Dedicated to unlocking the full potential of water, TasWater focuses on enhancing the Tasmanian way of life through efficient and sustainable water management. With a team of more than 920 employees, the company oversees 224,321 water connections, 194,733 sewerage connections, and more than 11,500 kilometres of water and sewer mains.
TasWater partnered with Bestrane to enhance operational efficiency and improve service delivery across Tasmania.
"We knew that to meet TasWater's unique operational challenges we required a comprehensive solution, leveraging advanced technologies like RouteSmart for ArcGIS for route optimisation, HERE and Google APIs for precise geolocation, and data cleansing techniques to enhance accuracy.”
– Jake Kimber Thomson, Senior Manager, Bestrane
Since partnering with Bestrane, TasWater has achieved:
- Efficiency Gains: Reduced total time by up to 14%, total distance by up to 19%, and improved route efficiency by 20%.
- Route Balancing: Developed 984 new routes, reducing average stops per route from 347 to 219, enhancing service coverage.
- Safety Enhancements: Optimised routes to reduce road crossings, increasing field worker safety.
The challenge: optimising TasWater's diverse service area and routing strategies
TasWater manages more than 224,000 water connections across 6,607 km, covering a range of areas from urban centres to remote regions. This diversity leads to inconsistent route sizes, with routes varying from 50 to 900 stops, resulting in imbalances in workload and inefficiencies. Additionally, inefficient routing has driven up operational costs. The transition from drive-by to foot-based services has further heightened the need for more detailed and tailored routing strategies.
The solution: Enhancing TasWater’s operations with a tailored solution
Bestrane was chosen for its proven expertise in enhancing operational efficiencies within utility management.
“Bestrane’s tailored solution has helped us streamline our service routes and improve accuracy. This has been a fantastic collaboration that has allowed us to better meet our operational challenges and enhance service delivery across Tasmania.”
- Heath Johnson, Meter Reading Team Leader, TasWater.
Technologies used include RouteSmart for ArcGIS, which provides advanced geolocation and route optimisation tools. Manual geocoding was employed to identify most service points using specific property IDs and MX locations. Geocoding implementation utilised HERE and Google APIs for high accuracy in address data processing, allowing for the precise location of remaining services. Data cleansing corrected geocode inaccuracies, ensuring alignment of meter servicing with the correct streets, while also leveraging meter location notes and existing routes for verification.
Optimisation techniques included customised speed settings for both walking and driving routes. The integration of these optimised routes with TasWater's existing Gentrack system was seamless, enhancing overall operational performance.
Impact: Efficiency, Coverage, and Safety Redefined
The implementation of advanced route optimisation and geolocation technologies has led to tangible improvements in both service delivery and safety.
- Time & Distance Savings: Up to 14% reduction in total time and up to 19% in distance travelled.
- Optimised Routes: 984 new routes developed, reducing average stops from 347 to 219 per route, improving service coverage across all regions.
About Bestrane
Bestrane is headquartered in Melbourne, and brings together a unique combination of solutions, services, and technologies to solve complex problems for our customers. We specialise in delivering advanced route optimisation technologies and geolocation services to industries like utilities.
Discover how Bestrane's tailored solutions can enhance your operations - contact us today
