With the intention of increasing quality, efficiency, and safety, a public utilities company collaborated with us to implement a transformer inspection system as part of their efforts to digitally transform and streamline their processes and ultimately reduce the risk of wildfires in the state of California. This integrated, cloud-based system allows for inspections and updates in the field, whether online or offline, providing tracking and reporting for the company to take further action.

Southern California-based energy company that provides clean, safe and reliable energy to the community

• Workforce of over 4,000 employees and subcontractors which includes both in-office and out in the field workers
• Provides maintenance to a 4,100 square mile service area
• A company-wide goal of reducing wildfires in the State of California

A mobile system was required to allow for the inspection and reporting of transformers within the service area, supporting both iPad and desktop/laptop devices. The system needed to function offline, enabling reporting without internet access, and to receive new work orders while in the field. It was essential for the system to provide a visual review of transformers before inspections, allowing for better preparation and planning. Additionally, an efficient and secure tool for tracking and reporting transformer inspections on both visual and electrical fail bases was necessary. The system had to offer an overview of transformer fail rates across the company’s service area and allow for tracking fail rates in specific locations, with the ability to filter results by manufacturer. Finally, seamless integration with the existing Quality Control/Quality Assurance Platform (QA/QC) was a crucial requirement.

Our team utilized Microsoft 365 Power Platform (SharePoint Online, Power Apps and Power Automate) to create a fully integrated system including a mobile app for workers in the field to conduct and submit transformer inspections.

The mobile app provides workers with a user-friendly and streamlined system for responding to inspection requests and reporting back to the main system in real-time, even in remote areas where offline functionality is essential. It includes crucial information like existing transformer issues and drone imagery, reducing the need for workers to physically climb utility poles and ensuring they are well-prepared before heading into the field. This efficiency allows workers to handle new requests efficiently, saving time and money, while also improving response times to reduce wildfire risks caused by electrical failures.

The client’s existing investment in SharePoint online was leveraged to develop a centralized, cloud-based platform to track transformer inspections. This system integrates seamlessly with their existing QA/QC system, SAP, ProCore, and BlueBeam and has the capacity to serve as an intake platform for all inspector forms. It provides users with historical transformer inspection data as well as views of data by location. The system differentiates between overall fail rates, visual fail rates, and electrical fail rates, allowing users to find and digest information vital to their specific needs. The filter feature allows for sorting results by manufacturer which empowers the company to make imperative supplier decisions.

This platform fosters collaboration and communication between in-office staff and technicians in the field. It also provides management with critical information on inspection response quality and quantity as well as work order duration, allowing for informed workforce development. All data searches can be exported via excel for further distribution.

Overall, this platform ensures the company has done their due diligence as it pertains to their role in wildfire prevention, increasing safety and decreasing damage in the areas they serve.