Minneapolis, MN - June 2000 - When officials at Public Service Co of New Mexico, Albuquerque, decided to increase their focus on mobile work-force management, they quickly realized that they needed a lot more than just some mobile computers. They began by looking for a work management system that could automatically process work orders and integrate into the existing database from Oracle Corp, Redwood Shores, Calif.
In October 1999, the selection process began. Ironically, it took longer to choose the vendor than it did to implement the system. PS New Mexico eventually chose the Automated Dispatch Locating System (ADLS) developed by KorTerra, Minneapolis, MN. The project team selected the product because it promised ease of implementation with Oracle’s products, and got positive reviews from other ADLS users. “The system was in place and live within two weeks. The ADLS product manger, Jeff Law, worked well past midnight on the first night of the project,” recalls Project Manager James Stanovack. “Our old work management system would crash weekly. We’ve had this system running for three months without a hitch. It’s bulletproof.”
The new system has streamlined work orders, and mobile technicians now can go right to their work sites without ever entering the office.
Today, the system is used in the Phoenix territory, with 11 Panasonic CF-25 laptops out in the field, but utility officials plan to expand the system state-wide. The next step for the utility is to develop a wireless network – eliminating the need for field workers to reconcile the mobile computers with the mainframe data base.
