Case Study San Diego Gas & Electric
Company Size
1,000+
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- AssetWorks FleetFocus
- EquipmentFocus
- Notification Manager module
Tech Stack
- Fleet Management System
- Invoice Approval module
- Unit Attachment Query functionality
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)
Applicable Industries
- Utilities
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Regulatory Compliance Monitoring
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
San Diego Gas & Electric® (SDG&E®) is a regulated public utility that provides energy service to 3.6 million customers in the San Diego and southern Orange counties in California. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (Sempra), a San Diego-based energy services holding company whose subsidiaries provide electricity, natural gas and value-added products and services. SDG&E has been an AssetWorks FleetFocus customer for over 20 years and recently upgraded to the latest version of the system in August of 2020. SDG&E operates a fleet of over 2,000 units, including highly specialized trucks, trailers and standard vehicles, and 12 maintenance locations spread throughout the San Diego area. Through their work, SDG&E manages and maintains 1.4 million electric meters and 873,000 natural gas residential meters across SDG&E’s 4,100 square miles of service area.
The Challenge
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) operates a fleet of over 2,000 units and 12 maintenance locations spread throughout the San Diego area. They manage and maintain 1.4 million electric meters and 873,000 natural gas residential meters across SDG&E’s 4,100 square miles of service area. SDG&E makes significant use of the AssetWorks FleetFocus suite, including EquipmentFocus and the Notification Manager module. As a utility organization, SDG&E uses one aspect of FleetFocus in a unique way: SOX compliance and invoicing. Before using FleetFocus for invoicing and SOX compliance, SDG&E originally developed an in-house process that populated an Excel spreadsheet when someone entered a part receipt or commercial charge into the fleet management system. However, this process was not secure and could be manipulated or altered. SDG&E needed a method that would be SOX compliant, which required that the same individual could not both submit an invoice and subsequently approve it.
The Solution
SDG&E launched with the custom FleetFocus Invoice Approval module and Unit Attachment Query functionality to target seamless compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act. The module needed to ensure that only users with specific administrative roles and privileges would have access to the approval center for these items. This included the ability to reject the invoice outright or to send it back for correction, like adding a missing attachment. This drastically cuts time down as well, as the database recognizes instant notifications. As a result, vendor payment processing can occur much quicker, which may incentivize vendors to provide discounts to SDG&E. The Unit Attachment Query within FleetFocus allows users to search through attachments of these orders, so that the user can find an attachment on an as-needed basis. For SDG&E, this functionality has drastically sped up search times.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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