BACKGROUND
Located in Valparaiso, Indiana, M.E. Simpson Co. provides professional services in water loss control, asset management, water quality projects, and GPS and mapping to water distribution and wastewater collection utilities. Services are provided nationwide, with a concentration in the metropolitan Chicago region.
CHALLENGE
Budget constraints are an ongoing issue common to all water and wastewater utilities, notes Randy Lusk, innovations and solutions manager for M.E. Simpson Co.
“As time goes on, budgets always continue to get cut, especially during the last year with the issue of the pandemic,” Lusk points out.
Water loss is another critical issue with which utilities grapple.
“Non-revenue water is always a big concern, especially here in the Midwest in the Chicago metro region,” says Lusk.
For example, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources set a standard in 2019 that limits non-revenue water so that it is less than 10 percent of net annual pumpage. Water systems not in compliance are required to prepare and submit a water system improvement plan.
As part of his responsibilities with M.E. Simpson Co., Lusk seeks out new services and technologies to help utility clients with a multitude of needs.
SOLUTION
One of the most critical tools in his toolbox is Trimble Unity Work Management.
Trimble Unity Work Management is designed to provide a flexible cloud and mobile solution for accurately mapping and locating utility assets and streamlining field operations, maintenance and repair activities.
Its use brings together field operations with high accuracy mapping to help deliver improved service, surface deeper insights, and drive better results.
GIS data is accurate and up to date for automation of field operations, inspections and maintenance and asset performance enhancement, ultimately reducing operational costs and maximizing resource utilization.
“Water loss control, leak surveys and emergency leaks are put into Trimble Unity Work Management programs for the clients so they can keep track of wherever their leaks are,” notes Lusk.
The software also is used to map out asset management, hydrant flow testing, main capacity testing, valve exercising and hydrant maintenance.
Water quality projects entailing the flushing of the mains of the hydrants and unidirectional flushing also entail the utilization of Trimble Unity Work Management.
“We put all of these items on the map for the clients as we do these services,” says Lusk.
The company also has the ability to set up information for wastewater collection system immunity using the software, Lusk says.
BENEFITS
“One of the advantages of Trimble Unity Work Management software is it’s very cost efficient,” Lusk points out. “It's not very expensive for what utilities get to help them maintain their system and keep track of the different assets throughout their community.”
That’s because field crews and supervisors get to input all of the data themselves into Trimble Unity Work Management, he adds.
“They get to update the hydrants, the water main, put in the water main breaks that they find, put in the meters – they get to put that into the program themselves without hiring an outside entity to upload data,” Lusk says. “This is a field-based program because utilities get to do all of this without spending money, which is huge right now.”
That’s an additional benefit when dealing with non-revenue water loss.
“By using this program, they can keep track of where all of the main breaks have been throughout the year,” notes Lusk. “The data that they put in can really help them to focus on areas of improvement as well. It will help them to decide where they have weak areas of mains that they need to focus on, main replacement or just to keep track of possible pressure issues in that area causing hammers to cause main breaks.”
In showcasing the return on the investment in the technology, Lusk gives utility managers and field crews a demonstration of what they can do with the software and how it will help them in the present time as well as in future planning.
“The value is obvious when I show a utility customer the value of how to make their organization’s operation easier, helping them keep track of historical data about their program, and helping the field guys be more efficient. The goal is to help them maximize the return on investment and helping them keep making the community safer,” he points out.
Lusk tells his clients that Trimble Unity Work Management is like an ever-changing living entity.
“Their GIS is always changing based on the data we, or they, put in,” he adds. “They don’t have to keep track of data any longer on a piece of paper in a file or rely on an employee getting ready to retire to tell them where everything is located and how it works.
“This becomes a global information database for everybody to see, from their village administrators to the mayor all the way down to the new employee who just started a week ago. It’s an advantage to see everything on a map and see all the data associated with the system.”
Location data combined with the Trimble Unity makes training and response times faster, supporting a utility or municipality to help residents more efficiently, Lusk points out.
Lusk adds that while GIS has been available for some time, Trimble Unity differentiates itself in how it enables utility employees to input data into the system and make changes without investing time and money into getting outside help to do so.
“On most GIS systems, those changes are done by somebody sitting on a desk or in an office who has a deep expertise in GIS and they're going into another office system to make all of the changes and updates. It takes time to go live with those other approaches,” he notes.
“Trimble Unity Work Management is instantaneous. If they have a water valve to input or a water main break, they put all of that right in their phone or mobile device and it becomes alive on the GIS. So the ‘aha’ moment for them is they get to be in control and that's what they really like.”
For more information about M.E. Simpson Co. and its services, please contact Randy Lusk at randyl@mesimpson.com, 219-405-0615. M.E. Simpson Co. web page https://www.mesimpson.com
