In today’s fiercely competitive landscape, asset-intensive organizations across various sectors—from bustling cities and expansive campuses to complex factories and critical infrastructure—face immense pressure to optimize operations, minimize costs and risks, adhere to regulations, and extend the lifespan of valuable assets. This is precisely where GIV Solutions excels.

GIV Solutions stands as a premier provider of innovative Smart Management Systems specifically tailored for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) management. Established in 2001 under the leadership of Meir Givon, the company has, since 2013, developed vertical solutions that have propelled accelerated growth. To this day, they maintain a steadfast commitment to fostering a culture of excellence and innovation, evident in their numerous successful projects and accolades earned in 2023.

Looking forward to 2024, GIV Solutions is poised for even greater strides. We recently engaged in a conversation with Meir Givon to gain insights into the challenges organizations face today, the significance of adopting cutting-edge technologies, and how GIV’s smart management solutions empower organizations to attain their objectives.

An Interview with the Founder and President of GIV Solutions, Meir Givon: Revolutionizing Modern Organizations with Smart Management Solutions

Q: Through GIV’s decades of activity, how have you observed the evolution of the industry and customer needs, and how has your company adapted?

A: I have about 40 years of experience in the field of developing and implementing smart solutions in different organizations, and our CEO, Yossi Efroni, and leadership team have also extensive experience. In recent years, we have seen the market accelerate and adopt innovative technologies and tools more quickly. This is an exponential process of change and therefore our company also adapts itself quickly. We learn from the needs of our long-standing customers and the companies we work with are also constantly evolving and improving. For example, our base platform HXGN EAM (by Hexagon) releases a new version every year. We also integrate AI technology into our developments, digital twins, 3D models, Geospatial integrations like GIS ESRI, and new layers of applications, systems, and technologies based on rules. Our business processes, data structures, and system configuration are managed on our database, which allows us to adopt new tools easily and evolve.

Q: From your perspective, what are the primary challenges big organizations face today?

A: Large organizations incessantly seek avenues to optimize core processes, reduce costs, and mitigate future uncertainties. Our solution lies in providing a flexible system and implementing strategies tailored to each organization’s specific needs. A robust and reliable system for infrastructure-intensive organizations offers an interactive and sustainable solution over time, devoid of limitations on the number of users or operations.

In many instances, we’ve initiated partnerships with organizations based on specific needs. Through collaborative discussions, we’ve expanded into other valuable applications that clients realized they required. Infrastructure-intensive organizations have significant needs for solutions in equipment and financial maintenance and management, SLA, ROI, emergency response, safety, callouts, mobile fieldwork, and managing changes and processes. Adopting an EAM platform provides comprehensive and flexible solutions that enable organizations to grow and optimize over time.

Q: What are the top priorities for VPs of Operations and Maintenance these days?

A: This role bears significant responsibility for the lifespan of equipment and facilities, which can span decades with proper maintenance. The VP must ensure that the infrastructure, facilities, equipment, and services provided are of the highest quality and aligned with organizational needs. This entails ensuring equipment availability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness, quick troubleshooting with minimal downtime, preventing recurring issues, logistical assessments, spare parts management, and more. A well-structured and maintained management system allows for improved and refined maintenance and operational management, continuous cost reduction, and meeting ROI targets. It also facilitates field maintenance management using digital tools, including mobile phones, tablets, QR codes, and more.

Q: How can traditional industries embrace and implement new technologies and innovative solutions?

A: In traditional organizations, managers must embrace change and explore innovative technologies. Conducting evaluations, proofs of concept, and characterizations of the organization’s and system’s needs are crucial. Sometimes, organizational restructuring is necessary. For organizations to endure in the long term, they must embrace new technologies that demonstrably bring significant improvements and enhance metrics.

Q: Can you provide an example of a new technology adoption that significantly improved an organization’s operations?

A: In our engineering inspection pilot with Ayalon Highways, we pre-defined KPIs for project success and demonstrated how our smart management solution for road structures, combined with Flyability’s advanced drones and digital capture capabilities, significantly improves metrics and represents a major leap forward that compels the entire industry to adopt new technologies. Following the pilot, it was decided to no longer send personnel into inspections in hazardous locations, solely because there is no longer a need. Drones can be employed to safeguard human life.

Utilizing technologies, accurately collecting and storing data, and establishing a coherent digital process can reduce human error and increase reliability. Information is readily available in the system for field workers, including service history and detailed instructions on how to perform the required actions, encompassing automatic checklists and automated, proactive processes and alerts. It is a comprehensive system capable of streaming information to relevant stakeholders, from field workers to the CEO. Everything is configured according to the organization’s definitions and the needs of different teams, ensuring that everything is managed within one convenient and transparent system.

Q: Beyond cost reduction, how can GIV Solutions help organizations quantify the return on investment (ROI)?

A: Our system, combined with Hexagon’s platform, ensures that an organization’s equipment, often costing billions of dollars, is properly maintained to maximize its lifespan. This prevents the need for premature scrapping and rebuilding—30 years of operation instead of 20—allowing organizations to significantly increase their long-term earnings.

The impact on organizations is profound, and we have numerous examples from various industries, including railways, buildings, and systems. All this is achieved through preventive maintenance (PM), targeted interventions, consideration of the environment, climate, and more. We can deploy the system on-premises on the client’s servers or in a private cloud, all according to the client’s needs. We have established private systems as well as systems on the public cloud with cyber protection utilizing a pay-per-user-per-period model.

The road to smarter management in Transportation Organizations
GIV Solutions has been highly active in the transportation industry in Israel, spearheading numerous successful projects ranging from road O&M to bridges, rails, and engineering inspections.

Q: How have you observed the needs of transportation organizations change in recent years?

A: Transportation organizations are confronting a new reality characterized by regulations demanding reduced maintenance costs per kilometer and faster repair turnaround times (SLAs). Additionally, the uptick in city accidents necessitates swift and coordinated responses to restore infrastructure and ensure public safety. This demands not only managing internal resources but also facilitating seamless collaboration with external parties such as emergency services and insurance companies.

Q: How does GIV Solutions assist its customers in overcoming those challenges?

A: We lead in SLA management while adapting payments and linking compensation, ensuring that the situation is fully restored and cost-effective. Furthermore, we support insurance claims and manage the entire event, including connections to emergency parties. Throughout the repair process, all resources are meticulously documented, and a comprehensive event report can be generated immediately. Our system also facilitates funding for property owners and infrastructure operators to restore situations to their original states, ensuring a high level of service, reliability, and safety for all users. Today, most Israeli highway operators and toll road operators utilize our system to manage infrastructure and service conditions effectively, attesting to the clear and proven improvements they experience, which remain high over time. This holds true for smart cities and organizations working with our system as well.

Q: What type of transportation projects is your company involved in, and what are their needs?

A: We engage in numerous PPP (Public-Private Partnership) and BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) projects. In these endeavors, concessionaires seek reliable solutions within short timeframes and fast results. Leveraging GIV’s extensive experience in light rail projects, we provided our light rail operator with an operational system within six months. Within three months, we added another system for operating and maintaining bridges and road structures. In the road sector, we promptly provided clients with a Road Management System based on existing modules within two weeks, swiftly integrating additional modules. GIV excels in executing projects under various constraints and timelines.

Q: Can you share an example where GIV Solutions assisted a customer in overcoming an O&M transportation challenge?

A: We collaborated with a highway company that faced challenges with CCTV traffic cameras due to uneven dust and dirt conditions impairing their functionality. We helped them manage camera maintenance so that some cameras are cleaned every six months and others every two years. This approach mitigates revenue losses from poor camera performance, reducing maintenance costs while maintaining operational efficiency.

Q: Your company has been in the market for more than 23 years and continues to thrive and grow. What is the secret to your successful growth over time?

A: GIV Solutions thrives thanks to a multifaceted approach that emphasizes fostering a culture of innovation, nurturing skilled employees, preserving knowledge, and prioritizing customer satisfaction. Our meticulous process—from project planning to ongoing support—ensures long-term success and the delivery of industry-defining solutions. By offering a holistic response to our customers’ complex challenges and delivering breakthrough solutions, we’ve expanded into diverse areas, becoming the standard in various fields such as light rail O&M management in Israel.

Q: What sets GIV Solutions apart in terms of client relationships? How does the company build long-term partnerships and ensure client satisfaction?

A: At GIV Solutions, we cultivate enduring client partnerships through a personalized approach. We don’t merely implement technology; we seamlessly integrate it into specific workflows. Leveraging our extensive experience, we establish best practices for each client from the outset, offering comprehensive training and knowledge transfer to ensure effective system utilization. Our flexible solutions can be adapted even after deployment to accommodate evolving needs. Above all, we prioritize ongoing support, ensuring our clients’ satisfaction and success every step of the way.

Q: You mentioned a culture of innovation. In what ways does GIV foster innovative practices?

A: We’ve won the Israel Innovation Authority grant eight times for projects and developments with global innovation and significant business potential. Additionally, we’ve secured bi-national grants with other countries. Our latest grant involves developing AI capable of identifying cracks in walls and structures based on images collected using dedicated drones. This development aims to significantly enhance engineering inspections of structures, enabling accurate and effective safety reports, including digital twins and structural models.

Q: As part of your innovation and smart management vision, you initiated the GIV Solutions Ecosystem this year?

A: Indeed, GIV Solutions envisions a world where smart organizations and smart cities flourish, seamlessly integrating cutting-edge solutions onto a unified platform—embracing technology, innovation, and data to elevate sustainability, streamline urban operations, and empower data-driven decision-making. Hence, we established the GIV Solutions ecosystem with the mission to utilize technology to enrich the urban experience, enhancing services, and fostering a high quality of life for all community members. Our goal is to enable organizations and cities to adopt validated integrated solutions that minimize time, risk, and cost—a symphony of progress facilitated by collaboration. We invite readers with smart solutions that can be integrated with our smart management system to join forces with us and bring their cutting-edge solutions onto a unified and comprehensive platform to elevate sustainability, streamline operations, empower data-driven decision-making, and grow together.

GIV Solutions: Innovative systems for smart management

GIV-CITY™: Oversees the management of all municipality utilities and empowers Data accessibility and user experience for citizens & employees.

GIV-RMS™: Offers complete management of all road utilities and events, including safety permits, traffic regulations, RAMS BI, KPI, and SLA.

GIV-RAIL™: Offers complete management of all railway & Metro utilities, including real-time maintenance, BI Analytics, KPI, and SLA.

GIV-BMS™: Offers complete management for road structures, including Inspections, Treatment Models, RAMS BI, KPI, and SLA.

GIV-Estate™: Offers complete and efficient real-estate project and tenant lifecycle management. End-to-end digital processes including KPI and SLA.

GIV-Campus™: Offers a training management system for streamlining and optimizing academic organization operations, including instructors, students, and facilities.

GIV-Inspection -Tech™: On-condition, prescriptive structure maintenance solution. Integrating advanced technologies, Drones, EAM, and 3D models.

GIV-ENERGY™: Offers a complete management system for optimizing energy and organization processes, including logistics, SHE, and finance.

Company name: GIV Solutions
Founder and President: Meir Givon
Website: www.giv-solutions.com