https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


Chicago water district upgrades computer system

Chicago water district upgrades computer system

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Chicago, which encompasses 124 municipalities, has upgraded its computer maintenance management
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st December 1998

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Chicago, which encompasses 124 municipalities, has upgraded its computer maintenance management system (CMMS) with one that is Y2K-compliant and better suited to today’s technology. The decision was not hard to make, since the district’s previous computer system had become obsolete.

In 1989, with more than 2,500 employees throughout its seven plants and office sites, MWRD realized it was operating fairly randomly with too many unscheduled activities. The district invested in a CMMS when it saw a need for greater productivity, better scheduling capabilities and more effective cost controls.

When MWRD implemented the CMMS in 1991, the system was state-of-the-art, but, because it was locked into a mainframe platform, it quickly became obsolete. The district needed to get more use out of the data than the system would allow.

For example, MWRD officials wanted the capability to attach electronic documents, images, drawings, planning sheets and file correspondence to work orders inside a maintenance management system. By the mid-1990s, the decision was made to purchase a PC-based CMMS from J.B. Systems, Woodland Hills, Calif. MWRD also invested in 700 new computers and installed Mainsaver 5.0, a Windows-based program that includes modules for maintenance, materials, purchasing, paperless work management and bar codes.

The software and equipment, which were first installed in 1996 at the John E. Eagan Water Reclamation Plant in Schaumburg, provided the district with new functionality including a graphic user interface that enabled users to easily access MWRD’s in-house inventory system. “MWRD has a maintenance engineer who can now design a solution to a problem in a computer-aided design program,” says Joe Grassi, a consultant for Topanga, Calif.-based Grassi Associates, which helped implement MWRD’s system. “That image is electronically attached to a work order to provide construction detail to a work crew. No paperwork is generated unless it is specifically requested.”

The CMMS was installed at the Hanover Park plant in November 1997; at the John Kiries Plant in Des Plaines in February 1998; and at plants in the communities of Skokie, Calumet and Lemont. An installation at the Stickney plant is slated to be completed in March 1999. That facility, which treats more than 1.2 billion gallons of wastewater per day, is the world’s largest wastewater treatment plant. MWRD also is implementing the new CMMS at its headquarters building to handle all the building engineering and maintenance.

Resistance to change was one of the chief problems officials encountered in the first few months after implementation began. Management was installing computers in places where there had been none, and employees worried about how their jobs would be affected.

However, MWRD overcame that problem through training programs. More than 500 people were trained in small groups, with trainers putting an emphasis on building the employees’ trust and confidence. The employees eventually embraced the new system as something that would help them become more organized and efficient.

MWRD has saved more than $21 million since it implemented its first CMMS in 1991, says spokeswoman Peggy Bradley. The organization expects continued savings with the new client/server setup, and it anticipates that the system will be useful for a long time. The system is more user-friendly than its predecessor and will be more flexible when it comes to adding and interfacingwith new software modules, according to MWRD officials.

Tags:

Most Recent


  • Seamless Cooperative Experience Saves Indiana City Exponentially in Time and Money
    Significant new responsibility in an unfamiliar spend category didn’t intimidate Jasper-Dubois County Public Library Director, Christine Golden. What could’ve been an overwhelming furniture project for a state-of-the-art, 67,000 square-foot new facility turned into a seamless, stress-free experience through a cooperative purchasing strategy. “Stress-free” may sound like an exaggeration, but it’s the result that cooperative purchasing […]
  • 10 best large cities for fishing
    Across the United States, Americans of all backgrounds—from both urban and rural settings alike—enjoy a mutual pastime: fishing. But while there are plenty of cities that feature lakes and rivers, some large metro areas are better fishing communities than others.  A list created by Apartment Guide considers all U.S. cities with a population of more […]
  • public sector
    Generational differences present an opportunity to reinvent public sector service delivery
    As major technology companies have transformed the ideal customer experience into instantaneous “one-click” services, the public sector has been challenged to keep pace. As a result, government organizations must meet the changing expectations of Americans with faster, simpler, 24/7 services. Government is ingrained in the fabric of our lives, including the water we drink, the […]
  • Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come
    When the pandemic struck in 2020, public retention was hit hard: jobs in local government plummeted by 8.5 percent; state employment dropped by 4.4 percent. Two years later, local and state government jobs have rebounded by about half—to 4.1 and 1.9 percent below pre-pandemic levels respectively, according to a new report from Mission Square Research […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Public procurement can be transformative for stakeholders in a community
  • The 10 Most Sustainable Large U.S. Cities

White papers


How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Seamless Cooperative Experience Saves Indiana City Exponentially in Time and Money dlvr.it/SSxp95

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

10 best large cities for fishing dlvr.it/SSxbSZ

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Generational differences present an opportunity to reinvent public sector service delivery dlvr.it/SSxbN7

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come dlvr.it/SSnmS7

24th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships dlvr.it/SSkGBn

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making dlvr.it/SSk3H0

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses dlvr.it/SSgBck

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Oklahoma City puts the focus on employees when implementing changes in office technology dlvr.it/SSfyns

22nd June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X