RWE is a leading energy company that operates wind farms globally, This Case Study highlights the use of Papertrail within two UK wind farms Triton Knoll and Sofia. Triton Knoll has been operational for about three years, and Sofia is currently under construction.
Papertrail has supported RWE's operations, providing efficient and reliable support for over six years.
The platform is currently being utilised across 15 RWE sites, with over 1600 users. The extensive use of over 60 customised Papertrail modules demonstrates its versatility in meeting various operational needs within the company's wind farm projects.
Furthermore, the platform has facilitated seamless collaboration, as evidenced by the sharing of over 9000 records with RWE suppliers. This highlights the platform's significant role in enhancing communication and streamlining processes across the supply chain, contributing to the overall efficiency and robustness of RWE's operations.
Challenges Faced
Claire Swannick, a logistics coordinator with 30 years of experience, highlights the complexity of managing logistics for a large number of equipment assets in the wind industry. The challenges include keeping track of equipment certifications, ensuring compliance with regulations, and maintaining the safety and efficiency of wind turbines. Initially, the company used Excel for logistics management, which proved to be inadequate for handling the volume and complexity of the equipment.
"After 30 years in logistics, including a decade in the wind industry managing hundreds of pieces of equipment and complying with certifications such as PUWER and LOLER using Papertrail has made the process easier”
- Claire Swannick, RWE Triton Knoll
Solution: Implementation of Papertrail
RWE adopted Papertrail to address the challenges of managing equipment and certifications effectively. Claire Swannick emphasises that Papertrail has been important in ensuring compliance and maintaining safety standards. The software's ability to demonstrate a proactive approach to equipment management and provide a full history of every equipment piece's activity has been crucial for RWE.
Papertrail has revolutionised the way we manage assets at RWE wind farms. With the complex logistics of our operations, managing hundreds of pieces of equipment and certifications has been made simpler. The system ensures compliance, safety, and efficiency, making our tasks seamless and proactive. It has become an indispensable tool in our day-to-day operations, allowing us to focus on what matters most - ensuring the safety and reliability of our wind farms.”
- Claire Swannick, RWE Triton Knoll
Key Benefits of Papertrail for RWE
Compliance and Safety
With the overarching goal of keeping the turbines running and ensuring health and safety compliance, Papertrail provides the traceability and linked records required to demonstrate proactive asset management.
Efficiency in Logistics
The software has significantly improved logistics operations for RWE, streamlining the onboarding process for new employees and managing the issuance of equipment. Swannick points out that Papertrail's electronic task creation has facilitated electronic confirmation of equipment issuance, improving traceability and reducing the likelihood of equipment going missing. This has ultimately reduced costs and improved efficiency.
Papertrail eliminates the need for manual data entry from purchase orders and invoices by leveraging Linked Records, as suppliers have already preloaded the necessary information.
Linked Records
RWE has benefited from various features of Papertrail, including linked records. The Linked Records system effortlessly connects suppliers and customers, facilitating seamless inspections, tracking historical data, and transferring information smoothly between parties.
"Over the last 18 months, the use of Papertrail has significantly improved our logistics operations, specifically resource management and collaboration with business partners. The ability to share information only once through linked records has been invaluable in effectively onboarding new staff members, including handling large quantities of PPE for Sofia. This approach to inspections and maintenance, facilitated by the sharing of information, has been critical in ensuring operational efficiency and compliance. Leveraging Papertrail to generate and share data has been a game-changer in enhancing our logistics processes and overall effectiveness.”
- Claire Swannick, RWE Triton Knoll
NFC Scanning
The implementation of NFC tagging for PPE items and other equipment has eased the identification process, especially in challenging environments where serial numbers may be hard to read.
"After incorporating NFC tagging this year, the efficiency gains provided by Papertrail have continued to elevate our logistics operations. Serial numbers have become harder to discern, especially in challenging offshore environments, the ease of scanning NFC tags has significantly streamlined equipment identification.”
“I’m delighted with our recent LOLER Inspection. Using Papertrail with the addition of the NFC Tagging made the process of inspection quicker and more efficient. Being able to do one body of work, and each organisation able to access the information is exceptionally valuable, and a good example of a Lean Supply Chain. Removing aspects of overprocessing and waiting from our Supply Chain process really improves our efficiency. Thanks to the team from Gibb who worked tirelessly to ensure all our items were inspected, whilst being flexible and adaptable to changing priorities of kit arriving. What Papertrail enables us to understand is exactly where we are with all our equipment, and what to prioritise. The date indicators allow us to plan our workloads, and never be in a position where equipment is out of date.”
- Claire Swannick, RWE Triton Knoll
Onboarding & User adoption
The onboarding process for new employees at RWE has been seamless. 30 minutes training for technicians and 90 minutes training for admin users, is all that is required for effective use of Papertrail. Swannick attests to the user-friendly nature of Papertrail, highlighting its learnability and ease of use.
"Learning Papertrail is a breeze for our technicians. With just a half-hour session, they can easily navigate the system to view records, complete tasks, and manage their certifications. The intuitive design allows newcomers to quickly grasp the platform's functionality, making it a valuable asset for efficient collaboration and task management."
- Claire Swannick, RWE Triton Knoll
Customer Service
The customer success team excels in providing exceptional support by enabling direct communication with the Papertrail development team. This collaboration allows for customised solutions to be identified and implemented, ensuring that the software meets our specific requirements effectively.
Future Considerations
Looking ahead, RWE is exploring further features and developments that could enhance their experience with Papertrail. The company is particularly interested in leveraging the PartnerHub feature for improved sharing and collaboration while ensuring proper access control and training for external partners. Papertrail is also working with RWE to create custom modules specific to their needs.
RWE's successful implementation of Papertrail has demonstrated its ability to meet the complex logistical and safety needs of the wind industry. The company has leveraged the software to improve compliance, safety, and efficiency while streamlining equipment management processes.
RWE
RWE, with more than 125 years of experience, has evolved into a prominent provider of renewable energy globally. The company is leading the way in sustainable practices, heavily investing in renewables. RWE focuses on wind farms, solar power, and battery storage facilities across multiple countries.
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