Texas Utilities Selects Fujitsu Pen Mobile Solution
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — November 10, 1993 — Fujitsu Personal Systems Inc. (FPSI) Wednesday announced that it has been selected by Texas Utilities (TU) Electric, the largest electric utility in the state, to provide 650 Fujitsu sub two-pound PoqetPad Plus pen-based computers as part of a three phase rollout to automate work crew timekeeping and job tracking data collection throughout the state.
The systems run a data collection application developed by TU Electric using Pen Pal Associates' development tools.
The utility's crew foremen are responsible for the daily management of hundreds of crew workers throughout much of the state of Texas. As part of the first phase of the rollout, each foreman will use a Fujitsu PoqetPad Plus mobile computer which will provide them with an electronic listing of pay codes and vehicle numbers.
The foreman uses the pen-based computer to track the hours worked on a job and to allocate that time into various accounting categories. This information can then easily be networked into the utilities' management information system.
As part of the system, eight-unit docking bay stations at each of TU Electric's 48 Service Centers will be used to recharge the batteries and upload daily crew activity information. The crew information is transmitted each night using the PoqetPad Plus' RS-232 serial port and a high speed modem to TU Electric's BBS located at the Fort Worth headquarters.
Each morning, the information from the 48 service centers is then combined and formatted before being transmitted to the central database, which resides on an IBM mainframe computer. The mobile solution streamlines the data input process by eliminating the paper and data clerk entry steps and by reducing the number of validation errors that occurred when crew foremen had to manually enter job accounting information.
Instead of "writing" the seven-digit account number and the appropriate category, the system provides a list of categories that display a list of valid account descriptions. As each account description is picked, the system automatically attaches the correct account number.
"In the utility industry, the timely and accurate collection of information is critical. At TU Electric, we needed a method for expediting job site data collection and a more efficient means of getting that information into our network," said Dave Cannon, manager of distribution systems analysis for TU Electric. "Fujitsu's PoqetPad Plus allows our field supervisors a simplified way to input data and a direct network link through the docking station. This new approach should improve field data collection by an order of magnitude."
"Our partnership with Texas Utilities in providing a field data collection system geared specifically towards their needs represents Fujitsu's strong commitment to providing cost-effective enterprise-wide mobile computing solutions," said Lou Panetta, executive vice president of Fujitsu Personal Systems. "Our selection by Texas Utilities also confirms that vertical markets like utilities have unique integration and support requirements that cannot be met with off-the-shelf mobile computers."
The second and third phases of the rollout, which will begin in early 1994, will implement the PoqetPad mobile computers for the utility's meter technicians and field service personnel.
TU Electric provides electric service to about 5.6 million people, or about one-third of the population of Texas, in 88 counties of West, North Central, and East Texas. The company is the largest investor-owned utility in the nation in terms of energy sales.
Fujitsu Personal Systems Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, is a leader in providing mobile solutions for data collection and decision support applications through the development of super portable palmtop, pen-based and communicating computers. Its solutions are designed to meet the needs of applications where light weight, small form factor and long battery life are essential. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd., with offices throughout North America and Europe.
CONTACT: Walt & Sommerhauser Communications
Erin Curtis, Craig Sutphin, 408/496-0900
or
Fujitsu Personal Systems Inc.
Bill Wittmann, 408/982-9500
or
Texas Utilities Electric
John Peacock, 817/882-6493