Client Reference | DNWAB

Flowing Transitions

Optimal networking from order handling to central recording: Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwasserbetriebsgesellschaft mbH relies on GS-Service in combination with tablet PCs for technical operations and fault management.

Anyone who deals professionally with the "blue gold" knows from experience: water finds its way. The Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwasserbetriebsgesellschaft mbH (DNWAB), on the other hand, steers the precious water in an orderly manner. In order to be able to supply more than one hundred thousand consumers with drinking water 365 days a year around the clock and to dispose of the wastewater produced, the municipal service provider for drinking water supply and wastewater disposal maintains, among other things, 25 waterworks, 18 sewage treatment plants, 2,417 wastewater pumping stations and 2,136 km of wastewater networks.

 

From the point of view of acceptance and handling, GS-Service is becoming a no-brainer: in the meantime, branches that are not yet involved are actively interessed in using GS-Service too. We are currently in the process of including other sectors.

When confronted with the two central challenges of "security of supply" and "economic efficiency", DNWAB consistently relies on the philosophy of need-based maintenance. Since May 2010, DNWAB has been optimising the relationship between maintenance costs and the desired plant availability with the GS-Service operations management system from GreenGate AG, Windeck. In combination with tablet PCs suitable for outdoor use, DNWAB thus realises the desired electronically supported work preparation and follow-up. 

The aim of introducing GS-Service was to minimise the paperbased administration with duplications in the work processes and to increase operational safety. Data records were to be retrievable and editable from any location after a single entry. In addition to the increased data quality, the data basis should also reduce the effort for evaluations.

In fact, the previous workflow had inherent weaknesses in the system. In the morning, the staff members received their order forms, which they filled out on site. At the end of the day, they returned the forms with their handwritten notes and reports. A clerk then entered all order, operating and condition data for maintenance, inspection and revision on the PC and entered them in the corresponding systems.
 

The conventional workflow was inherently time-consuming, potentially inconsistent, and limited the ability to react in real time on site, because important information and documents on plant data or maintenance details were only available to the staff on site to a limited extent, especially in the event of a malfunction or breakdown. This is also critical because the DNWAB service staff are responsible not only for complex waterworks and sewage treatment plant technology but also for more than 74,000 drinking water house connections.

 

Introduction

The introduction of GS-Service brought the expected boost in efficiency. The first step is to use GS-Service to process all work orders for the pumping stations division, which includes all work processes for the 2,417 plants. Order processing and feedback is done exclusively via the tablet PCs (Motion Computing) using the task client GS-Mobile. In this way, work orders are documented, operating data recorded and working hours reported back.

 

What does GS-Service provide?

As a subordinate system to the ERP, GS-Service integrates planning, documentation and monitoring functions and business applications into an information and management system.  The object-oriented software - designed as a scalable client/server solution - is based on standard technology and works under current Microsoft operating systems. Advantage: The open system architecture allows GS-Service to be connected to other systems (GIS, ERP).

Furthermore, the use of a "digital pen" or mobile devices for order processing - as practised at DNWAB - is easily possible. For Brandenburg‘s administration, however, it is primarily the reported working and operating times for staff and equipment that are of importance. On the one hand, they serve as proof of working hours for the payroll of the employees. On the other hand, they form the basis for billing the special-purpose associations and municipalities on whose behalf DNWAB provides services.

The time transfer takes place within the framework of a file interface, which transfers the working and operating times of staff and resources with all important framework data to the commercial system kVASy.
The transferred bookings contain all billing-relevant data such as duration, type of service and place of execution. In addition, a corresponding order number is generated in accordance with the DNWAB order number system.
In addition to scheduled maintenance, fault management is also handled via the application. Currently, the system is used in the wastewater division. This includes sewer networks, sewage pressure lines, pumping stations and sewage treatment plants. The introduction of the system in the entire drinking water sector is planned. This includes waterworks, the drinking water pipe network and pressure boosting stations. The order confirmations are also made via GS-Mobile. The advantage of this is that the application generates consistent fault statistics that can be evaluated according to individual criteria.

 

"GS-Service is becoming a self-runner"

Interview with graduated engineer Eckhard Wolter

Graduated engineer Eckhard Wolter is head of production at Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwassergesellschaft mbH (DNWAB). DNWAB is a modern, municipal management company for drinking water supply and wastewater disposal facilities in the state of Brandenburg. The company is wholly owned by municipalities and operates water management facilities in the name and on behalf of special-purpose associations and municipalities.
 

When did DNWAB start considering a new software solution for technical operations management and fault management?

Graduated engineerEckhard Wolter: As early as 2004, an in-house project group called "Optimisation of Processes" dealt with the transition from preventive to demand-oriented maintenance. It became clear that the technical area had to be integrated into the digital workflow more effectively than before.

 

Why did you initiate the paradigm shift by including the commercial system?

Graduated engineer Eckhard Wolter: Because the project group's economic analysis showed that we as a company were investing up to twelve percent of unproductive time and that a large number of forms harbours the danger of data inconsistency. The integration of the technical area was necessary insofar as we work for 8 clients and all order-relevant data must be recorded, both commercially and technically. This can only be solved electronically.
 

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

Graduated engineer Eckhard Wolter: On the one hand, they serve as proof of working hours for the payroll accounting of the employees, and on the other hand, they also form the basis for invoicing our clients. With GS-Service you now manage several technical, commercial and wage/salary-relevant processes on a consistent database. Which DNWAB division was integrated first?

With GS-Service, you now manage several technical, commercial and wage/salary-relevant processes on a consistent database. Which DNWAB division was integrated first?

Graduated engineer  Eckhard Wolter: In a first step, we processed all work orders for the pumping stations division via GS-Service. This means that all work processes for approx. 2,417 wastewater pumping stations alone are serviced.

What were the first reactions of the in-house and field staff to GS-Service?

Graduated engineer  Eckhard Wolter: The scepticism at the beginning has turned into the exact opposite, GS-Service is becoming a self-runner in terms of acceptance and handling: in the meantime, divisions that are not yet involved are actively asking when they too will receive GS-Service. We are currently in the process of including other sectors.
 

Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwasserbetriebsgesellschaft mbH

User report

Anwenderbericht Dahme-Nuthe Wasser-, Abwasserbetriebsgesellschaft mbH

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GS service: one system - many possibilities