Culligan creates the job scheduling of its technicians with Opti-Time.
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Opti-Time
- Optiservice
- ERP
Tech Stack
- Routing Software
- ERP
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Customer Satisfaction
- Cost Savings
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
- Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)
Applicable Industries
- Utilities
- Consumer Goods
Applicable Functions
- Field Services
- Maintenance
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- System Integration
- Software Design & Engineering Services
About The Customer
Culligan is a market leader in water treatment, offering quality solutions to individuals, enterprises, and communities for over 75 years. The company operates through three distinct activities: Consumers, Fountains, and C&I (Communities and Industrials). Culligan is unique in the market as it provides a business service to its customers, including equipment maintenance, in addition to the production, sale, and delivery of its products. Headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, USA, Culligan employs 5,500 people and has products available in over 90 countries, with 600 dealers in the USA and Canada.
The Challenge
Culligan, a market leader in water treatment, faced significant challenges in optimizing the planning and scheduling of its skilled technicians. The company offers a unique business service to its customers, including equipment maintenance, which complicates the visits and schedules of delivery personnel, technicians, and installers. Specific challenges included managing hundreds of technicians and installers, handling 80% recurring services, integrating emergencies and repairs, and maintaining high-frequency water delivery schedules. Culligan needed an optimized solution to manage 230 mobile resources in real-time, reduce mileage between visits, gain visibility into schedules for at least a month, move to a shared electronic format, and harmonize best practices across multiple markets.
The Solution
Culligan implemented the Opti-Time system to pilot its operations, starting in 2010. The initial results were positive, leading to the integration of the routing software with Optiservice in 2011. This integration was part of a larger project to harmonize best practices across the company. The deployment of Opti-Time, initiated in September 2012 and completed in November 2013, included a tool for territory balancing and a new ERP system. The solution allowed Culligan to master the workload, reduce mileage, and optimize job scheduling. The user-friendly interface enabled call center operators to manage technician planning efficiently. The system considered customer availability, professional constraints, and job nature, offering real-time solutions and quick rescheduling options. Centralized data on a server at each national headquarter improved delivery monitoring, performance control, and inventory management.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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