Sunnyvale, Calif., March 6, 2008 – Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) today announced that it has completed the implementation of its Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based UtilityCenter® uaFM™ information technology module for TECO Peoples Gas. Peoples Gas is Florida’s leading natural gas provider, with offices in major metropolitan areas serving more than 320,000 commercial, industrial and residential customers.
Peoples Gas previously selected the UtilityCenter software suite to help streamline business processes and improve the use of GIS data in the company’s Orlando and Lakeland Divisions. The increased efficiency and return on investment in those two divisions led Peoples Gas to expand the implementation of Trimble’s UtilityCenter software solution throughout its 15 divisions across Florida.
“We began to reap the benefits of this modular workflow automation suite of tools in our Orlando and Lakeland divisions almost immediately, and the decision to expand the technology into each of our 15 divisions seemed like the logical next step,” said Mark Haney, general manager, engineering services at TECO Peoples Gas. “Put simply, the technology is making both our field workers and our back-office support teams more efficient, more productive and better able to use the data in our GIS.”
Trimble has also supplied a broad suite of UtilityCenter modules to Peoples Gas, including uaField™ for field engineering and editing of the gas system network model; uaDispatch™ for Web-based deployment and analysis of natural gas-related trouble calls and dispatch of service crews for restoration activities; uaView™ for field map view, query and redlining capabilities, uaMaintenance™ for computerized maintenance management of gas facilities; and uaFM for GIS-based facility management.
The implementation involved converting existing MicroStation data to ESRI ArcGIS format, integration of GIS data from various local agencies in 29 Florida counties, and parcel-based geo-coding of existing customer locations. Personnel ranging from front-office clerks to management and field service personnel are now able to utilize UtilityCenter and its associated modules.
“Peoples Gas is committed to meeting the needs of its customers throughout Florida, and UtilityCenter’s comprehensive, scalable workflow capabilities can enable them to provide improved customer service, more effectively utilize their GIS data and greatly improve the overall efficiency of their daily operations,“ said Katherine Sandford, general manager of Trimble’s Utilities Field Solutions group.
Trimble’s UtilityCenter software is currently used by more than 100 electric, gas and water/wastewater utilities throughout the U.S.
Trimble’s Utilities Field Solutions group specializes in implementing enterprise mobile workforce, computerized maintenance management (CMM), asset management, field data collection, staking and inspection solutions for electric, gas, water/wastewater and solid waste utilities. Trimble’s UtilityCenter and Fieldport enterprise solutions automate utility operations which can lead to increased field worker productivity, enhanced customer service and faster emergency response. For more information about Trimble’s utility enterprise solutions, visit: www.trimble.com/utilities_enterprise_solutions.shtml
About Peoples Gas
TECO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: TE) is an energy-related holding company. Its principal subsidiary, Tampa Electric Company, is a regulated utility in Florida with both electric and gas divisions (Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas System). Other subsidiaries include TECO Coal, which owns and operates coal production facilities in Kentucky and Virginia, and TECO Guatemala, which is engaged in electric power generation and distribution and energy-related businesses in Guatemala.
About Trimble
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Trimble has a worldwide presence with more than 3,600 employees in over 18 countries.
For more information, visit: www.trimble.com