29.11.2021
Sadales tīkls AS has introduced a new digital tool “Utility to go” (UTG) for technical specialists who ensure technical maintenance of the electrical network and damage prevention. With this app, employees have access to information on the current state of the electrical network and the work to be carried out, thus making it possible to follow the events taking place in the network at all times and exchange information with colleagues. In this way, a number of actions that were previously manual are now automated, making it possible to save time and paper that was needed for printing out the technical documents. The digitisation of processes makes it possible to coordinate work more operatively, thus shortening the duration of planned and unplanned power outages for customers.
Power line inspection and damage prevention is an integral part of the work that specialists of Sadales tīkls carry out, and UTG makes it possible to significantly raise the efficiency of the tasks performed. Before, when inspecting a specific section of the electrical network, employees had to bring a number of printouts with the necessary technical data to the site, whereas now, with UTG, employees can see the status of the electrical network, the technical data of every element and the tasks to be performed in a unified system, which can be accessed from a tablet or another smart mobile device. This solution has substantially increased the mobility of the company’s network management employees, which is especially important during the pandemic, since the specialists can start their work from home without the need to come to the office for directions and documentation. UTG has also significantly improved and accelerated the mutual information flow, making it possible for the company to save on more than 100,000 printouts and approx. 28,000 minutes of calls per year.
In the UTG app, employees see real-time network data, and, if necessary, they can react faster, for example, to prevent a potential accident or other mishap. With the help of UTG, an employee can immediately identify the location and switch where power has to be turned off in the case of an emergency without involving other colleagues, thus instantly preventing potential danger.
“The implementation of UTG has had a significant impact on the day-to-day work of more than 2/3 of employees of Sadales tīkls, making it possible for the entire company to become more digital and efficient. The tool speeds up the work to be carried out in the electrical network, ensuring an even more stable and high-quality power supply to customers. Moreover, UTG also helps mitigate the impact on the environment, since the need for paper printouts has reduced significantly since its implementation. If work was previously marked on paper printouts, then after the introduction of UTG all of the information necessary to electrical specialists can be found in one app. Besides, all data are updated in real time and all new information can be instantly added to the app, as everyone has the system “in their pocket”. We tend to call this solution the “pocket electrical network”, and that’s exactly how it works,” said Raimonds Skrebs, Member of the Management Board and Technical Director at Sadales tīkls, commenting on the new solution.
The new IT solution also works offline, which is important when working in locations with poor internet coverage. Therefore, the necessary information can be accessed from any spot in Latvia.
When looking for the best solution to implement the required system, Sadales tīkls carried out research of the solutions available on the market, including taking part in experience exchange trips to other distribution system operators in Switzerland, Estonia, and Finland. After conducting the research, the UTG solution offered by the American company Trimble was selected and adapted to the needs of Sadales tīkls.