British Waterways upgrades its service management system

The company expects to save on both time and money

British Waterways has upgraded its service management system in a bid to improve the efficiency of planned maintenance for all locks and control rooms.

UK-based Hunter Systems was selected to deploy an asset management application, which now helps engineers maintain equipment, such as valves and motors, across the network of 2,200 canals and rivers in England, Scotland and Wales.

"We asked Hunter Systems to develop a bespoke application after seeing their service and asset management system," said a spokesperson for British Waterways.

The system has been installed on laptops used by British Waterways staff during on-site maintenance and repair visits, who then record the time and duration of each visit, as well as component data gathered while completing testing routines.

This information is automatically loaded via a 3G mobile broadband connection to a server located at British Waterways' offices at Hatton, which provides an instant overview of the work that has been completed.

"The new system will enable us to achieve significant time and cost savings by having access to up-to-date and accurate information. This will allow us to quickly identify trends and better manage the operational side of the business," added the spokesperson.