Fleet Tailgate 1

Volume 2, Issue 5 Special Edition - July 2013

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

1. Change in Attitude 2.-4. Fleet MacGyvers 5. Continuous Improvements 6. Employee Recognition 7. Fleet Makes History 8.-9. Pay it forward 10. Safety Tips 11. Celebrations

Fleet Operations has gone through significant changes in the past two years with this last year being the opportunity to focus on results and not just activities. Adopting a “can do” attitude and approaching challenges from a problem solving perspective has allowed us to achieve industry recognized standards. These include a fleet availability over 96%, a 20% increase in scheduled maintenance, reduced open PM work orders by 87%, implemented a process to monitor unallocated P-card charges weekly that greatly improved our cost controls, and continued to drive safety awareness that resulted in a 50% reduction of OSHA recordable and elimination of any preventable motor vehicle accidents As a result of our employee survey, we designed an employee engagement action plan that encouraged better communication and paved the way to an environment of trust and respect resulting in strengthened employee/management collaboration. This same level of communication and trust was also developed with our internal customers resulting in their contribution to fleet’s vision of proper utilization by right-sizing our fleet. This ongoing effort has resulted in identification and reduction of over 100 underutilized units.

Fleet Tailgate 2

“To Invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” - Thomas A. Edison

Remember MacGyver? He was a different type of action hero in the ‘80s, who outwitted the bad guys every week with ingenuity rather than brute force, combining his extensive knowledge of

scientific trivia with ordinary items that just happened to be lying around. A genius of improvisation, it seemed he could solve almost any situation, from escaping a locked room to short-circuiting a

nuclear missile, with nothing more than a paper clip. While our Fleet Department doesn’t work on nuclear missiles or fight bad guys, we still use similar tactics to getting the job done. Following are some examples of Fleet’s ingenuity and how it has

helped in the services that we provide to our customers.

Sprayer – Fleet’s Coal Yard Garage modified this Kubota RTV making it capable of traveling on the rail road tracks while simultaneously spraying weeds along the center and both sides of the path which is approximately 4 miles long. Previously this task was performed by a contractor three times a year at $25,000 a pop! With this new setup the user area is now able to perform this task themselves at a cost of $5,600; a $19,400 savings each time the track is sprayed! Not bad considering the cost of modification was $2,775.

Mobile Oil Change Trailer – Jones Ave. Garage obtained and modified this trailer with equipment removed from one of the generator service trucks for use in performing generator PMs as well as any other remotely located equipment in need of maintenance. This not only freed up valuable space in the generator service truck but also allowed other technicians to use this piece of equipment as needed.

Fleet Tailgate 3

Geogrid Roll - A geogrid is a geo synthetic material used to reinforce soil and similar materials. Soils pull apart under tension and compared to soil, geogrids are strong in tension; this fact allows them to transfer forces to a larger area of soil that would otherwise be the case. Roller - CPS uses geogrids under the liners in the pits near Calaveras Power Plants. Installation of a geogrid previously was performed by contractors, up until Fleet’s Coal Yard Garage fabricated this roller from an old Caterpillar bucket mount. By attaching this roller to their 930 Caterpillar loader, the user area is now able to install the geogrid themselves for a savings of around $20,000. The user states that this new way of installing is much safer too.

Hydraulic Fluid Filtration Pump – Salado Garage refurbished this old filtration pump which is currently being used to recycle hydraulic fluid in Altec hole-diggers. The hydraulic fluid in these machines is monitored by a gauge at the filter housing, when the gauge gets into the yellow zone the system and tank needs to be cleaned out. When cleaning, you will find large amounts of dirt and Kelley bar packings in the tank and in the hydraulic oil. Previously it took two drums of hydraulic fluid at $886.00 ea. to refill the system. Currently it now takes just one drum of hydraulic fluid because the remainder of the fluid is filtered and reused cutting the cost in half and reducing the amount of waste oil generated.

Preventative Tire Maintenance Program- A pilot project was established to maintain a preventative tire maintenance program at SWC Garage. This program’s core design is to extend the tire and casing life cycle by maintaining proper air pressure and improving our tire casing inspections. This allowed us to reduce our tire waste stream by analyzing casing disposition for repairs as opposed to scrapping used casings. While the goal was to reduce tire cost by 50% in the first year and 65% in the future for our 11R22.5 and 19.5 lines, we have to date exceeded our projections by realizing an actual 74% reduction in cost per tire. The program includes the installation of a tire sealant that has helped maintain optimum air pressure showing an approximate 60% improvement resulting in reduced flats.

Fleet Tailgate 4

Safety Stand Downs – SWC began a monthly safety stand down that required all of their overhead line crews to remain in one day per week to attend safety meetings and participate in inspections of all their personal protective equipment. Because their trucks were not being used that day, our maintenance shop recognized an opportunity to improve inspection efficiency and provide our internal customers with a cooperative safety inspection that related to the purpose of holding their crews in anyway. The program began as an inspection for the aerial units only but quickly became a complete safety lane type of operation that included an inspection of lights, tires, electrical systems testing, and weighing units with our portable scales, inspecting all PPE, aerial safety inspection, and operator training from our technical trainers. Through implementation of this process we were able to reduce inspection time by approximately 50% by utilizing idle operators hours to assist in our inspection process.

PM Strategy Reduction: Currently the number of PM strategies that have been identified and/or eliminated in Fleet is 41. We started with roughly 78 strategies and now have 37. That’s about a 51% reduction of strategies. Apart from the reduction of strategies, Cassandra also developed/created a new electric vehicle strategy (F-EV). This strategy consisted of extended maximum intervals, which are more cohesive with the vehicles maintenance needs. This was done in an effort to maintain low cost and promote high quality for our customers. Cassandra has focused continuous improvements on fleet’s PM strategies, cycles, plans, and work orders. All in an effort to improve the inner workings of our system, the accuracy of our records, and help reduce downtime.

Reduction in Operating Costs- This past year we focused on right sizing our fleet and on underutilized vehicles and equipment. With reports provided by our SCIT Team, we have identified those that meet the age, mileage and cost criteria. Fleet has also decommissioned 128 units, of which 70 were not replaced. Our gross sale price for these sold units was $447,229; giving us an average sale price of $3,494 per unit. We have also initiated a pool at each of our larger centers to assist us in determining the need and utilization of each area.

Rental Payment Process- Fleet has historically been tasked with creating the Service Entry Sheets that verify the Rental Equipment invoices for payment by Accounts Payable. We conscientiously accept this responsibility. Previously, Fleet would allocate the expense of each invoice to many (anywhere from 10 – 99) work orders. Problems would arise from work orders being closed by the time the invoices were ready for payment & it was very time-consuming for Fleet. Now, Fleet charges the majority of invoices to Disco Cost Center 7608. There are also Transco 7609 & Gasco 7610 available for use. It is in the user area’s control to charge the correct work orders through the timesheets by using the TechID numbers that have been assigned to their rental equipment. This is a more real-time way of charging time for rental equipment and has reduced the amount of time spent on processing invoices.

Fleet Tailgate 5

Fleet Operations began the process of continuous improvement which included numerous lean improvements such as 5S, kan ban, A4s, development of work instructions, and use of various dashboards to measure and manage our improvements. This past year we kicked off our 5S program earnestly throughout the shop, office and our grounds. The program assisted us with bringing our areas up to a common standard and ensuring that we have the materials and tools available when needed. Fleet shops are inspected monthly for environmental compliance, conduct daily safety meetings at the beginning of their shifts, and have quarterly 5S audits performed. Through the implementation of the Kan ban system, we have been able to track material inventory and customize the inventory requirements for each shop. This has reduced the amount of obsolete inventory, improved availability of fast moving parts, and eliminated the number of unplanned deliveries from our warehouse and from outside suppliers. This improvement also allowed us to reduce our warehouse hours allowing them to close two hours earlier in the evening. Comparisons show that our sourcing department is able to negotiate prices to save CPS Energy 40% to 60% cost savings on stock materials that are used in a daily basis to accomplish our routinely preventative maintenance. These reporting tools provided us with details on our Safety, Fleet Availability, Productivity, Scheduled Repairs, Downtime, and Costs. Through this tracking and focus, we have reduced our injuries and accidents, improved our over-all fleet availability to over 96%, maintain a mechanic productivity over 85% while reducing overtime hours, improved our scheduled vs. unscheduled work by over 20%, consistently drove our lead times down at each center, and have maintained our costs while improving processes and reducing wastes. Our Capital Tracker tracks the procurement and in-servicing of incoming vehicle and equipment and we were able to reduce the process from 10-15 days to 6-10 days. We’ve seen quite an improvement on each of the areas and with the information gathered were able to reconstruct our clerical staff and place mechanical staff to facilities with a higher demand. Our work order completion is now controlled and is kept to the minimum required days to remain open. This allows us to view a better picture of what work is in process and due for maintenance. By allocating charges weekly, promotes fewer errors and assists staff to approve payments.

Continuous

Improvements

Salado Overhaul Crews have decreased the lead time in the fifty day range from sixty plus days. Just recently Pete Del Valle performed an overhaul in just 55 days, while Refugio Cantu topped it at 51 days! This is an amazing improvement. This new target will reduce vehicle and crew downtime and reduce costs while raising the bar in Safety and Quality.

Fleet Tailgate 6

Harold Lambert received 2nd

place & Staton Wiedner received 3rd

place at the TMTA Regional Skills Competition. (featured in the June Fleet Tailgate). Staton went on to the State Championship on June 15. This competition consisted of hands-on that required detailed systems diagnostics and trouble shooting. It also included written problems that entailed specific tolerances and best practices on operational questions related to heavy duty vehicle maintenance. Staton was recognized as the ‘Rookie of the Year’. CPS Energy was also recognized as a New Member and first time competitor in the State Competition representing growth and diversity in the industry.

This Fleet Tailgate Special Edition Fleet Operations would like to recognize Data Control Clerk III, Claudia Orosco for her outstanding efforts and commitment to excellence in her position. Claudia was nominated to receive the CSS Award for this extraordinary performance. She always goes above and beyond on her job duties in a very professional manner. Her attention to detail and willingness to always step in when someone is in need is something that we’d like spread across the department. She always takes on new challenges without hesitation, always with a ‘How can I help’ attitude. With this said, Thank You Claudia, for all that you do!!

Recognition

Richard Ramirez was recognized for outstanding performance as Journeyman Mechanic at Eastside Garage. Over the course of three months Mr. Ramirez’s performance has successfully led to the completion of over 1502 work orders. While faced with the challenges of being without 2 mechanics and the loss of our trainee, Richard on his own, has came in showing great growth in the face of adversity. His adaptability, personal initiative, and devotion to job duties reflect great credit upon himself and are keeping up with the highest standards of Fleet Operations.

Fleet Tailgate 7

Fleet Makes History

We recently made the Top 100 Best Fleets ranking #88. (Featured in Twitter &

Government Fleet website)

We received Honorable Mention as we participated in the Government Green

Fleet Awards. (Government Fleet website)

Our fleet operations were recognized for the job that we do for all of our

districts during one of our Tent Meetings.

David Lopez, Paul Ozuna, Refugio Cantu and Russell Anderson were honored

for their participation in the storm support during the Sandy Hurricane. They

were recognized by the crews for being ‘First up and the last down’ as they had

to repair and maintain 50 of the units while in severe weather and under

distressed conditions. (Featured in Facebook).

Awarded AC-Delco plaque for training.

Tommy Johns received the Excellence in Maintenance Management Award for

the state of Texas through TMTA.

CPS Energy was recognized by TMC for chairing the Safety/Environmental

station at the SuperTech skills competition and delivering a safety seminar to

all participants.

Fleet Tailgate 8

Fleet gives back to the Community

vol·un·teer /ˌvälənˈti(ə)r/

Noun

Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity and is intended to promote good or improve human quality of life. In return, this activity can produce a feeling of self-worth and respect. There is no financial gain involved. Volunteering is also renowned for skill development, socialization, and fun. It is also intended to make contacts for possible employment. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster. Volunteering may bring a feeling of self-satisfaction.

Fleet Tailgate 9

Emotional well-being Kindness: How it pays sweet returns

You walked your friend's dog while she recuperated from

surgery. And, it left you feeling warm and fuzzy. But, it wasn't

just because of the exercise and wagging tail.

You made another person happy — and that felt great. But, did

you know that practicing kindness can also be a plus for your

health and well-being?

A kinder, happier life

It turns out that people who make a habit of spreading kindness around them may experience less pain,

depression and stress. People who reach out to help others might even live longer, according to some

research.

This giving behavior can:

Help you feel needed and socially connected

Give you a sense of accomplishment and greater calm

Take your mind off your own troubles

Everyday ways to cultivate kindness

Maybe you'd like to be more compassionate and giving. Here are three ways to get started:

1. Think small. It doesn’t take large — or time-consuming — acts of generosity to brighten someone’s day.

Everyday actions count, too. You might simply smile at a co-worker who looks a bit down. Or, let a mom with

a toddler in tow cut in front of you at the post office.

Who knows? You may just set off a chain reaction of kindness around you.

2. Get involved. If you want to make helping a more routine part of your life, consider volunteering. You can

look for opportunities that match your talents and interests. The needs are many. For instance, you might

read to kids at a local school. Or, assist or visit residents at a nursing home — or stock shelves at a food

bank.

3. Bring it full circle. While you're being kind to others, remember to extend the same courtesy to yourself.

For instance, try to:

Be aware of your feelings and needs

Avoid negative self-talk — replace it with supportive, nonjudgmental thoughts

Treat yourself as you would a friend

And, the circle can just continue. People who are kind to themselves may feel more positive and optimistic —

and more eager to pass it on.

Recommended movie to watch: Pay It Forward

Fleet Tailgate 10

QUICK TIP: SUMMER TEMPERATURES ARE HERE

Fireworks during the Fourth of July are as American as apple-pie, but did you know that two out of five fires reported on that day are started by fireworks, more than for any other cause? The good news is you can

enjoy your holiday and the fireworks, with just a few simple safety tips:

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Leave fireworks to the professionals. Do not use consumer fireworks.

The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public display conducted by trained professionals.

After the firework display, children should never pick up fireworks that may be left over, they may still be active.

Fleet Tailgate 11

Birthdays

Castillo Sylvia 1-Jul

Martinez Juan 1-Jul

Saenz Daniel 15-Jul

In today’s fast-paced world, we generally move from one task to the next. As we have accomplished this first step towards the new era of opportunities, we can now feel as if anything is possible. During this year we were introduced to challenges where we encountered resistance from some and motivation from others. However in the end, we were able to work together as a team to achieve what we were tasked to do.

In celebration for all that we as Fleet employees have accomplished, July 12th is being set aside as a day to recognize these milestones. So be sure to save the date!!

More details soon to come.

Anniversaries Maspero Arthur 7/2/01

Shears Ernest 7/2/01

Jarzombek Mark 7/8/85

Schneider Kevin 7/8/86

Brown Cody 7/17/89

Mendoza Julian 7/12/99

Rodriguez Timoteo 7/24/00

Fleet Tailgate was made proudly by:

Mark Jarzombek & Cindy Nieto