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To deliver clean water to residents, municipal governments must maintain extremely reliable water/wastewater systems. Those systems include a complex array of storage facilities, pipes and pumping stations, each with monitoring equipment that collects vital data and delivers that data to a central destination.
"When the data stops flowing, the system goes down. We make sure that doesn't happen," says Alan Doberstein. As president of water/wastewater systems integrator Total Control Systems, Doberstein works with local governments across a region covering Michigan, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Trusted Wireless Data Solutions from Dataradio have long been an integral part of Total Control Systems' recommended solutions.
"Wireless data communications are a critical part of the service we provide," he says. "We must have confidence in the reliability of that equipment in the near-term, and in our ability to support that system over the long-haul. That's how we build trust, and that's how we build our business."
Services and Support Play Pivotal Roles In Water/Wastewater Business
According to Doberstein, business success in the water/wastewater industry requires more than competitive bids and successful projects. It requires relationships built on years of trust earned through reliable service and support in an operational environment with no room for error. "You can't get along in this business going randomly from project to project," he says. "You have to build relationships. That's why we're a very service-oriented organization."
How does reliable wireless data affect the service focus of Total Control Systems? The answer lies in recognizing the critical nature of the business. "If a sewage pumping station breaks down, you can't say you'll send a repairman out next week," says Doberstein. "You have to have systems that don't fail. And when an issue does arise, you have to be there to fix things, immediately. Our clients know that we recognize the urgency of the issue."
In many cases, Doberstein is faced with the prospect of replacing old systems that delivered data through telephone lines. "In cases like these, the decisions to implement wireless data communications systems were easy," he says. "The telephone line basically goes into a service 'cloud' and you can't control what goes on in that cloud. I've seen situations where it took the phone company five weeks to repair a fault. That's not mission-critical service."
"Wireless data is essential to our systems," he continues. "It puts control of the whole communications system, from the towers and repeaters to wireless data end-units, into our hands, not in the hands of a large and distant operator. We can fix issues quickly, before they turn into large problems, or we can hire somebody to address the issue."
Product Reliability Fuels Long-Term Client Relationships
Doberstein's company has been serving municipal customers since 1992, and he explains that it's no accident that Dataradio products from CalAmp have been an integral part of Total Control Systems' implementations. "To succeed in this business, you need to build relationships over time," he explains. "That means you need to implement products that fit into the systems today, and that will be supported by the manufacturer years into the future."
Total Control relies on CalAmp because of the mission-critical reliability of its Dataradio products as well as its ability to support them with a long-standing service team. "Dataradio products deliver the reliability we need to support our clients," says Doberstein. "It also helps that they fit easily into the places we need install them. This makes for easy implementation when we're retrofitting a system. Also, we know that when we call the manufacturer for support, we'll reach a live person who knows the products, not a stranger or a recording. That's important."
Manufacturer Stability: a Key Factor in Preserving Municipal Budgets
For water/wastewater operations, particularly in small municipalities, operating funds are extremely limited. "Small towns can't afford to throw money at their wireless data systems when something goes wrong down the road," says Doberstein. "It's better to spend more up front and have a predictable solution in place than to risk unplanned repairs, upgrades or overhauls in the future."
According to Doberstein, decision-makers would do well to consider future costs, and the viability of the manufacturer, in their wireless data decisions. "There are a lot of companies offering what seem to be attractive wireless data solutions today," he explains. "People come to us all the time with new products. They may tout great features or a great price. I'll ask them, 'how many implementations do you have?' If they tell me about one or two examples, that's probably all the customers they have. I don't want to be an experiment for their products."
"If you don't go with an established company, you're taking a big risk. We have one customer who is in this situation. They have equipment that is no longer supported by the manufacturer. If one of the units fails, they have to overhaul the whole network-an enormously expensive repair. You need a company that will give you personal attention but is not so small that they'll be gone in a few years. CalAmp fits that need for us."
Trusted Wireless Data Solutions Drive Continued Business Success
Today, Total Control Systems continues to recommend and implement wireless data solutions from CalAmp as part of its water/wastewater services. "We've proven ourselves to our clients. They trust us because they know we'll be there after the project is completed," says Doberstein.
"Municipalities don't want to be bothered with technical issues, and they want to be able to expand their systems without replacing them. That's the real reason you need a reliable wireless data manufacturer backing you up, and that is why we continue to include Dataradio products in our solutions."
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