Okefenokee Rural Electric Membership Corporation (OREMC) is an electric cooperative bringing power to 39,000 residential consumer-members, commercial and industrial accounts in southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. OREMC’s service area includes Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, Ware and Wayne counties in Georgia, as well as Baker and Nassau counties in Florida for a total of 3,281 square miles. This service area makes them the second largest provider in Georgia.
OREMC’s System Operator James Riggins recently took time to sit down with us for a Q&A about how OREMC has utilized Partner products over the last 8 years.
Thank you James for taking the time to help us with our spotlight post on OREMC. We are so excited to showcase you and learn a little more about the ways you use Partner and perhaps some different views on products or suggestions for fellow clients.
I know that our Development team worked closely with you all to create the Advanced Reports for DI (Distribution Inspection) and for DA (Damage Assessment) that Baldwin later used to help with Hurricane Sally. What is another instance or situation where you were able to work together with Partner to come up with a new way to use a product or create something from the software?
“We worked with James (Bowdler from Partner’s Research & Development team) on creating an inspection tab in Distribution Inspection for our CT (Current Transformer) meters. This allowed us to input the information into DI and run reports instead of having paper copies that we would need to file and keep up with.”
Partner Software utilizes a paperless workflow that gives users the ability to file, save and share these documents. Paper documents don’t always hold up in emergency situations, so this paperless workflow is ideal for internal communications, but also helpful with FEMA submissions.
Could you tell us about this past year and if there were any solutions or products that came in handy or helped you drastically change something?
“Developing and working with Damage Assessment has been a focus for OREMC. We have used DA on small scale storms and continue to smooth out the processes as we go.”
What informed your decision to start using Partner Software?
“Partner was on our radar for several years. We had visited with other Co-ops that had previously become involved with Partner. Automated staking drew our attention, however once the other modules had been established (Right Of Way, DI, DA) it was just too much to pass up. The thought of having all these tools with one vendor was also very appealing.”
All-in-one inspection tools make it easy for utilities to handle staking, damage assessment and right of way without bouncing from one tool to another. This comprehensive package is essential for any user looking to clean up their processes.
How has this solution or product changed the workflow in your office and or out in the field?
“DI allows us to have a good record of our OSMOSE inspected poles.” “DI has allowed all our inspections to be kept in one place to be gotten easily and not have to get info from a variety of different programs.”
Contact Partner Software if you would like more information about inspection products. Our sales team can guide you towards the best solutions for your needs.
Spotlight on Solutions used by OREMC
Distribution Inspection:
Help crews comply with their organization’s mandated RUS inspection cycle.
Distribution Inspection makes organizing and planning out maintenance cycles simple and allows end-users to digitally collect and store inspection data and generate robust reports and analyses.
Damage Assessment:
Developed primarily as a bird-dogging tool for storm or emergency situations, Damage Assessment allows crews to quickly and efficiently indicate damage locations by type and severity in the aftermath of a major event.
Visit partnersoftware.com to find the perfect solution for your utility needs.
Learn more about OREMC here.