SPIE CityNetworks empowered
connectivity with stakeholders

The utility service provider streamlined site operations and tracked
real-time data with Novade’s construction management software

65,000 lighting points

12,200+ photos

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30 minutes
saved daily

Enhanced client engagement

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Improved efficiency
& visibility

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65,000 lighting points

Z

12,200+ photos

Z

30 minutes saved daily

Z

Enhanced client engagement

Z

Improved efficiency & visibility

Overview

Leading European utility service provider SPIE CityNetworks, in its joint venture with Citelum (EDF Group) and Eiffage Energy System, engaged Novade in a long-term partnership to track the progress of Toulouse’s lighting projects. Some of the goals included streamlining site operations, facilitating digital data entry for easy retrieval, and engaging stakeholders to monitor project information.
client SPIE CityNetworks logo

PROJECT

    • Ongoing since 2015
    • Included design, operations, and maintenance for over 65,000 public lighting points in Toulouse, France
    • Included street, decorative and architectural, sports facilities, and festive lighting
    • Replaced obsolete equipment to ensure energy savings, reduce light pollution, improve safety, and beautify the city

GOALS

    • Streamline work processes
    • Boost efficiency while enforcing high quality standards
    • Collect data accurately and conveniently
    • Increase client engagement and visibility on project progress

ISSUES

    • Complex work processes with large number of lighting points
    • Arduous task of recording, collecting and compiling data of each lighting point on paper
    • Extensive time spent on travelling from site to office to record data on Excel sheets and file paperwork for approvals
    • Up to 50 adjustments made for one job
    • Photos were taken with digital cameras and had to be attached to written notes
    • No real-time monitoring of work progress due to manual recording, loss of data, and delayed approvals/responses

CONTRACTOR

OUTCOMES

    • Implemented Novade’s construction management software to digitalise and automate work processes
    • Over 287 active jobs around the city and completed more than 751 jobs
    • The client lodged service orders and validated repairs through the construction app
    • Created more than 1,200 digital forms
    • Camera and audio functions within the app made it easy for workers to enter/retrieve data instantaneously. Over 12,276 photos taken and attached to forms
    • Improved visibility on processes and enhanced traceability through Novade’s comprehensive dashboards, enabling managers to provide feedback without being on-site

BENEFITS

    • Real-time access to information
    • Reduced physical storage space for paper
    • Saved up to 30 minutes per day from travelling back and forth to the office
    • Heightened client engagement
    • Improved accountability with standardised workflows

Joint effort to light up Toulouse

Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France, after Paris, Marseille, and Lyon. The 11,808-hectare municipality is wholly responsible for its street lighting, decorative and architectural lighting, lighting for sports facilities, and festive lighting. Adding up to 65,000 lighting points, Toulouse has a lighting master plan that is divided into several areas: optimising of lights’ luminous flux, reducing power consumption and light pollution, illuminating historic buildings at night, and improving photometric rendering that prioritises pedestrians.
Lighting up the City of Toulouse was a joint effort between SPIE CityNetworks, Citelum (EDF Group), and Eiffage Energy System. They were engaged to support the entire lifecycle of the city’s lighting – from design, implementation, operation, to maintenance.

Streamline work processes

Spie CityNetworks testimonial Novade mobile user

SPIE CityNetworks engaged Novade’s construction management software to digitalise and automate work processes. With an easy-to-use construction app, Novade connected all stakeholders and made sure accurate data was readily available. SPIE CityNetworks’ head of services Christophe Escribano commented, “We wanted the client to see the work we were doing for them. Our clients could send us service orders and they could also validate our work and repairs through the app.”

“Our teams quickly adopted Novade’s construction app on-site. It helped us to easily communicate in real time.”

– Christophe Escribano, Head of Services, SPIE CityNetworks

Easily access real-time information

Work processes became more complex as the number of lighting points increased. Site workers had to monitor and record details of each lighting point on paper, travel back to the office, and enter data on Excel sheets before submitting to managers for approvals. This process was time-consuming, prone to human error, and limited data visibility to other stakeholders.

Novade digitalised the tedious manual processes so that all stakeholders could easily access real-time site information via their mobile devices. This reduced the need for workers to travel from site to office saving them up to 30 minutes a day. Online data entry and retrieval were also made simple with the camera and audio functions on mobile phones. Assistant foreman Noémie Prades could instantaneously retrieve photos and audio recordings of notes via Novade’s construction app.

Spie CityNetworks mobile site user

“The Novade app’s handy and intuitive. There’s no need to make 50 adjustments for one thing.”

– Noémie Prades, Assistant Foreman, SPIE CityNetworks

Reinforce stakeholder collaboration
and empower data connectivity

The prevalence of mobile phones ensured that everyone on-site could access Novade’s construction app. Site manager Sébastien Gonzalez observed a big change. 

Spie CityNetworks office managers desktop app
He commented, “I could access all the plans on my computer or phone. Because of that, I could help to solve problems without going on-site.”

Novade’s construction app connected all stakeholders, including the City of Toulouse, on a digital construction platform. Leader Daniel Challe noted that Novade’s construction app served their clients well as they could easily monitor progress in real time, provide feedback, and validate workflows without being physically on-site.

The impact of digitalisation on utility project management empowered connectivity like never before. Novade helped to centralise information and reinforce the collaboration between SPIE CityNetworks, Citelum, and Eiffage Energy Systems. Escribano summed it up best, “With Novade, we could stay connected at all times with up-to-date information.”

SPIE CityNetworks was introduced to Novade’s construction management software by Novade’s France partner, Iliatis.

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