Dec 07/Jan/08

Utility Partnership, a Cardiff-based specialist in automatic meter-reading ( 'smart metering') has introduced a routing and scheduling system from DPS Logix for its field installation teams in order to maintain efficiency in its fast-growing business.

The company has performs various kind of work in its field. It works with three out of the four major mobile phone companies, fitting and monitoring smart meters at phone masts, and also works with many major retailers, checking the energy usage at their stores and other facilities.

According to director and co-founder Rhys Wynne: 'When we first started, we were able to use manual route and work scheduling, but now we are fitting 200 sites a week and it is simply not feasible to produce efficient plans manually.'

He adds: 'One of the big challenges is that the addresses are new every time - it is not like a logistics business where deliveries are being made to the same addresses every day or week.'

 

He says LogiX has enabled the company to produce robust schedules and manage customers' expectations far better. 'We simply couldn't do this job without LogiX. We are able to pinpoint remote sites using Ordnance Survey grid references to within one metre.'