National Grid — Utility and Telecom Fleets Magazine ... - AssetWorks

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FLEET FOCUS BEST IN CLASS MAINTENANCE COMPARISON: utilities and private industries B Y S E T H S K Y D E L | C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R 10 UTILITY & TELECOM FLEETS | M A R C H 2 0 0 7 During the 2006 Electric Utility Fleet Managers Conference (EUFMC) in Williamsburg, Virginia, the theme “Putting Your Best Fleet Forward” featured a range of technical sessions on management and technology topics. On the agenda was Dave Meisel, Director of Fleet Operations at CMS Energy/Consumers Energy. Headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, Consumers Energy is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation and is Michigan’s second-largest electric and natural gas utility, providing service to more than six million of the state’s residents. Using his 30 years of experience in fleet operations as a guide, Meisel presented EUFMC attendees with a comprehensive comparison of utility and distribution fleets. His background includes work as a mechanic, supervisor, and regional and division manager for distribution fleets. Those management roles encompassed a 22state territory with 8,000 step vans, box trucks and tractortrailers based at 64 locations and maintained by a staff of 180 technicians. Meisel, a certified mechanic, holds Bachelor’s degrees in operations management and psychology, and an MBA in marketing and finance.
Meisel’s EUFMC presentation, called “Best in Class Maintenance Comparison: Utilities and Private Industries,” was designed to help fleet managers attending the conference benchmark their operations. Covering four major categories, he began by highlighting differences between utility and competitive fleet operations in the following areas: WORK FORCE UTILITY: very dedicated, high seniority, professional, very skilled on utility equipment, more adverse to change, more rigid work rules and contract language COMPETITIVE: very dedicated, lower seniority, professional, versatile on most types of equipment, more change oriented, and more flexible work rules EQUIPMENT Utility: much of the fleet is very expensive, expensive, complex, specialized and, diverse. Long life cycles and inconsistent capital investment keep things challenging. fleet, long life cycles, inconsistent capital investment Competitive: Long life cycles are common, but active vehicle rotation programs and more consistent capital investment tend top keep things somewhat more predictable.reasonably priced, simple to moderately complex, interchangeable fleet, longer life cycles, calculated investment strategy, active vehicle rotation program BUSINESS ACUMEN UTILITY: The utilityindustry tends to use more utility oriented processes and procedures to manage the a fleet. Budgeting and benchmarking tends to play a lesser role in the day-to-day activities for most fleet employees, no budget responsibility, no industry benchmarking, more trucks is better, more parts is better, more people is better, long term supplier relationships are good COMPETITIVE: The distribution industry tends to utilize more standardized fleet processes and procedures to manage the fleet. There is typically a higher level of direct/local budget development and responsibility. There tends to be a higher level of awareness of industry trends and costs with high levels of business savvy and active, aggressive negotiators on price and service related items.fleet processes to manage a fleet, direct/local budget responsibility, very aware of industry trends and costs, more is better only if we can afford it, high levels of business savvy, active negotiators, price and service are king EUFMC NOTES Held annually in Williamsburg, VA, EUFMC draws attendees from investor-owned electric utility companies from across the U.S. and Canada as well as representatives of electrical contractors and manufacturers and service providers. The meeting provides a forum where utility fleet managers can exchange information and discuss mutual problems. The conference also promotes close cooperation between manufacturers, suppliers and fleet managers engaged in the development and design of vehicles and equipment associated with the electric utility industry. EUFMC’s 54th annual conference will be held June 17-20, 2007. Fleet managers of investor-owned utilities interested in learning more about EUFMC can call (757) 220-1795, email abrownhailey@cs.com or visit www.eufmc.com. M A R C H 2 0 0 7 | UTILITY & TELECOM FLEETS 11
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