British Waterways Upgrades Service Management With New Solution From Hunter Systems

Online, June 27, 2011 (Newswire.com) - British Waterways, the public corporation responsible for a network of 2,200 canals and rivers in England, Scotland and Wales, has deployed a new service management system. Developed by Hunter Systems, a leading UK provider of service and asset management software, the new application will help the organisation to ensure that planned maintenance for all locks and control rooms is carried out efficiently and will improve the operational effectiveness of the national canal network.

The system is a core part of British Waterways' SCADA project, an initiative that will enhance the service management of engineers and subcontractors employed to maintain important equipment such as valves and motors used in control rooms and lock gates across the canal network.

According to British Waterways: "We asked Hunter Systems to develop a bespoke application after seeing their SAM solution, a powerful service and asset management system that is in daily use by organisations throughout the UK. As well as providing the most cost effective solution, we were impressed by the responsive approach that the company took to ensure the development of a bespoke solution that met all our needs."

The new system is installed on the laptops used by British Waterways staff and subcontractors during on-site maintenance and repair visits. It records the time and duration of each visit as well as component pass/fail data gathered whilst completing standard testing routines. This information is automatically loaded via a mobile broadband connection to a server located at British Waterways' Hatton, Warwick offices providing an instant view of all work completed. The system is highly flexible allowing custom reports and forms to be quickly designed and put into operation.

The whole project took 4 months from start to finish and the new service management solution is currently being rolled out across England, Scotland and Wales.

"The new system will enable us to achieve significant time and cost savings by having access to up-to-date and accurate information. This will allow us to quickly identify trends and better manage the operational side of the business. It also has the flexibility to be used by other departments and will deliver further efficiency savings throughout the organisation," concluded British Waterways.