Safe, efficient workflow

With a vast underground network of pipelines, ATCO Gas Australia (ATCO GA) provides natural gas connections to approximately 683,000 Western Australians, including residential, business and large-scale industrial customers.The company owns and maintains a network of over 13,500 km of gas mains and lines, with a service team on call 24/7/365.

ATCO GA implemented a Field Mobility solution that features over 80 rugged Panasonic Toughbook tablets across its mobile workforce, efficiently replacing paper-based processes with a fully automated system.

Alan Dixon, president of ATCO GA, said, “Field Mobility has enabled ATCO GA’s large field team to operate more independently, with higher safety protocols and more efficient resource utilisation. Our aim was to reduce response times to incidents through providing more automated and streamlined methods of job record creation, job allocation, work performance recording, job return and job closure.”

The Field Mobility system has delivered a real-time, end-to-end solution for job dispatch, management and completion using SAP (ERP), webMethods (middleware), ESRI (GIS), mDrover (dispatch application), EIM (document management) and numerous desktop and remote upgrade/support tools.

Toughbooks have been installed in the fleet of duty vehicles to replace an unreliable mobile fax service. Under the old system, communication was limited to mobile phones and trunk radios. Field crew locations and status were verbally communicated, while job dispatch and management was paper based.

The new electronic system eliminates the need for paperwork. Allocation, receipt and completion of job notifications now occurs in real time, and risk assessments are completed electronically at the start of each job. Instant messaging allows communication between field staff and the control room.

Dixon added, “The Toughbook CF-H2 Field Tablets were chosen for their rugged capability and have been received very positively by the field team. The tablets support the mission-critical service delivery required by ATCO GA, and have proven to be robust and reliable in the harsh day-to-day environment experienced by crews. They are built to withstand extremes of temperature, with a sealed magnesium-alloy chassis that is resistant to dust and water.”

The Field Mobility system incorporates a number of features designed to improve safety, and documents available to field staff via Toughbooks include Dial Before You Dig plans. Procedures and safety manuals are downloaded directly from an enterprise information management system, ensuring the latest version is always accessible. The units feature GIS/Assetview maps that show the location of reticulation assets and all health, safety and environment forms are completed electronically.

A GPS feature enables dispatchers to allocate the closest qualified field crew with the required equipment, improving response times and enhancing gas network safety.

The tablets are securely docked via vehicle mounts which also power and charge them. The fully rugged devices are lightweight and have an outdoor-viewable screen and a polariser to reduce reflection. Battery life was also an important feature, with hot-swappable twin batteries extending life up to 6.5 h and enabling battery replacement in the field without shutting down.

Following the success of the project, ATCO GA is planning to continue expansion to maintenance crews across Western Australia.