St. Paul, Minn., May 19, 2009 -- Powel, Inc,, a vendor of utility software, recently awarded EnergyUnited their 2009 Innovation Award at the annual Powel User Group Meeting.
Brian Dacaret, construction manager for EnergyUnited, received the award. EnergyUnited, headquartered in Statesville, NC, is the 15th largest rural electric cooperative in the U.S., serving more than 120,000 members across 19 counties and more than 12,000 miles of line.
The award was given to EnergyUnited for their StakeOut (WorkStudio) design and work management implementation, which tracks all types of work orders, service orders and jobs from initiation through close out across four different systems. EnergyUnited is one of the first utilities to use StakeOut's new ability to support multiple job types in a single implementation. EnergyUnited also developed customizations to allow access to StakeOut's job information from their existing Cayenta CIS system.
EnergyUnited uses Cayenta CIS for service orders and SEDC Accounting for construction jobs, but they needed a better way to exchange information between the two systems and to increase visibility. For RUS reporting, EnergyUnited also needed to have their jobs in SEDC divided by 740c codes, so that no more than one code is used on each job.
In order to meet their unique work processing requirements, EnergyUnited defined eight different StakeOut work order types. Service orders are still initiated in Cayenta, while work orders are now initiated in StakeOut. In StakeOut, a work order that has overhead and underground units might be staked as a single work order, but for RUS reporting, it must be broken into multiple jobs. StakeOut handles this by allowing the user to design one single work order, and then before exporting it to SEDC, StakeOut runs an automation to break the work order into multiple smaller jobs with the units divided up based on the appropriate RUS categories. After jobs are built, as-built construction changes are recorded in StakeOut and results are integrated to the other systems, reducing data entry and error potential.
All completed work is also updated to EnergyUnited's ArcFM GIS from Telvent. Before work orders are posted, StakeOut applies checks for accuracy and completeness, so that this interface not only reduces data entry and redrawing, but it also ensures data quality.
To improve work visibility, many utilities implement Powel's InfoCenter web portal to view work orders from StakeOut, but EnergyUnited took their implementation a step further. They enhanced their existing Cayenta web-based system, so that it now displays work order information and comments directly from StakeOut's database. Their office staff can see StakeOut's information in the existing Cayenta system that they already use and are comfortable with. Any employee can not only determine a work order's status, but can also see who owns the work order and who staked it, and can view the staking sheet and any associated comments.
EnergyUnited has also used the information created by StakeOut for productivity and work load analysis. They used the information from StakeOut to more efficiently meet their staffing needs by rebalancing work load throughout the territory.
According to Brian Dacaret, construction manager of EnergyUnited, "This award signifies the results of all the hard work and effort that was put into this implementation from both Powel and the EnergyUnited team. Their efforts truly pushed the limits of the software and our work practices in order to achieve a work order management solution that works best for EnergyUnited and its members."
Scott Rogers, CEO of Powel, Inc, said, "We are delighted to give our Innovation Award to EnergyUnited this year. EnergyUnited took a detailed and thoughtful approach in how to best implement a design and work management system in their unique environment and worked with Powel as a partner throughout the process, applying the newest and most innovative technology. Their end result shows the outstanding efficiencies and work process insights that can be gained by such an approach."
About Powel, Inc.
Powel, Inc., headquartered in St. Paul, MN, delivers software solutions that realize our mission of "Helping Utilities Work Smarter." Powel WorkStudio is a Mobile Work Management platform with office-based analysis that helps utilities work smarter through the entire asset lifecycle, from design to construction to service, including right-of-way clearance, maintenance and storm assessment. WorkStudio incorporates Powel's industry leading StakeOut field design application. Powel, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Powel ASA, a publicly held company serving customers worldwide.
About EnergyUnited
EnergyUnited, an innovative and dynamic energy services company, serves more than 120,000 electricity customers in 19 North Carolina counties, stretching from Virginia to northern Mecklenburg County and encompassing the fast-growing I-40, I-77, and I-85 corridors. Its service territory includes suburbs surrounding three of North Carolina's largest cities - Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro. EnergyUnited makes customer satisfaction its highest priority, and its electric customers enjoy one of the highest reliability rates in the industry. EnergyUnited also provides propane to more than 29,000 customers in 74 North and South Carolina counties and offers other specialized residential and commercial products and services.
Contact:
Mandy Bambenek, Marketing Director
Direct: 651.251.2958
Office: 651.251.3005
E-mail: [email protected]
