Effective management and field work with Tekla Solution for water utilities
"In the production of water supply services, Lahti Aqua Oy invests in high-quality, good customer service and in keeping risks and costs low. To progress toward these objectives, it is necessary to have reliable data on the state of water supply and sewage networks. For this purpose, in 2002 Lahti Aqua selected the multifunctional Tekla's network information system for the operational management of its assets," says Lahti Aqua's CEO, Martti Lipponen.
Lahti Aqua Oy has 86 employees. At the beginning of 2008, the company expanded its operations to cover not only Lahti but also the Hollola area through regional cooperation on water supply. The area of operation has 120,000 residents and roughly 2,000 kilometers of water supply and sewer network.
Lahti's water supply services personnel were already familiar with Tekla Solutions when the city selected Tekla NIS as the network information system for its water supply and sewage networks. Formerly, the network map was maintained with Tekla Municipality GIS, the geographic information system of the City of Lahti.
"When we chose the Finnish Tekla network information system, we chose the best system on the market. The choice was also influenced by the possibility to participate in system development work from the beginning," says Lipponen.
"Selecting a system always means selecting a long-term customer relationship. This is why system development, training, and the information flow between us and the system supplier must function well," states Lipponen.
Development work for Tekla Solution for water utilities is influenced by, for example, joint development groups involving Tekla and the customers. One of the groups is composed of the directors of the water utility operations.
Lipponen says, "It is extremely beneficial that also the management aspect has been taken into account."
Tekla's system is a tool for strategic planning
Consultant Teemu Heusala, who works for Tekla, says that, at the moment, there is an ongoing pilot project between Tekla and Lahti Aqua for assessment and asset management of water supply networks.
Lipponen finds the project extremely interesting.
He says, "With the new application, we aim at precise investment planning and budget allocation. We get detailed initial data on the network state from Tekla NIS, and we use the condition data obtained for planning the optimal renovation program. Furthermore, we can determine and study the costs and impact of different alternatives. In the future, there will be a growing need to renew the water supply network. New operations models must be brought into use to control and manage this need," states Lipponen.
"In other words, Tekla Solution is also a tool for corporate management. The management is responsible for investments and strategic planning and, for this purpose, needs accurate information on the state of the network," he says.
Lahti Aqua was the first to move to regional water supply in Finland
Several partnership projects have been implemented between Lahti Aqua and Tekla. One of these is related to the establishment of regional cooperation on water supply between Lahti and Hollola. In this regional cooperation, Lahti Aqua provides water supply services for the Hollola area. The network data of Lahti and Hollola had to be transferred into the same network information system in order for the cooperation to be successful. First, Tekla transferred Hollola's network data to Tekla NIS. Then, Lahti Aqua compiled the related property data.
"The data synthesis was fast despite Hollola's 500 km of network. For Hollola, this arrangement was more affordable than implementing the system reform independently," notes Lipponen.
Tekla mobile application improves work efficiency
In the maintenance of water supply and sewage networks, Lahti Aqua uses Tekla mobile application run by assembly staff on portable computers. Employees can use Tekla Mobile to access the Tekla NIS database also from the field and while traveling to the work site by car.
"Since assembly staff always have the map and condition data with them, they do not need to drive to the office to print them. With the introduction of Tekla Mobile, some unnecessary work phases have been eliminated, which has clearly increased operational efficiency," says Lipponen.
Tekla's system is a tool for all employees
The utilization rate of Tekla Solution at Lahti Aqua is extremely high. In fact, everybody, from the assembly staff to the CEO, uses it. Furthermore, all employee groups have participated in system development tasks.
"Tekla Solution has many different functions. One of the challenges faced by the management has been employees’ take-up of new tools. For example, at our company, the fact that employees can participate in development projects has encouraged them to use new tools. New tools provide new possibilities," states Lipponen with satisfaction.
"Our assembly staff have attended various events to present the use of the mobile application. This alone indicates that the tool is useful and that they like to use it," he says.
Pictures by Lahti Aqua