Are you facing electrical engineering issues? Magna IV Engineering has got your back! For forty-three years, Magna IV Engineering has been a key player in the electrical engineering and industrial maintenance industry. By engineering and maintaining high-voltage and electrical equipment, they help their clients save costs and improve their asset lifecycle. Their services extend to repurposing and remanufacturing old equipment through their specialized breaker shop. 

With Sunbelt Solomon’s recent takeover, the company now operates in more than nine locations, with offices in the United States and Chile. This translates to broader service availability to renowned oil and gas companies, including Suncor Energy, CORE Energy, and Shell. 

The road to development and collaboration: Magna IV Engineering X EZO

Magna IV Engineering explored several systems, but EZO fit their asset tracking and management needs the best. Mario Avalos, the Equipment and Fleet Manager at their Canadian division, highlights the challenges that led them to move towards an automated system. He oversaw their onboarding to EZO in 2022 and explained the reason for the shift: 

“We were using a 20-year-old system. It was quite outdated. It was called Microsoft FileMaker. And we just needed an update.” 

Manual data entry was a notable hindrance to the company’s efficiency. Programming a single file would take over two hours, hampering the staff’s productivity. Only one person was proficient at programming the software, and with their retirement, the company was at a crossroads regarding equipment tracking. 

However, with EZO, Magna IV has been able to track and manage assets and inventory without relying on any one person, automate reports, and better maintain resources than ever before. With automated data entry in EZO, the company now saves at least three hours daily.

Saving effort and time with automated Custom Reports

Custom Reports has been a time-saver for Magna IV. It lets them create complex reports in minutes and filter them location-wise for more efficient results. Mario mentions generating three to four reports weekly that are then further formatted and presented to the stakeholders for further analysis. 

Aligned with Magna IV’s unique operations, Custom Reports deliver deep insights into their material inventory and rental equipment, ensuring accurate stock levels and optimal asset utilization. 

Effortless equipment tracking with Projects

Magna IV tracks 2,500 assets actively allocated to several jobs termed Projects in EZO. To streamline equipment tracking, all projects have unique identification numbers associated with different customers. 

The company assigns equipment to specific customers and tracks its usage for each project, allowing them to monitor equipment use. By marking the equipment ‘unavailable’ in EZO, they streamline customer management and enhance visibility for other team members. This level of close equipment tracking ensures that no equipment is under or over-booked, helping Magna IV save thousands of dollars. 

Magna IV collaborates closely with its team members using the Comments and Mentions section in Projects. Through comments, team members are updated on the progress of a specific project, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Important documents are also attached to every project to maintain a complete history. 

Seamless equipment maintenance for improved asset lifecycle

Magna IV rigorously uses Custom Fields in EZO to capture equipment-related information, such as calibration dates and supplier details. Equipment calibration schedules vary, some requiring servicing every six months and others every twelve. Flagging these dates through Custom Fields simplifies maintenance and helps calibrate equipment on time.

Mario highlights, “[With Custom Fields] we’re able to add as many data points as possible for each piece of equipment.”

Equipment is regularly serviced and flagged ‘under maintenance’ in EZO, so it is not checked out to any customer. This way, Magna IV staff members have complete visibility into the company’s overall asset ecosystem, making it easier to know asset availability. 

Speedy workflows with Packages and Quick Checkouts

Magna IV rigorously uses the Packages feature to add items that must be checked out in groups. For instance, the company needs to create kits for customers involving different types of assets. These kits are checked out to the customers simultaneously, saving time and effort. 

Magna IV assigns unique QR Codes to every asset for quick and easy identification. These QR codes are scanned when checking out equipment with the help of scanners. Every time a piece of equipment needs to be assigned to a customer, it is scanned and selected to be checked out. 

Automation: The key to operational excellence at Magna IV Engineering

Magna IV’s commitment to delivering prompt, reliable service just got a major upgrade. By implementing EZO, they’ve eliminated the delays and inaccuracies associated with manual asset tracking. EZO’s intuitive interface has allowed the company to know what equipment is available for customers to check out, boosting their operational efficiency by 40%. So, tracking equipment, checking its availability, and allocating it to customers has never been easier for Magna IV. 

Mario hopes Magna IV will continue using EZO, as the company finds it valuable for streamlining asset management.