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4/19/2002 TRANSCO AND ITRONIX ENTER AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE MAJOR WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION Transco, Britain’s leading gas transporter, has announced an agreement with Itronix Europe to provide around 7,000 state-of-the-art sealed, rugged, mobile computers for a variety of installation solutions. Transco and Itronix will also work with Tempus to develop unique devices for mounting the computers within engineers’ vehicles. Transco has instigated this project in order to fulfil its objectives to increase customer satisfaction, improve health and safety standards and lower operational costs. Transco, part of the Lattice Group plc, is responsible for ensuring that gas is delivered to more than 20 million homes and businesses around Britain safely and efficiently. A major element in achieving this is the work of its rapidly growing field service team that attends gas emergencies, and carries out installation and essential maintenance work. Angela Sadler, Project Manager for Transco, comments: “We selected Itronix because the company has the right range of high quality products, backed up by unrivalled service, support and training. Itronix has the capability to deliver a complete end-to-end solution for our workforce management requirements as well as fulfilling all our specific criteria for system functionality.” Matt Gerber, Managing Director of Itronix in Europe, comments: “This is one of Europe’s largest ever contracts for the supply of ruggedised notebook computers and we are delighted to have been selected by Transco. This contract is further proof that Itronix is unique in the wireless, mobile computer market. We provide the best available hardware for field service applications and combine this with the best infrastructure for service and support. The result is that we ensure our customers’ workforce management projects are the most successful.” Additional Information Around 7,000 Itronix GoBooks will be issued to Transco Crafts Persons* (TCP) and Repair & Replace (R&R) teams. The main programme will start in April and be completed by the end of the year. However, some issued to Local Distribution Zones (LDZs) earlier in the year to help with the peak winter workload. The new equipment will be used by TCPs carrying out emergency and meter work to receive jobs from call centres and send back completed job details. R&R teams will use the laptops to view maps on CD ROM showing pipelines and other plant. The GoBook has a rugged build developed especially for utilities. The new machines run Windows 2000, are faster and more reliable than existing equipment and have the potential to support more software, which will see field-based staff getting access to other desktop applications, including TransNet, the company’s intranet Two features which they don’t currently have are a viewer to enable them to look at the Stores catalogue on the laptops and a multi-media viewer to enable them to look at “best practise” video CDs. The handheld device supplied by Itronix is a fex21running a WinCE operating system. It too has a rugged construction for utility work and will replace the Psion devices currently used. It will be used mainly by staff doing meterwork to record meter data. The contract provides a ‘total package’ procurement solution that includes not just supplying the devices, but also in-vehicle installation, training, implementation, support and servicing, warranty and the option to purchase or lease these services. At the signing of the contract, Chief Information Officer, John Lockett said: “This is a big investment for Transco. The input from many parts of the business has ensured we have a contract that meets our needs now and has the potential to evolve as the business environment – and technology – develops.” The Solution When the tender documents for the laptop contract were drawn up it was made very clear that the installation solution was as important as the hardware. Intronix brought in Tempus as specialists for the installation. Use of laptops in vehicles has always been an issue for discussion ever since they were introduced for field engineers. Twisting to either pick up the laptop from the passenger seat, where it was typically kept, or to use it on the seat caused problems for people with back problems. Visibility has also been a problem with reports of eyestrain caused by glare from the screen and comments that it is difficult to see at night. During preparation of the tender a steering group was set up to look at all aspects of the contract. GMB National Co-ordinator Bob Matthews was a member of the steering group and was asked to nominate people for working groups to make sure the views of users were taken on board. “The involvement of users has been absolutely key to the whole process. Every LDZ contributed and knew their comments were being listened to. “What came across in our discussions was that no other industry using laptops in the field had successfully dealt with the problem of installing them in vehicles,” said Bob. For Dave Cheetham, a member of the working group and a TCP and GMB trade union rep working out of Wrexham, getting a workable solution was almost a personal crusade. Dave had been on an earlier working group looking at options for laptops but they hadn’t been able to resolve the issue. “We could see straight away from the drawings Tempus supplied that their solution had greater potential than other options. We made suggestions on joints and pivots to improve the design and we’ve ended up with a quality piece of kit,” said Dave. “The arm means the laptop is at a good working height for the vast majority of users. It drops down from the bulkhead when a lever is pulled instead of having to be lifted so there’s no longer a risk of exacerbating back problems. The screen is close enough not to have to lean or stretch so there’s no eye or back strain. The anti-glare screen is also a great improvement. “Because it folds back into the bulkhead when it’s not being used, it’s far more secure than being left on the passenger seat. There are no wires to plug in and nothing has to be unlocked.” Modifications to the vehicle bulkhead to house the arm with laptop attached meant that the vehicle had to be crash tested by the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) before it could go on the road. The modifications to a Ford Transit, the first model of vehicle due to have the laptop and arm installed, were approved by MIRA. Arrangements are now being made to modify and crash test the Iveco van used predominantly by Repair & Replace teams and the small Renault Kangoo van. Twelve ‘proof of concept’ vehicles are now out being used by Emergency & Meterwork engineers to make sure that the arm operates as it should in a working environment. Assuming it passes these tests, an installation programme will start in April with completion planned for October, ready for the winter workload. |
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