Soon to be gone are the days where reams of paper form the basis of a maintenance crew’s work schedule – in their place, a smartphone software solution. This is the direction Tamworth Regional Council’s Maintenance and Construction team has embarked upon.
In a move to increase efficiency through improved use of current resources – and achieve inspection and maintenance objectives across a diverse range of assets – Tamworth Regional Council decided to optimise and expand the use of their inspection and maintenance management solution.
“The need for a comprehensive maintenance management system that assisted Council in managing its workload and also managing its insurance liabilities” was the driving force behind implementing the Asset Edge Reflect software across a range of asset classes, said Council Technical Officer Dale Kimball.
The desired outcome of the initiative was to create a consistent process for managing inspections and associated maintenance activities for bridge, local road and footpath infrastructure. The asset information was compiled using existing asset and geospatial data, with additional models being assembled from the maintenance management guideline and objectives. These sets of information were then used to develop the foundation of the new mobile solution.
The list of functionality and requirements included:
- Establishment of an accurate asset listing viewable through a map interface,
- Development of inspection regimes and defect models ensuring use of risk management practices to prioritise and schedule works,
- Ability to manage planned works and work orders,
- Accurate capture of all completed works, and
- Availability through a mobile platform.
“Achieving a more structured approach to maintenance management, a more refined response to customer requests and eventually a bigger picture of maintenance across council” are the key benefits to be gained as a result of the implementation, said Kimball.
Collaboration of various stakeholders across council during the initial development day followed by setup and training days ensured successful development and delivery of the key outcomes. The flexibility of the system setup means the software can be tailored to each site’s specific policies and procedures.
The participation and support of the council’s IT Operations and Support Supervisor, Daniel Murphy, ensured the rollout of additional mobile devices and associated training were completed with ease. In total, Tamworth Regional Council now has 15 mobile devices in the field using Asset Edge Reflect to manage inspection and maintenance activities.