Bureau of Reclamation Implements Cyco AutoManager Meridian at Grand Coulee Dam

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) February 24, 2005

Cyco Software, a leading provider of Engineering Data Management (EDM) solutions, announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation, in the U.S. Department of the Interior, has successfully implemented Cyco AutoManager Meridian to manage the engineering data and design documentation at its hydro-power facility at Washington’s Grand Coulee Dam.

 

The Bureau of Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydro-electric power in the United States. The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington is one of the Bureau of Reclamation’s largest infrastructure projects. Located on the main stem of the Columbia River about 90 miles west of Spokane, Washington, the barricade is 5,223 feet long, 550 feet high and contains 11,975,500 cubic yards of concrete.

 

To keep this enormous amount of concrete, powerlines, hydro systems, pumps and circuit breakers in top shape, the dam’s engineering and maintenance groups are in charge of conducting continuous maintenance on the dam and its related power infrastructure. More than 300 people from different disciplines are involved, including engineering, maintenance and administration.

 

The CAD and Engineering department at the Grand Coulee Dam has successfully implemented Cyco AutoManager Meridian to keep more than 200,000 drawings that outline the dam under tight control. Clark Perman, CAD Manager, explains how Cyco AutoManager Meridian is saving the engineers time. “Right now, we have 45,000 records in Cyco AutoManager Meridian. We have about 10,000 CAD drawings in there and the rest are scanned images,” he says. “It is much nicer to have the system do the searching for you than to go through a bunch of cards.”

 

“Cyco AutoManager Meridian allows us to have up to date drawings at our fingertips no matter where we are on the project,” he says.

 

DataCore Technology, an EDM consultant that specializes in the asset management needs of utilities around the country, helped the Bureau of Reclamation roll out and implement Cyco AutoManager Meridian. “DataCore has been terrific in helping to implement the system and supporting us along the way,” says Perman. “The fact they’re located remotely has never made any difference to the quality of their support. They’ve been timely, thorough and available.”

 

Besides Cyco AutoManager Meridian’s versatile searching tools, Perman is very satisfied with the product’s workflow and Work Area features that facilitate communications between different disciplines. Work Areas are pre-defined stages in a workflow with a unique set of revision, security and editing settings.

 

“We have set up workflow in such a way that when an engineer checks out a drawing and locks it in his [Work Area] he can make red and green changes to that drawing. What the electrician needs to take out is added in green and what needs to be added is in red,” explains Perman.

 

Other features Perman likes are Cyco AutoManager Meridian’s convenient file structure that allows people to easily create a drawing hierarchy to categorize drawings. He also mentions the title block-database synchronization as a great time-saver for his department. “I like how easy it is to change the items on the index cards and linking the title block information to the drawings. The synchronization is very nice.”

 

Perman concludes that Cyco AutoManager Meridian has made a significant impact on the engineering’s department daily operations. “Before we had data management, people had to come to our office to get the drawings. Taking into account that our project spreads 15 miles across, you can imagine how much time was wasted and how much we’re saving now.”

 

Visit http://www.data-core.com/case-studies.htm to download a case story about the implementation of Cyco AutoManager Meridian at Grand Coulee Dam.

 

About the Bureau of Reclamation

 

The Bureau of Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. For more information, please visit http://www.usbr.gov.

 

About DataCore Technology

 

DataCore specializes in implementing electronic data management solutions for energy, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and government organizations to help improve time to market, reduce asset maintenance costs, and comply with government regulations. DataCore operates with the highest degree of integrity, provides quality products and services, and maintains a steadfast commitment to excellence. For more information, please visit http://www.data-core.com .

 

About Cyco Software

 

Cyco Software provides Engineering Data Management (EDM) and Application Integration solutions for multiple vertical industries, including manufacturing, energy, government, pharmaceutical, retail and telecommunications. Cyco Software has almost two decades of industry experience with more than 16,000 clients and over 275,000 users in 50+ countries worldwide. The company has offices in the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Korea, Russia and The Netherlands, and an extensive global network of established partners around the world. Cyco Software ensures a high level of service and support on a truly worldwide scale for its leading software solutions Cyco AutoManager Meridian and Cyco AutoManager TeamWork. For more information, please visit http://www.cyco.com, or call (800) 323-2926 ext 110 (Americas) or +31 (0) 70 413-3700 (Europe).

 

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