Nueces Electric Cooperative (NEC) has chosen Powel-MiniMax's StakeOut software to streamline the field design process and save time in the office.
NEC is located in Corpus Christie, Texas, and serves around 14,000 customers. The utility has three field designers and makes around six to eight new connections each day. This busy schedule means that time-saving processes play an important role in maintaining efficiency.
“StakeOut will be a huge time saver for my crews when it comes to paperwork,” said Avan Irani, NEC’s engineering manager. “Under our old system, everything was done manually. A crew went out into the field, made a sketch, and got the units. When they returned to the office, they had to transfer all the units and sketches onto a staking sheet and then again enter the units into our Customer Information System. The entire process was cumbersome and took about an hour to complete the paperwork for one job. With StakeOut, we eliminate the redundancy and convert three or four steps into one.”
StakeOut field design software manages and streamlines the entire work order process, from job initiation to close-out. The software integrates with existing business systems, synchronizes field-to-office data to reduce paperwork, and improves customer service. Data can be accessed and used directly in the field for increased accuracy. Field designers no longer have to return to the office to create an estimate; with StakeOut, all the necessary information is readily available in the field, reducing needless travel time.
Corey Maple, CEO of Powel-MiniMax, said, “Utilities like Nueces Electric are recognizing the value of automation as a time saver. Field designers have access to all the information they need, allowing them to complete jobs on-site. With StakeOut Editor, you can revise estimates right out in the field instead of making multiple trips to and from the office.”
In about six months, NEC will gain just over 5000 new customers due to border changes with a neighboring utility. This opportunity means that Irani will be inventorying about 400 miles of line. “Doing it manually would be a nightmare,” Irani said. “StakeOut will help me process these new lines more efficiently.”
NEC plans on integrating StakeOut with NISC’s Caps XL-Plus. Additionally, NEC will use StakeOut to conduct field inventories, data collection and vegetation control.
