AM/FM: Tuned in to utility reengineering
- PlanGraphics, Inc., Longmont, CO (United States)
- Juhl Communications, Snowmass Village, CO (United States)
Philadelphia Electric Co. is one utility that's strongly dedicated to improving its service. And part of its strategic information systems plan to redefine and reorganize how it does business includes implementing an Automated Mapping/Facility Management (AM/FM) system that will enable a single designer to complete all the steps involved in installing new service. The company expects the system to reduce substantially the amount of time it takes to service new customers. At Illinois Power, a similar effort is underway to improve the customer service process by combining AM/FM, engineering automation, and scheduling in a way that integrates the customer information and materials handling systems. A 25-percent productivity increase is anticipated. Cobb Electric Membership Corp. is using AM/FM to link all its reengineering efforts and improve business operations in work-order management, continuing property records, engineering design, routing for meter reading, and other operations. In Australia, North Queensland Electricity Board (NORQEB) is reengineering work processes across the company to create an automated system in which each piece of information about the electric distribution network and the customers it serves is entered only once. The system integrates with other data and applications as part of a utility-wide information technology network and creates an environment that makes data for mapping and network design applications available to other systems. As utilities reengineer, it's a basic truth that they must have good, accurate information about their facility model to make good decisions about their plant and to carry out their processes more efficiently. Many technologies will be used as utilities seek to accomplish these objectives. AM/FM offers one way to better management of facility assets, which are, by far, the most important assets that a utility owns and manages.
- OSTI ID:
- 5368527
- Journal Information:
- Fortnightly; (United States), Journal Name: Fortnightly; (United States) Vol. 132:2; ISSN FRTNE8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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