Smart meters are not just enabling a connected, efficient electricity system, they’re empowering consumers as participants in the energy transition – so it’s vital they’re deployed without delay.
To accelerate Australia’s transition to a modern, renewable energy system, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has ruled that smart meters to be rolled out to all customers in National Electricity Market (NEM) by 2030. Consumer energy resources (CER) and new large-scale renewable generation are the catalysts of the biggest era of change our electricity system has ever seen, and smart meters are empowering utilities to manage evolving distribution networks.
These devices are essential for enabling a connected, efficient energy system and hitting net-zero targets, and the faster they’re deployed, the sooner customers can reap the benefits of the transition. And with more than 2.5 million advanced meters under management, and contracts with network operators and more than 20 major retailers across Australia and New Zealand, Intellihub is at the forefront of this critical rollout.
Everyone is depending on the company’s field crews not just to install these devices, but to manage their ongoing maintenance. However, the limitations of conventional logistics methods made it hard for them to keep up with the demands of real-time inventory management, last-mile delivery and tight schedules.
Intellihub knew that overcoming these challenges and optimising its field services was key to the success of the sector’s modernisation, so it set out to find a reliable partner who could improve beyond conventional inventory management and last mile logistics.
Right time
Field crews play a crucial role in the rollout of intelligent devices, tasked with everything from installation to troubleshooting, upgrades and repairs.
To help its crews navigate their extensive work schedule and meet specific customer order requirements, Intellihub engaged field service providers (FSPs) across the country to get the job done, distributing inventory to the FSP. However, this approach presented various issues, ranging from FSPs with overlapping warehouses and distribution networks, to reduced visibility and control of assets leading to ‘lost stock’, increased inventory holdings, and a lack of robust scanning systems and processes.
Intellihub was looking for a way to ensure that stock across the network could always be positioned in the best location to improve efficient installations and customer outcomes, and this search led it to Droppoint.
While traditional inventory models are centralised and inflexible, field service isn’t. It’s distributed, dynamic, unpredictable.
For Droppoint, it’s the technicians, not distribution centres, that are the heartbeat of operations – so the team collaborated closely with the key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive inventory management solution, perfectly tailored to the unique needs of each FSP. The company’s unique logistics solution, and its ‘always on’ approach to customer service, empowered Intellihub and the FSPs to focus on installation and customer success, while Droppoint gets the right part, to the right place, at the right time.
Intellihub GM Supply Chain and Procurement, Stuart Sproull, said the support that Droppoint provides is key to making sure Intellihub’s technicians have everything they need in the field.
“Droppoint’s solution allows us to provide the asset or the inventory to the technician close to where they live.
“So, they not only have flexible pick-up and drop-off times in and outside of normal warehouse hours, they’ve got the flexibility in the weekend or outside those hours to pick up their product, [and] it’s close to where they live, so they’re not traveling,” he said.
Droppoint leveraged data on predicted work areas, upcoming meter replacement programs and transport times to not only pinpoint the optimal locations for strategic inventory hubs, but ensure they are reliably replenished. By providing technicians with easy access to streamline collections and minimise retrieval time, Droppoint helped the team prevent delays and ultimately boost productivity.
Each inventory location was configured to FSP specifications, with dedicated areas for returns, refurbishment and disposal. Security was prioritised with two-factor authentication, only authorised personnel could access their materials.
“We’re minimising the travel, and therefore we’re giving them the best opportunity to complete an increased number of jobs per day,” Mr Sproull said.
Droppoint’s MOS (Materials Orchestration System) provides insight and complete visibility over inventory and logistics for field service organisations. FSPs can access this service from their desk, or out in the field. This easy-to-use, real-time app can either stand alone or connect to an existing ERP system. The layered platform offers complete transparency across the entire supply chain, from dispatch to installation, which gives Intellihub real-time insights into inventory consumption and lifecycles, enabling data-driven decisions for continuous improvement.
The custom solution had immediate impacts on the project, with Intellihub seeing an additional two–three jobs completed per technician each week, a 30 per cent reduction in depot inventory holding and a ten per cent increase in scanning compliance.
Powered by people
Droppoint designed MOS to solve the frustrating problems facing the service industry and empower field workforces with tailored inventory and logistics. But, Droppoint’s success is driven by more than just clever technology.
“There’s a support service that Droppoint provides where, literally, a call can be made to a technician, or the technician can make a call to a human at the end of the day.”
“So, it’s not all data driven and through apps and through technology. There is that human face to face element, which I think is really important for the technicians to feel that they’re being listened to and heard because they are the boots on the ground at the coalface,” Mr Sproull said
Australia’s energy sector will continue to change at a rapid pace over the next decade. To keep up with evolving customer expectations for more data, a higher quality of service and more sustainable options, electricity providers are depending on the success of Intellihub’s work in the field.
Optimising field services will be essential to the smooth and timely rollout of intelligent devices, and ultimately a reliable, renewable energy system. The sector needs streamlined, productive workflows, and Droppoint is empowering this transformation.
For more information, visit droppoint.com.au
