Agility Management Pty Ltd. (Australia)

Agility Management Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of the Australian Gas Light Company, approached ECI to develop a PDA application using ECI's eWPS product to remove an administration burden from its special meter reading function. The Special Meter Reader (SMR) carries out the task of power disconnection and reconnections when properties are bought and sold.

Previously, Agility received approximately 700 requests per day by fax. A scheduler then spent four to six hours per day allocating the requested works for the following day. SMR's in the field also traveled back and forward from the office to get their priority 1 work that must be completed within set timeframes. This process involved approximately 1.5 hours of traveling, from the time of request to the completion of the task, and at least two business days from the receipt of the fax.

Now using eWPS, Agility receives requests via FTP (Internet base File Transfer Protocol). Then a scheduler logs onto the eWPS Web site and simply clicks on the button to allocate the requested work to the SMR in the field. Once all the requests have been allocated, crews sync their palms using their mobile phones to get that day's work. Project management can retrieve various statistical reports from the eWPS Web site to aid in managing the program. Agility received a return on investment within six months of implementation of eWPS into its SMR function, and believes they are achieving both tangible and intangible benefits.

Kansas City Power & Light Co. (USA)

ECI currently manages the KCP&L line clearance program under a Total Management Services arrangement. The project includes the provision of a contract personnel team that include Arborists and Work Planners. ECI also provides its electronic work planning system (eWPS), as well as TRES (Trim Report and Evaluation System), ECI's tree crew production reporting and monitoring system.

Based on a circuit prioritization schedule, ECI Work Planners systematically patrol assigned circuits and identify line clearance requirements in accordance with specifications. Work is planned using ECI's eWPS remote data collection system. Maintenance requirements are entered into the system in the field, and the data is then uploaded to a remote server. Work orders are generated by the system and given to the tree contractors, who then complete maintenance. ECI Arborists audit completed maintenance to ensure compliance with specifications and objectives.

The use of ECI processes and personnel have resulted in significant improvements in reliability, and reduced operating costs at KCP&L.