Leading a major Australian utility towards more sustainable asset management

As part of its commitment to delivering a more affordable, reliable and sustainable energy system, a major Australian electricity utility wanted to transform its asset management system in a way that was innovative, cost-effective and would anticipate future industry trends.

Its objective was to develop a more comprehensive and accurate view of data relating to its poles, wires and related infrastructure, which together deliver power to 95% of one of the country’s most populous states.

To achieve this outcome, the customer decided to transition to an improved Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system, specifically designed for linear assets like network feeders and associated challenges such as power outages, vegetation management and asset inspection.

The proposed solution required an experienced, industry-leading partner to assess the EAM’s current maturity levels, plus advise on a future linear asset management strategy that would deliver maximum value for the utility and meet regulatory requirements.

Impressed by Enzen’s unique blend of experience and innovation in the field of digital asset management and geospatial data and technology, the customer commissioned us to develop a strategy and roadmap for the its linear asset management architecture.

The goal was to design a more data-centric system as opposed to a system-centric one, thereby allowing the customer to enjoy improved visibility and understanding of its asset management needs.

Enzen had already collaborated with the customer successfully several times before, and as such had the necessary knowledge of its asset landscape to ensure a seamless start.

Over the course of five weeks and working closely with key stakeholders in the organisation, Enzen’s knowledge practitioners performed an in-depth assessment of the customer’s needs and desired outcomes across the three areas of data, systems and processes.

The result was a high-level implementation roadmap encompassing the current situation, opportunities to improve, and future targets for the EAM’s functionality, architecture and overall performance.

Through deep domain knowledge of the utilities space and a creative, collaborative approach, Enzen produced a roadmap that identified AUD$10 million in potential savings, would reduce delivery timescales by 12 months and mitigate significant business risks typical of this kind of EAM transition.

"This is an outstanding piece of work,” said one represented from the customer organisation. “It is evidenced by the fact that we are now actively debating how best to respond, rather than debating the material being presented."

Ultimately, Enzen’s solution has now empowered the customer to future-proof its asset management operations in an affordable and sustainable way, creating the foundation for delivering more reliable power supply to millions of Australians long into the future.