Reference Customer | Case Study

Seamlessly connected from order processing to centralized data collection: Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwasserbetriebsgesellschaft mbH relies on GS-Service in combination with tablet PCs for technical operations management and incident management

Reference Customer | DNWAB

Smooth Transitions

Anyone who works professionally with “blue gold” knows from experience: Water finds its own way. The Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwasserbetriebsgesellschaft mbH (DNWAB), however, channels this precious resource into orderly courses. To supply over 100,000 consumers with drinking water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and to dispose of the resulting wastewater, this municipal utility for drinking water supply and wastewater disposal operates, among other facilities, 25 water treatment plants, 18 wastewater treatment plants, 2,417 wastewater pumping stations, and 2,136 km of sewer networks.

Key Facts from the Case Study: GS-Service & GS-Mobile in Use at Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwasserbetriebsgesellschaft mbH (DNWAB)

Industry: Water and Wastewater Management / Municipal Utility

Software Used:

GS-Service – GS-Manager, GS-Mobile

Processes supported:

Planning, managing, and documenting maintenance, repair, and inspection orders
Fault management and analysis of fault statistics
Reporting of staff work hours and on-duty times, as well as equipment usage
Integration with financial systems (e.g., kVASy) for payroll and billing data
Mobile order processing via tablets, including data entry, confirmation, and status updates

Verwaltung technischer Anlagen: Pumpwerke, Kläranlagen, Wasserwerke, Rohrnetz, Druckerhöhungsstationen
Einheitliche, ortsunabhängige Datenbasis für alle Mandanten und Sparten
Auswertungen und Reporting zur Effizienzsteigerung, Ressourcennutzung und Kostenkontrolle

Challenge:

High demands on supply reliability and cost-effectiveness in complex infrastructure
Previously paper-based work orders resulting in duplicate work and a high risk of errors
Limited ability to respond in real time to malfunctions or emergencies
Maintenance based on actual needs to reduce downtime
Integration of technical, business, and payroll data on a single platform
Scalable solution for multiple clients and different business segments

Procedure:

Digital recording of all work orders via GS-Service; gradual introduction of tablet-based field service via GS-Mobile; electronic recording of working hours, service hours, and operational data; integration into the kVASy business system for payroll and billing data; phased implementation across all divisions (pumping stations, wastewater, drinking water).

Result:

Media-neutral, digital processing of orders and service calls—eliminating paper-based processes
Real-time availability of order and equipment data on-site
Increased efficiency through shorter processing times, reduced duplication of effort, and optimized resource utilization
Transparent data foundation for reporting, service call statistics, billing, and payroll
High acceptance among in-house and field staff: GS-Service “becomes a self-sustaining success”
Scalable solution for all business units with a unified database for multiple clients
Improved operational safety and reliable documentation for audit and compliance purposes

GS-Service is becoming a runaway success in terms of acceptance and ease of use: Divisions that haven’t yet participated are now actively asking when they, too, will receive GS-Service. We are currently in the process of incorporating additional divisions.

Caught between the two central challenges of “security of supply” and “cost-effectiveness,” DNWAB consistently pursues a philosophy of demand-driven maintenance. Since May 2010, DNWAB has been optimizing the relationship between maintenance costs incurred and the desired equipment availability using the GS-Service operations management system from GreenGate AG (Windeck). Combined with outdoor-rated tablet PCs, DNWAB thereby achieves the desired electronically supported work preparation and follow-up.

The goal of introducing GS-Service was to minimize paper-heavy administration with duplicated work steps and to increase operational safety. Once captured, data records were meant to be retrievable and editable from anywhere, independent of location. Besides improving data quality, the underlying data was also meant to reduce the effort required for analyses and reporting.

In fact, the previous workflow had weaknesses built into the system itself. In the morning, employees were handed their work order slips, which they filled out on site. At the end of their shift, they handed the forms back in, complete with handwritten notes and reports. A clerk would then enter all the order, operational and condition data for maintenance, inspection and overhaul into a PC and record it in the relevant systems.

By its very nature, this conventional workflow entailed a high time expenditure, potential data inconsistencies, and limited real-time response capability on site, since important information and documentation on equipment data or maintenance details were only available to field staff to a limited extent — especially in fault or emergency situations. This is all the more significant given that, alongside complex waterworks and wastewater treatment plant technology, DNWAB’s service staff are also responsible for over 74,000 domestic drinking-water connections.

Implementation

The introduction of GS-Service delivered the hoped-for boost in efficiency. As a first step, GS-Service is being used to process all work orders for the Pumping Stations division, which covers all operational processes across the 2,417 facilities. Order processing and status updates are carried out exclusively via tablet PCs (Motion Computing) using the GS-Mobile task client. In this way, work orders are documented, operational data is recorded and working hours are reported.

What exactly does GS-Service do?

As a system subordinate to the ERP, GS-Service integrates planning, documentation and monitoring functions, as well as business management applications, into a single information and management system. The object-oriented software – designed as a scalable client/server solution – is based on standard technology and runs on the latest Microsoft operating systems. One advantage is that, thanks to its open system architecture, GS-Service can be interfaced with other systems (GIS, ERP).

It is also easy to use a ‘digital pen’ or mobile devices for order processing – as practised at DNWAB. From an administrative perspective, however, the reported working and operational hours for staff and equipment are of primary importance to the Brandenburg authorities. On the one hand, these serve as proof of working hours for staff payroll; on the other, they form the basis for invoicing the special-purpose associations and local authorities on whose behalf DNWAB provides services.

The transfer of time data takes place via a file interface, which transfers the working and operational times of staff and equipment, together with all relevant background data, to the kVASy business system. The transferred entries contain all data relevant to billing, such as duration, service type and location. In addition, a corresponding order number is generated in accordance with the DNWAB’s order numbering system. As well as scheduled maintenance, fault management is also handled via the application. The system is currently in use within the wastewater division. This includes sewer networks, pressurised sewage pipes, pumping stations and sewage treatment works. The roll-out across the entire drinking water division is planned for 2014. This encompasses waterworks, the drinking water distribution network and pressure-boosting stations. Order confirmations are also submitted via GS-Mobile. A key advantage is that the application generates comprehensive fault statistics which can be analysed according to individual criteria.

‘GS-Service is becoming a runaway success’

Interview with Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Wolter

Eckhard Wolter, Dipl.-Ing., is Head of Production at Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwassergesellschaft mbH (DNWAB). DNWAB is a modern, municipal operations management company for drinking water supply and wastewater treatment facilities in the state of Brandenburg. The company is wholly owned by local authorities and operates the water management facilities on behalf of and in the name of special-purpose associations and local authorities.

Since when has DNWAB been considering the idea of basing its technical operations management and fault management on a new software solution?

Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Wolter: As early as 2004, an in-house ‘Process Optimisation’ project group was looking into the transition from preventive to condition-based maintenance. It became clear that the technical department needed to be integrated more effectively into the digital workflow than had previously been the case.

Why are you initiating this paradigm shift by incorporating the commercial system?

Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Wolter: Because the project group’s cost-effectiveness analysis revealed that, as a company, we were spending up to twelve per cent of our time unproductively, and that the large number of forms carries the risk of data inconsistency. Integrating the technical side was necessary because we work for eight clients and all order-related data must be recorded, both commercial and technical. This can only be achieved electronically.

To what extent are the reported working hours and deployment times of staff, as well as the use of resources, of particular importance?

Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Wolter: On the one hand, they serve as proof of working hours for staff payroll; on the other hand, they also form the basis for invoicing our clients.

Using GS-Service, you can now manage a wide range of technical, commercial and payroll-related processes on a single, integrated data platform. Which division of DNWAB was integrated first?

Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Wolter: As a first step, we processed all work orders for the Pumping Stations division via GS-Service. This covers all work processes for approximately 2,417 wastewater pumping stations alone.
What were the initial reactions to GS-Service from the in-house administrators and field staff?
Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Wolter: The initial scepticism has turned into the exact opposite; in terms of acceptance and ease of use, GS-Service has become a runaway success: divisions not yet involved are now actively asking when they too will be able to use GS-Service. We are currently in the process of integrating further divisions.

The Customer Case Study as a PDF

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