RWE is a leading European energy group operating in the areas of renewable energy, electricity and gas grid infrastructure, and sales. They are focused on offering innovative and sustainable products and services to their current and future customers to help them use various forms of energy more efficiently and to raise their life quality.
RWE’s UK branch is growing at an immeasurable rate and with the wind industry booming across the world, they are showing us that this form of energy can become a major contender in this world of alternative power sources.
However, despite the success and projected growth RWE is looking to achieve, working to improve operational procedures is always at the forefront of the company’s goal. Always looking to improve the way work is conducted, RWE UK knew that they needed to rethink the way they standardized their wind processes, from site inspections to report creation.
Challenges Limiting RWE’s Growth Capacity
David Noble, the Lead Asset Quality & Inspection Engineer at the RWE UK branch saw the opportunity to streamline wind maintenance processes as a way to improve the quality of work for both himself and his crews.
David and his team used a combination of traditional and modern tools to record, track, and compile data from each site inspection. From simple pen and paper to phone cameras, recording data was an embedded process for David and his team – straightforward and simple. However, the real challenge for David came after the site inspections. Disorderly, confusing, and slow were some of the words used to describe compiling site inspection data into proper reports.
Compiling and Creating Reports
Using both traditional and modern methods to collect data from hundreds of turbine sites was one of the primary issues facing David and his team. After collecting data that corresponded to the correct site, it would usually take upwards of 2-3 hours to manually repurpose their data into a collective report
“First off, working with paper and pen could only get us so far out in the field, especially when working in the rain, paper and ink would be ruined, making the whole process fruitless.”
David Nobles, Lead Asset Quality & Inspection Engineer
Since David and his team didn’t have a standardized way of organizing site data, finding and extracting the correct data to put in a report was more taxing than it needed to be. While David’s field technicians also utilized external cameras to record images on site, the lack of any internal organization after taking the images meant that they would manually have to adjust and attach them to each new report – wasting precious time.
On-Field Communications
Working in the wind industry means that site inspections require crews to work in isolated conditions. For the field technicians working at RWE, this is nothing new, but when coordinating with subcontractors, David and his team typically had to rely on continual phone calls or text messages if they needed an update on the progress.
“Not knowing when we should be moving on to another site or speed up our processes made it frustrating since we couldn’t always rely on the other guy picking up the phone.”
David Nobles, Lead Asset Quality & Inspection Engineer
Having a restrictive communication system made working remotely a detriment to the RWE team, and not being able to effectively manage or view the progress of the entire project became a common concern. Furthermore, directly contacting crew members while on the job meant that time was being wasted on giving redundant updates, or in some cases, jeopardizing the safety of the technician.
High Overhead
With the growth in demand for their services, streamlining operations became even more necessary. The tools and methods that had worked well to this point could not support the company scale. There was pressure felt across the board to focus on lowering overhead costs so that the company could invest more resources into operations, not administration.
How Scoop Helped Alleviate These Operations Pain Points
Standardized Digital Checklists
Using mandatory digital form fields allowed the inspection crews to follow a standardized step-by-step process when completing each turbine site. Having the ability to record data with or without a wireless connection also allowed the RWE to treat their mobile devices as modern notepads. Taking images and connecting them to specific comments and notes made organizing specific data groups easier, especially since images could correspond to comments or tasks done for each specific site.
Developing and generating reports also became easier using Scoop’s one-click report generation feature. Not only was David able to develop professional reports with the press of a button, but he was also able to choose what information he wanted to feature in his reports.
“Every day I would spend hours doing office work that really should have been done in a fraction of the time. Thanks to Scoop, I can spend more time in the field and less time worrying about what pictures go with what site.”
David Nobles, Lead Asset Quality & Inspection Engineer
Mobile WorkApps
Keeping tabs on other crew members and the progress they are making is now easier than ever with Scoop. Utilizing the Scoop’s built-in forms of each WorkApp, crew members can easily view each other’s progress when needed (unless admin restrictions are put in place). Each form field is paired with a progress bar to add a visual representation of how much progress each member has made on a given task, eliminating the need for direct phone calls, and offering better coordination without ever having to dial a number or send a text. WorkApps also allows them to seamlessly connect field and office teams keeping everyone, not just technicians, in the loop about critical project milestones
Centralized Operations Hub
Through automated workflows and Scoop’s Central Operations Hub, RWE was able to streamline their processes, allowing them to allocate resources more effectively. High-value employees who spent hours on administration work were now able to freely focus on high-value tasks. By simultaneously linking office and field crews into one central platform, Scoop helped remove all the unnecessary time delays and mistakes that would have prevented some of their top employees from doing the jobs they were originally hired to do. Gone were the days of error-prone manual tasks and disconnected systems.
Achieving Impressive Results
RWE quickly became experts at building out their own WorkApps, setting access controls and permissions, and onboarding their employees as users. Today, they have hundreds of employees on the platform and use nearly 35 unique WorkApps to manage hundreds of field activities and service requests per month.
Since implementing Scoop, they expanded their usage of the platform from 3 apps to nearly 35 in their effort to continuously streamline and automate more processes. As expenses are shaved off in areas like data entry and unnecessary repeat site visits, RWE is projected to save over $1.4 million annually while enjoying a modern tool that makes it easier to attract and retain high-quality talent.
In the long run, managers like Mark will be able to continue scaling their operations and teams without worrying about unproductive increases in overhead. By utilizing features like Scoop’s API access, RWE continues to refine their operations through integrations, making Scoop an integral part of their mission-critical processes. The Scoop team also continues to work closely with the team at RWE to discover their specific needs and resolve them by building configurable features that they and other clients can use to configure increasingly capable WorkApps moving forward.
“The peace of mind that comes with using Scoop to manage field data and activities is invaluable. Now, we can focus more on doing the work that drives our customer’s satisfaction and grows our company.”
Mark Martinez, Business Applications Manager
Conclusion
As we conclude our examination of how RWE successfully harnessed the power of Scoop to revolutionize their operational procedures, it’s clear that integrating modern technology into traditional practices isn’t just about keeping up with the times; it’s about actively enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and optimizing resources. RWE’s journey exemplifies the transformative impact of embracing digital tools in streamlining workflows, particularly in complex and fast-growing sectors like wind energy. The significant annual savings of nearly $1.5 million is a testament to the value that such innovations can bring to a company.
What stands out in RWE’s story is not just the impressive financial benefits, but also the increased operational efficiency and improved quality of work life for their employees. By transitioning from outdated methods to a more streamlined, digital approach, RWE has set a precedent in the renewable energy sector, demonstrating that the right tools can lead to substantial cost savings, better resource allocation, and a more engaged workforce. This story is a beacon for other companies looking to make similar strides in operational efficiency and overall business success.
To explore how Scoop can similarly transform your operations, we encourage you to book a call with one of our dedicated experts today.
