Berlin goes K2000

Successful Implementation of Unified Software for Sewer Inspection at Berlin Water Works

At the beginning of 2023, the Berlin Water Works (hereinafter also BWB) opened a new chapter in the history of TV inspection and introduced the K2000 software from Haite for the entire fleet in the areas of TV inspection, manhole inspection, leak testing and sewer rehabilitation with large-scale systems, as well as in the area of house connection inspection with push systems. A total of 45 licenses were installed on a wide variety of systems and in the offices.

The process from idea to implementation began with recommendations from existing K2000 users, both from the municipal and private sector. Based on the positive feedback and recommendations, the first contacts between Haite and the Berlin Water Works were established at trade fairs and professional events.

Once it became clear to the Berlin Water Works that unifying the software would contribute to significant synergy effects and increased efficiency, the BWB conducted a tender for vehicle-unified software to move closer to this goal, and Haite was awarded the contract.

Requirements

The goal of unifying the software was to further automate processes and data flows in the areas of inspection, leak testing and sewer rehabilitation in order to carry out processing more efficiently.

The most important criteria that the K2000 software had to meet in this context were as follows:

• Reduced training effort and seamless switching of employees between systems thanks to a unified software interface.
• Support for all systems from different manufacturers.
• All areas of activity such as inspection, rehabilitation documentation and leak testing are covered.
• Data exchange between the various work areas

Implementation

In order for Haite’s K2000 software to be seamlessly integrated into the existing workflows, close cooperation between the developers and the various departments of the BWB was necessary. Only in this way could the requirements and specific needs of the BWB for the software be realized.

The evaluation and implementation was carried out in small steps over the course of one year. All requirements were discussed in advance, the adaptations were implemented programmatically and then extensively tested in several execution phases. The Berlin Water Works conducted the tests on the systems directly on site with the support of Haite. Both the inspectors and the office staff were involved, and their feedback was recorded and implemented. Because only with the acceptance of the users could the project be successfully launched. A total of three appointments were scheduled to ensure a complete implementation.

Training

The introduction of the software was a challenge, as up to 100 employees of the Berlin Water Works had to learn and use the new software. All employees successfully participated in training sessions; the training of the individual departments was completed within 2 weeks. The content covered the processes and functions of the software. The training usually lasted no longer than 3 hours. Afterwards, it was off to the systems or office PCs for hands-on practice. This allowed the employees to learn the individual work steps even more efficiently.

After the end of the two-week training period, the entire operation was converted to the new software. Despite the large scope and the many different systems, there were only a few problems after the introduction. Of course, further adjustments had to be made, especially at points that could not be tested during the introduction due to time constraints. However, Haite always responded promptly and implemented the new requirements very quickly. Only through the close and direct communication between the departments of the BWB and Haite was the implementation possible in such a short time.

Conclusion

The introduction of the software has proven to be very successful. The employees of the BWB have recognized the advantages of the unified software, the entire process flow is more efficient and the administrative effort has been reduced. Due to the fact that there is only one contact person for all departments of the BWB, adaptations and new features can be realized in a very short time. The new unified software has contributed to optimizing the workflows in the company, which has led to higher efficiency.

The Berlin Water Works have shown that the successful introduction of new software depends not only on the technology itself, but also on the training and support of employees as well as on changes to processes and workflows. The introduction of the unified software for sewer inspection at the Berlin Water Works is an example of how a well-planned and executed implementation can sustainably improve operations.