*Photo produced before the pandemic.
Innovation contributes to the performance of designers in the field to improve the process of expansion of distribution networks
Neoenergia's expansion and improvement projects will gain an ally, a technology that allows the management and collection of data in the field through a mobility solution for the construction process. With this, the current method, done manually and on paper, will be replaced by tablets with an integrated mobile solution. The innovation, which will be used by designers in the design of works and network upgrade, will result in improved productivity of the team, offering a more efficient and accurate database. The system already runs in Elektro (SP and MS) and arrives in a current version at the distributors Coelba (BA), Celpe (PE) and Cosern (RN), with the expansion of technology functionalities in dealerships in 2021. The system should be implemented, also, not Neoenergia Distribution Brasilia (DF).
The mobility solution for the works process works as follows. The designer accesses the system through login to the tablet. On the device, it views all the activities of the day, with the information of the service notes and the location. These requests that go to the designer have two origins. The first is through customer service, from which consumers can request services, such as pole relocation and extension requests from large customers such as industries. The second is from the constant works that Neoenergia carries out in order to improve and expand the distribution network. With this request available on the tablet, the designer goes to the field to survey the project, analyzing the situation of the site before performing the work and still contributes to the updating of the technical register.
"The technology offers some features that contribute to the work of the designer. Among them, geographic information needs to be evaluated. Until then, the address had been in the paper service note and the designer needed to search the internet for more details if necessary. Now it visualizes everything directly in the system. In addition, with the tablet in the field, it can now go by taking notes of the service while doing the evaluation, which optimizes time and productivity. Before, this information was annotated on paper and then transcribed into the system on the computer when the designer came back to theoffice," explains Neoenergia engineer and project manager Ananias Marques.
The advantage also applies to the possibility of the projectdesigner in the field doing the management of the service, which is shared with the team that is in the office. This is possible by synchronising the technology on the tablet with the system in the office, which allows not only the consolidation of the project steps, but also procedures and budget methodologies for the execution of the work. "The new technology brings faster, more accurate and conversion with the other Neoenergia systems, as well as standardization and standardized technical validations of information. It is possible to update the registration of network assets through the mapped points, in addition to improving the efficiency of the process by integration and quality control", says the Superintendent of Technical Processes and Sustainability of Neoenergia, Dayson Arantes.
The implementation of the mobile solution went through a series of phases, between usability tests, application and training of designers. In the states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte, the 1st phase includes the delivery of 400 tablets to be used in the field. In total, the system will optimize the work of 1,400 employees in the three distributors – Coelba, Celpe and Cosern. Also in 2021, the version of the system will be updated at Elektro, in addition to the network inspection function that will be incorporated into the technology for use in the four Neoenergia distributors.