Lending a Hand to Customers in Need 10 - Inside Edison

A Day in the Life of aComputer OperatorTwenty-year Southern California Edisonemployee Robert Castellanos isused to working with tight deadlines.Every day, the Mailing Operationsteam is responsible for the productionof approximately 228,000 customer bills, accountspayable checks and customer letters.As a lead computer operator, Robert monitorsthe mailing production, from troubleshooting theequipment to scheduling shift support and materialsmanagement. “Above all, our first priority issafety,” said Robert. “If we have that and are upholdingquality, the production will follow.”The team operates out of the General Office 3building in Rosemead, Calif. Robert’s shift startsat 1:30 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday, so thatthe work produced is ready for mailing the sameday. Robert starts by checking his email for updates.He then goes to the production room floorto participate in group stretching exercises. Next,Robert leads a tailboard identifying the shift’s prioritiesand making any needed adjustments to thecomputer operator rotation roster. Throughouthis shift, he walks the floor to check for safety andmonitor production and the equipment. At shiftend, he gathers the daily production totals andwrites up a status report for the day shift.As Robert prepares for today’s shift, he learnsof a problem impacting the production schedule.After discussing with the team’s managers and supervisors,Robert quicklynotifies the rest of thevideoextraWatch Robert talkabout the job’srequirements andhis favorite sportsteams at http://inside.edison.com.shift to come in later.With the data due to arrivelate, Robert workswith the team to assigna small crew to the backupfacility in the IrvineOperations Center, sothe work can be doneComputer OperatorRobert Castellanos.Printed bills fold into stacks,ready for inserting.from both locations simultaneously, helping themgain back time. The strategy works. With teamwork,the day’s production goal is met on time,while also minimizing the need for overtime labor.“It can be tough sometimes having daily targets tomeet with changing conditions,” said Robert, “but Ilike the challenge of staying flexible and coming upwith solutions, and there’s nothing like ending theday knowing that our team met its goals.”http://inside.edison.com • august 2012 9