Enbridge Pipelines Achieving Enterprise Information Management Intelligence With ARCHIBUS

Enbridge Pipelines Inc., a major transporter and distributor of energy in the form of oil and natural gas across North America, is an organization supported by more than 6,000 employees in Canada and the United States. They are benefiting from the growth of energy demand and adding staff to better manage their growing network of pipelines and other facilities.

From an existing headcount of 6,000, the growth of their business increased Enbridge’s headcount by 33%; as a result, 2,000 net new positions were approved across the business to support new pipeline and renewable energy projects.

To accommodate this growth, approximately 220,000 square feet of new office space was secured, renovated and occupied within a 12 month period. In Edmonton alone, where Enbridge occupies 660,000 square feet in six buildings, seated headcount went from 1550 to 1950 within a year and the company expected to realize a further 20% growth rate company-wide. To support the company’s vacancy reporting, move management (with 2200+ moves in one recent year), departmental occupancy reporting, space forecasting, and our plan management, Enbridge’s reliance on ARCHIBUS was a central element contributing to the intelligent management of its burgeoning workforce, property and asset base.

The goal of Enbridge’s overall plan is the establishment of a set of standard business processes within a true enterprise information management (EIM) system. Ultimately, that system will simplify real estate and facilities management business and technology processes within the company, as well as enhance the user interface for greater productivity.

“The breadth of ARCHIBUS applications and the fact that it is an integrated IWMS, web-based solution was a key reason that we viewed it as a platform that would support our future plans, “ says Enbridge’s Margaret Beaton, Move and Change Advisor, Real Estate and Strategic Development.

With ARCHIBUS On Demand, and Preventive Maintenance already in place at one of the company’s Toronto offices and licensing in place for Space Management and Move Management, the company planned for continuing evolution and expansion of ARCHIBUS throughout the organization. Aiding the roll-out of the desired system were the generous terms of an ARCHIBUS trade-out program.

The system has created a more comprehensive, integrated employee database that provides granular views of employee and space information that simplifies both locating and moving staff. That system uses an active directory feed as the basis of the Enbridge employee database. PeopleSoft is the human resources system of record that tracks who works for whom. Complementing the PeopleSoft data, ARCHIBUS is the Enbridge system of record that documents where employees are located. Rounding out the employee information infrastructure is IT Remedy, the system that manages email addresses and phone numbers.

Other information tracked by ARCHIBUS includes details on specialized furniture and offices, as well as contractor end-date information that identifies when work spaces will become available.

There has been no shortage of challenges to the Enbridge IT plan. For instance, the roll-out had to support multiple lines of business that included Gas, Liquids and Corporate divisions. Adding to this complexity was the system’s deployment from centralized servers based in Toronto, as well as the implementation of the active data feed architecture. These hurdles, however, were overcome and the results were immediately apparent.

There were marked improvements in a number of areas, says Enbridge’s Margaret Beaton. Monthly space reporting has become much more accurate in generating occupancy vs. capacity and departmental occupancy figures.

On-boarding and move processes have also been simplified so that they are easily executed and tracked by the entire move team. Equipment deployments are planned and carried out with greater timeliness, including having equipment lists available for viewing by all facilities and IT staffers.

Identifying who and where embedded safety and environmental team members are based has also been achieved, as well as the acquisition of more accurate tools for headcount scenario planning and reporting.

From an operational standpoint, everyone is benefiting from more precise data on building/floor occupancy, identification of occupant special needs, access to the most up-to-date floor plans, and quicker access to space details.

“Among our lessons learned is the necessity of ensuring facilities management visibility within IT and striving for enterprise-level status within the organization,” Beaton advises. “As for the future, we are implementing Lease Administration and investigating opportunities for tracking parking and emergency evacuation requirements. We are also looking to add email functionality directly from Web Central and enhanced printing capabilities from Web Central/OSIS.