ATLANTA, GEORGIA -
More than four million customers rely on Southern Company Inc.,
the largest public utility in the southern United States for their
electricity. The spate of brown outs and industry deregulation
last year has caused customers to demand for better service and
quicker response. Southern Company has responded by turning to
an unwired solution. It's common for Southern Company to utilise
local crews across large geographical districts to handle repairs
and restore power during outages. For example, its subsidiaries
Georgia Power Inc. and Alabama Power Inc, provide supplies for
local crews from two 250,000 square foot regional material distribution
centers. The crews in turn rely on local storerooms for the materials
needed to repair and service power lines and transformers. The
efficiency of these storerooms is therefore crucial in ensuring
quality customer service. This has become a matter of concern
as customers are given a choice of electrical providers due to
recent industry deregulation.
With this in mind, Southern Company aims to deliver the highest
level of customer service. It was forced to innovate its storeroom
and warehouse operations which was previously handled manually.
This had actually resulted in a number of problems, from errors
in inventory tracking, shipping to low productivity.
Southern Company wanted to reduce order times, improve productivity,
increase the efficiency of warehouse space utilisation and increase
inventory accuracy. These four needs were overcome with the deployment
of a wireless solution developed by Symbol Technologies, Inc.
and Motek, Inc.
The solution developed by Motek and Symbol Technologies consist
four elements: Symbol Technologies PDT 6846 handheld mobile computers,
Symbol Technologies 11 Mbps wireless network/4131 Access Points,
Motek's Priya (a warehouse management system based on Microsoft
Windows) and Microsoft XP/SQL Server.
As a result of turning wireless, Southern Company increased its
inventory accuracy at the storerooms to nearly an unheard-of 100
per cent and cut order cycle time in half. These benefits were
immediate, resulting in an outstanding return on investment in
record time. With the old system, managers would hand off work
and receive it only when completed, with no visibility in between
start and completion. The new wireless system provided real-time
data collection, which enables managers to view work in process
at any stage so they can better manage the company's labour force.
The company can also monitor inventory and materials from the
minute it arrived at the warehouse to the minute it is shipped
to a local storeroom. In just five months, all four needs were
met, including the following quantifiable benefits:
a. Average order cycle time was cut in half - from four hours
to two hours
b. Labour productivity improved by 20 per cent
c. Utilisation of warehouse space increased by 20 per cent
d. Accuracy of inventory was increased to 99.9 per cent
In addition, over time the solution
will enable Southern Company to fortify its leadership position.
The level of detail and availability of data and reporting capabilities
enabled Southern Company to be more proactive instead of reactive,
thus leading to greater customer satisfaction. As employees become
more familiar with the system over time, the company expects to
see further process refinement and ongoing increases in productivity.
According to Southern Company officials, the power utility company
is now better equipped than ever to keep electricity flowing to
homes and businesses.
If your
organisation seeks a similar enterprise mobility solution, please
contact us at 1-800 82 1919 - we, together with our partners,
will work with you to develop a solution best suited to your business
needs.
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