be using phones, we’re going to be using tablets, we’re going to be on a desktop -- that takes years. I literally spoke to one of our maintenance team members today, and he’s like “eh, I’m using the new app, I’m getting used to it” he was kinda on the wall “I don’t know if I like it”, and I said “you may not like it because you’re human, you don’t like change”. I myself was hesitant at the beginning. That’s all I use now, exclusively. The production manager, myself. other team members, we just gotta get used to it. It’s much faster than the old app. The old

We’re interested in hearing some of your maintenance-related resolutions for 2021. What are you hoping to accomplish this year? What’s your main focus?  Resolutions can be hard to keep as new things get thrown our way. So, make it official. Put it in writing in the comments below   Another Fiixer may have been there and can share some helpful advice. Or, someone else may have the same resolution and you can collaborate. Plus, it’ll feel so good when you can come back and declare to us all that you’ve kept your resolution! 

Check out how the world’s biggest toy manufacturer gamified maintenance with AI to beat downtime and reduce the cost of production in our latest case study. This is a holiday edition case study. All facts, figures, names, and allusions to imaginary corporations run by a man in a red suit are fictional. However, the benefits of using Fiix and the latest product features are 100% real.  The company had to make more than 22 million toys in under four months. With so many different products on order—phones, baseballs, Lego sets, etc.—there was little margin for error.“Breakdowns happen, that’s just a fact of life in manufacturing,” says Yule Elfson, NPI’s Manager of Operations.“But we can’t afford less than 98% availability during the busy season. That’s why we value scheduled maintenance so much. We know it’s coming. We can plan for it. It keeps equipment running.” Listen to Yule Elfson describe what it felt like when three lines went down at the same time --> “Doing reactive maintenan

Did you know that play (even as adults!) is one of the best ways to foster innovation, discuss challenging issues, and grow closer as a team?It's research based, and it works...even virtually.Even better, it leaves everyone refreshed and invigorated.How much has your team played in the last four months?Share with us in the comments below 👇 Or, just tell us your favourite dinosaur 😊  This idea of play in the workplace was shared by Theresa Bailey Theresa is the founder of Synergy Change Builders, holds a Masters in Community Psychology and is an Accredited Resilience Practitioner, a Prior Learning and Assessment Practitioner, and a Life Coach. Working through a trauma-informed lens, she understands the importance of resilience in helping individuals and groups grow through adversity. Theresa is one of the speakers at our user conference, Fiix Forward 2020!How to find opportunity when facing adversityNovember 16, 2020 11:00AM-12:00PM ETRegister Now! Don’t miss Theresa’s session, with o

This week we’re shining a spotlight on member @Tina Brown who’s been featured in the #IETLookAtMeNow campaign 👀 👷‍♀️ 🥳 !Thank you for sharing your story and inspiring kids to dream big, get creative and have fun whilst learning how the world around them works 🌍 . “As a child, Tina dreamt of becoming a graphic designer and could often be found behind her Etch-A-Sketch creating new images from the lines that appeared on screen. Fast forward and Tina now uses these creative skills, challenging herself and solving complex problems in her role as Technical Product Manager for Ocado Technology where she uses cutting-edge technology and engineering to change the way the world shops.” ❓ When you were a child, what did you dream you’d be when you grew up?I used to tell my peers that I wanted to join the army. Later, I wanted to be a graphic designer ✍️ . ❓ What excites you most about STEM?Its growing popularity and promotion amongst the next generation. It’s really encouraging to see young

It’s been a year like no other, so we wanted to take a moment to show how much you're appreciated for doing your part in keeping the world running and our communities strong. Watch for my personal callout to you around the 19-sec mark 😉  Do you have a specific accomplishment you’d like to share?This is a safe space to brag. Post it below so we can celebrate it.    

Time is a finite resource, but our energy is limitless and renewable. As the demands of the workplace keep rising, many people respond by putting in ever longer hours, which inevitably leads to burnout that costs both the organization and the employee. Meanwhile, people take for granted what fuels their capacity to work—their energy. Increasing that capacity is the best way to get more done faster and better. For instance;Harnessing the body’s ultradian rhythms by taking intermittent breaks restores physical energy Avoiding constant technology distractions increases mental energy Participating in activities that give you a sense of meaning and purpose boosts the energy of the spiritAre You Headed for an Energy Crisis? Take this quiz by checking any of the statements below that are true for you. Body__ I don’t regularly get at least seven to eight hours of sleep, and I often wake up feeling tired.__ I frequently skip breakfast, or I settle for something that isn’t nutritious.__ I don’t

We have an ambitious goal of raising $100,000 by Giving Tuesday on December 1  For Giving Tuesday this year, Fiix is teaming up with Rob Kalwarowsky and Georgian Partners to raise money and awareness for mental health and wellness charities.The charities we’re supporting are:Youth Mental Health Canada Across Boundaries Crisis Services Canada Canadian Mental Health AssociationTo donate or learn more about our campaign, visit canadahelps.org/en/pages/giving-tuesday-6 Breaking stigma through webinarsWe’re also looking to break the stigma that’s often associated with mental health and mental illness by sharing Fiixer stories in a series of three webinars. The featured guests will talk about her mental health journey, the barriers they faced, how they overcame them, and how they are working every day to maintain their mental health.Nov. 12 at 2pm ET featuring Fiixer Julie Palmer Nov. 19 at 2pm ET featuring Fiixer Steve Ricard Nov. 25 at 2pm ET TBD (stay tuned for updates)Sign up to attend o

In the age of Industry 4.0, there are so many buzzwords being thrown around that it’sdifficult to keep track of them all. What’s the difference between Industry 4.0, IIoT, and Digital Transformation? What about Artificial Intelligence vs. Machine Learning? Condition Monitoring vs. Performance Monitoring? Is the Digital Twin your company’s evil replicant or a new way to approach continuous process improvement?One of our Fiix App Exchange partners, MachineMetrics, figured it would be helpful to create “The MachineMetrics IIoT Manufacturing Dictionary: a reference resource for those seeking definition or better understanding of any buzzword, keyword, or term pertaining to the new age of manufacturing”. We’ve attached their Second Edition to this post for your easy reference.Is this dictionary useful to you? If so, this post to let your community know. MachineMetrics CEO, Bill Bither, will be speaking at our upcoming user conference, Fiix Forward 2020!Make better decisions by connecting e

A leadership development consultant who I follow on LinkedIn, Pam Ross, posted a short video on psychological safety recently that I found particularly interesting.In this video, Pam backs up her claim that psychological safety (a climate where people feel safe enough to take interpersonal risks by speaking up, sharing concerns, questions or ideas) is the number one factor on high performing teams. This prompted me to make the connection that in a manufacturing or field services environment, physiological safety can also translate to physical safety. Do you agree? Watch the video clip here >>> 

Change Curve In 1969 Elizabeth Kubler Ross, a psychiatrist developed the Change Curve as a way of illustrating the emotional range of bereavement. Over the years, the Change Curve has been adapted and is now commonly seen in business management, as a way to predict how stakeholders will feel during a change project. Knowing, understanding, and normalizing feelings can accelerate change adoption and increase your successful business outcomes.As a Leader, being able to predict how people react allows you to support them, by giving them the right resources. So how do you start?  Stage 1: Shock or DenialLike grief, the first step is shock or denial. Once the reality that change is happening sets in, people move quickly into negativity, which is often anger.  What can I do?Why do people feel this way? They are often lacking information about the change and have a fear of the unknown. They are also personally worried about looking stupid, not adapting fast enough, or being unable to learn a

In North America, it is mental illness awareness week.Mental illness awareness week is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open our eyes to the reality of mental illness. It’s a special time of year where we can all focus on educating ourselves and gaining a greater understanding of mental illnesses and its impacts in the lives of those who experience them. This year has had no shortage of challenges for everyone, particularly for those who live with mental illness. Stigma, fear, lack of access to resources, etc. on top of a global pandemic can create seemingly insurmountable barriers for those who live with a mental illness to get the support that they need. Similarly, fear and lack of understanding can inhibit others from knowing how to support those around them who may be struggling. Below are some great resources to check out to help you start learning more about mental illness, the supports available and the realities of those who live with mental illness

Building a strong capacity for change is good ROI. The faster any change is adopted and the more resistance is managed, the closer you are to your desired outcome. So how do you get started? The first step is always to communicate the change to create awareness for WHY it is happening and to start to build desire to participate in the change. Tell people what’s in it for them. Ask about the team goals and pains. Tell them how the project will help them. Poor communication is often cited as a major reason for change failure. The earlier you can talk with every impacted group, the stronger the likelihood you will prevent rumours. You don’t need to have all the Project Management details ironed out before you left everyone know that change is coming. Select change champions. This person will lead the project, help people understand benefits, and work through challenges. Your change champions should be mapped out, so every group is tied to someone who will communicate and be an active and

Blue Rebel Works recently conducted a survey of 118 leaders at all levelsto fully understand the challenges they are facing due to COVID-19. In their FREE summary report, they share several specific findings that emerged, including:3 strategic imperatives to work on 5 key insights about the needs of people and business 4 key skills to cultivate“The writing has been on the wall, calling for an unprecedented disruption of work, business, and life, for years. For decades, the term “VUCA” has been used to describe the society and business world we live in. VUCA stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous....Then, along came the novel Coronavirus, a catalyst upending traditional, 9-to-5, bum in seat, working environments. Overnight, millions shifted to working from home. This global pandemic reframed what “essential work” is and it forced us to take a close look at the value of roles that may have been undervalued in the past.And it’s forcing us all to learn new skills, connect d

Skills you need to be a master maintenance manager:Planning and organizing work ✔️ Troubleshooting problems ✔️ Managing people and projects ✔️ Storytelling ❓❓❓Listen to Fiix Director of Customer Success Scott Deckers talk about how weaving a good tale can save your maintenance budget from getting sliced and diced.Listen to the full podcast on measuring and sharing your maintenance success stories with Fiixers Jason Afara, P.Eng and Stuart Fergusson here >>> anchor.fm/fiix-podcast/episodes/How-to-tell-your-maintenance-teams-success-story Tell us your success story! How do you celebrate your team’s successes at your organization? Start by celebrating them here 🎉

Devon Aaroe (@daaroe), water resource manager for the City of Dawson Creek, first realized the difficulties of leading change when their attempt at implementing a document control software crashed and burned due to lack of buy-in.  Visit the full webinar recap page to learn how Devon was able to apply his 5 key lessons learned to drive CMMS adoption and everboarding >>> https://www.fiixsoftware.com/blog/leading-change-webinar-recap/ Can you relate to Devon’s experience? What lessons have you learned about leading change that you can share with the community? Are you currently struggling with buy-in? Reach out to your community. Video Transcript Thanks for having me, it’s good to be here Jason, and chatting with you guys. When I was an engineering student, first starting out in my fledgling career at the city, I took on the project of implementing an electronic document record management system. Thinking this would be the be all and end all. But I failed to realize some key poi

Fiix Director of Strategic Alliances, Sandy D'Souza, participated in a discussion with MachineMetrics VP of Marketing, Graham Immerman, and Founder and Head of Client Strategy at Very, Benjamin Wald, about the future of remote work for manufacturing.In this clip, Graham poses the question, “for some roles, is work from home realistic?” stating that “during times like this” we are forced to determine what jobs that were done manually in the past can be automated, and what tasks that were taken for granted as needed are no longer necessary - what roles should they be looking at and saying, hey, can we maybe take this remote?Ben challenges us to instead look at this question from a different perspective - what jobs can’t go remote - and we may be surprised by what we find when we let go of our preconceived notions about certain jobs.Sandy elaborates on this idea by giving an example in a manufacturing environment where even if you can’t make a particular job fully remote, you can move tow

We recently shared some real-life tales from our Fiix community of storeroom mixups, dustups, and screw-ups, with a few resident Fiix maintenance experts to see how they would react. Can you commiserate, does it make you shake your head, or can you even one-up these tales?

We’ll get straight to the point: Managing parts inventory is a pain in the a$$.Between just-in-time, rolling average, or sawtooth, there’s no perfect method to accurately predict what parts you’ll need on hand. It generally requires hiring an inventory manager, studying models like economic quantity order (EOQ) and lots of spreadsheets.But there’s a better way.Fiix just launched its parts forecaster, which automatically sorts through a bunch of data in your CMMS and helps you find trends so you can keep the right parts on hand. What is the parts forecaster and how is it different? The parts forecaster works with the parts feature in your CMMS. Instead of relying on spreadsheets or complicated inventory models, it uses your real historical data to predict parts use and make inventory recommendations.It’s the first feature built on our Fiix Foresight AI engine. Since it runs on AI, the parts forecaster can look at a lot of data really quickly. And it’s built right into your CMMS, so it t