DIGITIZATION OF QUALITY CONTROL: HOW IREN TOOK ADVANTAGE OF LOW-CODE

digitization of quality control

How many times we said that digitization has impacted all kinds of business? The developing of new technologies allowed companies to get digitized and to start to digitally transform their business processes. Digitization of quality control is one of these cases and today we want to focus on a specific example of digitization where the use of low-code improved and simplified all the activities. We are talking about the collaboration of Iren and TDox.

Iren is one of the largest and most dynamic multiutility companies on the Italian scene and operates in the sectors of electricity, thermal energy for district heating and gas, and in the management of integrated water servicesenvironmental services and technological services. As a matter of fact, it has 8.600 employees and a portfolio of around 1.9 million customers in the energy sector and about 2.8 million inhabitants served in the integrated water and over 3,1 million in the waste cycles. 

Moreover, the company has its headquarters in Reggio Emilia and the operational offices all over the north of Italy. The Iren Group is made up of the industrial holding company Iren S.p.A.; Iren Energia (elettricity and heat energy production); Iren Mercato (for what concerns the sale of elettricity, gas, and district heating); IRETI (gas and electricity distributions and integrated water service); Iren Acqua (in the integrated water cycle management); Iren Ambiente (in the waste collection and treatment).

According to this, Iren is a very important operator, so why did it start a collaboration with TDox to adopt low-code in its business processes? What were the complications that the company had to face? Read on to find them out and to understand how the enterprise got its digitization of quality control, more specifically in the water quality control.

Barriers to overcome

In order to overcome these problems, Iren decided to entrust on TDox to adopt digital tools that could help the company to simplify the process of water quality control. Let’s see the main complications that needed to be solved.

First of all, one of the principal problems was the use of paper. Indeed, after a technician had analyzed a specific water sample, he had to fill out a form and come back to the office in order to deliver the document with all the details regarding the water analysis. As you can easily understand, this required a lot of time and people at the office could not have information in real time, since, according to the procedure, the water sample had to be delivered within the 24 hours from the collection. Furthermore, we need to consider all the complications that writing data down on sheets can bring, actually papers can get ruined or lost putting the company in a difficult position.

A second problem concerned the missing water samples and how to manage them. In fact, water samples can be done in places that are not so easy to reach, such as brooks, basins, rivers, straits, lakes, or aqueducts which can be in mountain areas. Therefore, there was no way to certify that technicians could not reach the site, so the company had to entrust on what they reported. In addition, the water samples can be taken by technicians from other companies in the group Iren, so it is important to have the ability to keep data under control in real time.

These were pragmatic obstacles for Iren to overcome which led the company to search for digital options to get that digitization of quality control that it needed. Here it came TDox, which brought significant advantages to the company. What kind of benefits? Let’s see them together!

digitization of quality control

The TDox Low-Code Solution

TDox is a multi-experience development platform (MXDP), which harnesses the power of low-code technology to digitize internal business processes and it makes them available both on the webapp and on Android and iOS mobile apps. TDox’s goal is to offer simple solutions to facilitate workforce activities by making them easier and automatic. Thanks to low-code, so the possibility to create forms easier and without code, and TDox features, it was possible to help Iren to overcome the complications it had.

As a matter of fact, our technicians helped the Iren’s IT department to create specific forms that had very useful components inside. An example is the integration with the GPS system which memorizes the exact position where the technician has to take the water sample. This feature is very helpful especially because, if technicians have to return to collect another sample in the future, TDox can be used as a GPS navigation device, showing them the road to the site. Add to this, there is the possibility to take pictures through the camera integration of the mobile device in order to report anomalies or difficulties to reach the site by technicians. In this way, Iren can now control better its operators, in particular the subcontracted ones.

Then, a huge benefit was given by an essential TDox’s feature: the agenda. Through this tool, it is possible to plan all the interventions, so technicians are aware of the tasks they have to do during the day, they only have to open the TDox app on their mobile devices. This was possible thanks to automation, actually Iren gave us an Excel file with different criteria (operators names, tools, data to analyze, collection point etc.) and our technicians implemented this file in the TDox agenda. As a result of this, and through the integration with Iren’s LIMS (laboratory information management system), as soon as a technician fills out a form, this is automatically transferred to their system, avoiding all the process of downloading the file and send it attached to an email. It is clear that a procedure like this significantly reduced the downtimes, so people in the office can have documentation in real time.

Eventually, we cannot omit that with TDox is possible to work offline. Its engine is native offline, so it means that it is set on the mobile device. This allows Iren’s technicians to work in places where connection is low or absent (especially when they are in areas with poor signal) without the fear of losing data and without any speed complications. They just have to synchronize data as soon as they get access to an internet connection. Automation, integration, and low-code technology are some of the features that TDox guaranteed to Iren to improve its water samples.

A digital improvement with TDox

The features offered by TDox and implemented by Iren made possible to make an important step to digitization of quality control, in particular for what concerns water quality control. Adopting digital solutions is the key to have well-organized processes in a company and they are necessary to offer the best possible service.

Furthermore, Iren’s technicians can now work better and safer and at the same time the company takes advantage of low code and digital tools to be competitive in this new economic environment. A great partnership between TDox and Iren which brought huge results.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us to know more about TDox and what it can do for you. Furthermore, if you are interested in seeing what TDox looks like in action, request a free demo, and discover a new world of opportunities. We’re low coding your business apps!




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