Case Studies

Client: A Midwest-based electric utility and subsidiary of a multi-state electric company that had recently invested in field mobile devices and needed a sound, defensible plan to expand to include underground radial, direct buried, and secondary network systems.

Overview: How do you avoid the trap of “Digitizing the Paper Inspection Form” and calling it a win? It starts with the inspection questions. fcgEnergy, using our detailed library of confidential and publically available industry specific data, coupled with discussions with industry leaders, was able to fill in the gaps in this utility's maintenance, equipment, and outage databases to create a tailored inspection program reflecting their unique modes of failures and system risks. Download PDF | Send Question

Client: An East Coast-based electric utility operating a 350-unit underground secondary network system, dispersed over five different cities, experiencing a rise in failure and key employee retirements and transfers.

Overview: For one utility that operated a highly reliable network system, responding to network emergencies on an ad-hoc basis had and continued to work well. Yet with pending retirements in both its engineering and operations groups, along with homeland security concerns in keeping the downtown business district energized, there was an urgency to capture the retiring knowledge and experience plus the need for a disciplined and defensible approach. Download PDF | Send Question

Client: A Mid-Atlantic-based electric utility and subsidiary of a multi-state electric company that had a very active state regulatory agency requiring annual reliability filings, targeted investment program, and an active rate case docket.

Overview: Regulators do not want run your business, but they need to gain a sense and thus trust, that the utility is prudently managing the system. And they do so, by asking smart, open ended questions. For this utility, it started with a letter of inquiry to explain their recent reliability filings concerning aging infrastructure that included an example of the in-service 1930-1950s vintage 15kV paper insulated lead covered cable (PILC) supplying the high profile downtown business district. Download PDF | Send Question

Client: A multinational retail corporation that owned several discount department and grocery stores, whose operations team had implemented an RFID inventory control system but was dissatisfied with its 85% average accuracy.

Overview: Inventory control is an important component of the supply chain management process. This is even more so for an asset-intensive organization that carries large volumes of expensive, high turnover specialized equipment. Whether required by just-in-time inventory levels or to manage the tools signed out from the stock room, an RFID-oriented approach offers granularity and automated tracking beyond what is available in traditional barcoding solutions. Download PDF | Send Question