City Utilities of Springfield automates scheduling and callout at power plants

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwired - Jun 8, 2017) - ARCOS^® LLC has implemented its Software-as-a-Service ARCOS^® Callout and Scheduling solution at Missouri-based City Utilities of Springfield's John Twitty Energy Center, James River Power Station, Noble Hill Landfill Renewable Energy Center and McCartney Generation Station to automate the forecasting, planning and call out of electrical, mechanical and operations personnel. The four plants (a mix of coal-fired and gas turbines) produce nearly 800 MW of power.

The ARCOS solution standardizes the way utilities respond, restore and report, while taking into account bargaining unit agreements, so shift supervisors can automatically fill and re-arrange schedules as conditions warrant. City Utilities of Springfield (CU) has used the ARCOS Callout and Scheduling solution for its electric transmission and distribution workers since 2008. Due to the success of ARCOS for CU's electric T&D operations, CU generation station managers bought the solution to help the four plants, which employ almost 120 workers -- 70 of whom belong to IBEW Local 753 -- meet staffing levels for emergency work, job continuation, and unloading coal trains. The ARCOS solution will serve as the labor system of record for the James Twitty Energy Center, which is where CU's workers report before supervisors dispatch them to the other generation stations.

"We'll use the ARCOS solution like our electric distribution system does: hit a button, let the ARCOS software take over by getting personnel on site based on their qualifications, so supervisors can go back to overseeing our plants," said David Nelson, outage planner for City Utilities of Springfield. "We easily tailored ARCOS to the Statement of Intent for our union so callout rules are fair and equitable."

Before implementing ARCOS, it could take CU supervisors up to an hour to find an electrician to rack out a breaker and then locate a mechanic and support staff to perform repairs. While a supervisor was manually dialing workers for emergent work, he couldn't address other problems that required his presence.

"If needed, our supervisors can even launch a callout from home with ARCOS, which speeds up the process of getting workers into the plant for emergency or routine work," adds Nelson. "If we have an environmental issue and need all-hands on deck, or have to relay critical information, the ARCOS emergency notification feature lets us fire off a news bulletin to everyone."

"Whether the employer is a muni or a co-op -- whether it delivers electricity, gas or water -- we have a solution that mirrors the way utility professionals safely go about their jobs," says Ted Schneider, chief technology officer for ARCOS.

About ARCOS LLC
ARCOS is the North American leader in delivering crew callout and crew management SaaS solutions to the utility industry. ARCOS automates crew assembly and management daily and during emergencies, ultimately helping to restore energy faster, yet safely, to communities. The award-winning solution helps utilities save time and money, while improving customer satisfaction. Learn more about ARCOS emergency resource management software at www.arcos-inc.com. ARCOS and Crew Manager are registered trademarks of ARCOS LLC.