Underground Update

Betcha this will find a few pennies on the beach -
This interesting-looking device really doesn't find coins, but it sure does save time and money for underground crews in Florida. This is the Vermeer Ground Penetrating Radar System (GPR) that helps them locate buried utilities before they do any directional drillng. the GPR can pinpoint the actual depth within six inches, saving costly "dig-ins" to check exactly where the utility lies. Here, one of our foremen from the underground construction crews working for Gulf Power Company is preparing for the installation of new power lines.

 

 

 

That's quite a machine you've got there...
One of our foremen is shown here using a Vermeer 7X11 boring rig to do some directional drilling in Clayton County, Georgia. Working for Georgia Power Company, these "reconductoring" crews keep busy replacing underground utilities that are deteriorating. This method of putting in replacement power cables is far less invasive than traditional methods.

The Consolidation Trend: ComEd/PECO Energy

Those of us who make our living serving or working in the utility industry can hardly keep track of all the new company names and organizational charts that have come from ongoing deregulation and increasing competition. So many mergers and reorganizations can be very confusing. However, Asplundh is in a position to be a force for continuity and reliability in the changing utility industry.

There is definitely a trend for utilities, even in separate parts of the country, to consolidate or merge. Over the past five years alone, there have been 31 consolidations amongst primarily investor-owned electric utilities and many more proposed. They do so because the benefits of greater size and shared expertise should help them prosper in the deregulated marketplace.

The Asplundh Connection

Asplundh works in some capacity for almost all of these utilities, although operations may vary greatly from one property to the next. Because we often have “hands-on” experience on both properties, Asplundh can be a great benefit to merging utilities by helping them evaluate each other’s vegetation management programs. Then they can select the most efficient methods to maintain reliability during and after the transition.

When it comes to shared expertise, Asplundh is playing an increasingly important role in helping utilities establish “best practices.” As part of this movement, Asplundh is also promoting alliances and performance-based contracts to help stabilize workforces and increase productivity.

Let’s take a closer look at a good example of a utility taking advantage of the consolidation trend and making the most of Asplundh’s expertise during the transition.

In late September, a proposed merger was announced involving Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd) in northern Illinois with PECO Energy in southeastern Pennsylvania. ComEd, the principal subsidiary of the Chicago-based Unicom Corp., serves over 3.4 million customers in an 11,000 square mile territory. It is similar to PECO in that it serves a major urban area, as well as a large suburban and rural area surrounding it. Asplundh has worked for both utilities for many years.

One of the benefits that ComEd will gain from the consolidation is improved reliability through a new vegetation management program modeled after a proven Asplundh alliance that has been in effect for the past nine years. In fact, ComEd awarded Asplundh a new vegetation management contract for their entire system on September 20, making it necessary to expand the Rod Cornett Region almost overnight!

New Growth and Methodology

A rapid increase of this magnitude is rare. Fortunately, Asplundh has a deep pool of resources in personnel and equipment, and strong, working relationships with many of its suppliers. Within days of the announcement, dozens of lifts, split dumps and chippers and hundreds of tools poured into the Cornett Region. Within a few weeks, five new supervisors and numerous general foremen were promoted and over 800 new employees had joined the Asplundh team! This has been a fantastic opportunity for everyone.

The Asplundh home office and the company’s suppliers were also invaluable players in this extraordinary team effort. For instance, the Equipment Dept. rounded up and moved in more than 550 new and idle pieces of equipment in less than six weeks. Every Asplundh purchasing agent worked with more than a hundred suppliers and our own distribution center to get hundreds of new tools, ropes, ladders, saddles and safety gear (much of it built to our specifications) delivered immediately. Two hurricanes which took place during that time frame didn’t help the situation!

Operationally, the ComEd/Asplundh “alliance” is adapting existing work methods so that they work more effectively on the ComEd system. To help with the transition, some of the management team has been traveling regularly from southeastern Pennsylvania to work with the Cornett Region. The ComEd Vegetation Manager, who has worked with Asplundh on similar projects, has also been instrumental in the success of the new vegetation management program.

ComEd’s new program involves specializing general foremen by crew type-lift, manual or special project-and boosting productivity by having multiple lifts work together and then following up with a high-volume chipping crew. The first priority for the new operation, however, is to get the ComEd system on track for a four-year vegetation maintenance cycle by June 2000.

With pride and appreciation for all the resources at the ready, our regional manager announced that his new team had just completed its first goal of finishing 626 priority circuits ahead of schedule! The benefits of greater size and shared expertise from a consolidation seem to be working-for Commonwealth Edison and Asplundh!

-More-