Case Study: SMECO Achieves Faster, More Reliable Field Operations with PCS Mobile and Panasonic Toughbook Solutions

SMECO - Customer Case Study

SMECO, a Southern Maryland electric cooperative serving roughly 150,000 customers, needed a rugged mobile solution that could stay connected in remote areas and during extreme weather. The utility’s field crews were relying on radio dispatches and handwritten notes, which made work order tracking inefficient and often caused lost information. PCS Mobile helped address this need with Panasonic Toughbook rugged laptops and mobile connectivity software.

PCS Mobile implemented Panasonic Toughbook 31s with NetMotion Wireless Mobility XE mobile VPN software, enabling SMECO’s crews to receive work orders in real time and stay connected to headquarters in the field. The solution improved productivity, reduced lost VPN connections, and helped crews restore power faster during outages and disasters like Hurricane Irene. SMECO also gained better reporting, real-time GPS-based dispatching, and the ability to send up to 20 jobs to one crew at once.

SMECO

David Timmerman

Network Administrator