PG&E Improves Field Operation Processes Across Logistics Network

PG&E gained real-time visibility and better inventory management across the supply chain while decreasing the time to installation and minimizing the amount of trips to complete a job.

Company Background: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)

The Challenge

Paperwork Led to Costly Errors & Delays

• Delays in processing paperwork resulted in PG&E’s inability to take advantage of early payment discounts offered by suppliers.
• Errors and delays transcribing paperwork resulted in crews wasting time locating missing installation materials and assets, in some cases, materials were permanently damaged or lost.
• Crews were frequently dispatched to job sites before materials were delivered wasting time and requiring additional trips.
• Safety protocols weren’t always adhered to by third-party vendors, recorded issues were buried in paperwork.

Paperwork and Unmanageable Queues Led to Inefficient Processes and Waste

• Documents were transcribed, frequently with errors that led to incorrect data relayed to other teams.
• Errors took multiple emails, phone calls and the participation of many parties to unravel, leading to further delays.
• Notes, material orders, safety observations, deliveries, and asset moves were recorded by hand in the field.
• Documents were physically brought back to an office and sat in long queues awaiting processing.

Solution

Streamlined Digital Workflows with Minimal Errors

Job Site Deliveries

• Digital BOLs eliminate physical paper handoffs and repetitive data entry, speeding up driver workflows and minimizing personnel contact at yards and jobsites.
• Utilizing Vector’s auto-imaging module, the software has been taught to automatically ingest BOLs and tag them with a set of unique identifiers pulled from the documents themselves.
• The BOLs are then shared to drivers removing any need for a driver to step into an office to collect paperwork. In addition, drivers no longer have to index BOLs manually at delivery.

Job Site Deliveries

• Carrier drivers capture contextual pole photos upon delivery which includes the date, timestamp and GPS coordinates.
• The relevant pole desk, work crew and accounting team are all notified as soon as the delivery is complete via the mobile application, web application and email notifications.
• All a work crew has to do is click on the GPS coordinates to direct them to the delivery site. If for some reason they are unable to find the delivered pole, the delivery photo supplied by the carrier’s driver provides further context.

Job Site Deliveries

• Pre-fab concrete deliveries are captured in a similar way to the pole photos. Upon delivery, a contextual photo is uploaded with the date, timestamp and location.
• The relevant parties are notified as soon as the delivery is completed across the mobile application, web application and if desired, email triggers.
• Work crews can click on the location to navigate to the delivery site, share delivery details with additional recipients or make a comment on the delivery to collaborate with all parties that have access to the delivery documents.

Job Site Deliveries

Immediately upon delivery at service centers or remote job sites, PG&E’s accounting teams are notified via email triggers and the activity feed within Vector’s web application.

Real-time visibility replete with material photographs, location data and the relevant bill-of-lading enables PG&E to confidently verify remote deliveries and take advantage of early payment discounts offered by their suppliers.

Job Site Deliveries

PG&E ensures their third-party vendors adhere to strict safety protocols on every delivery.

Vector’s Job Hazard Analysis workflow walks a driver through each step, reminding them of every safety measure as they perform their deliveries.

If for any reason a step is skipped, safety managers at PG&E are immediately notified and can then follow-up within the web application, mobile application or offline.

Fleet / Asset Moves

Whether it’s a vehicle, microgrid, or temporary generator, PG&E is able to track all their asset moves via a simple mobile workflow.

Like any delivery workflow, asset moves workflows also capture date, timestamp, and GPS coordinates in addition to asset information such as the PG&E unit number, VIN and odometer if applicable.

Safety Workflows

At PG&E, nothing is more important than safety. In addition to the Job Hazard Analysis workflows completed by all third-party vendors when making deliveries, PG&E safety managers proactively ensure all safety standards are followed via Carrier Observation Reports, weekly Driver Observation Reports and Contractor Tailboard Reports.