Central Locating Service

Location, location, location┬áCentral Locating Service, along with its sister company, SM&P Utility Resources, has a mobile workforce of more than 3,000 locators working at construction and excavation sites. Linda Seid Frembes talks to Jim Wallace, vice president of operations. Central Locating Service (CLS) is a best-in-class company that specializes in locating underground utility lines for private infrastructure owners as well as utility providers like telecommunication, cable television, water, gas and electricity. As one of the largest companies of its kind, CLS recently benefited from an acquisition by United States Infrastructure Corporation, a holding company formed by private equity firm Kohlberg & Company.  The acquisition brought CLS together with SM&P Utility Resources; together, the two companies offer locating services to 20 states in the US.CLS provides utility locating and marking services to the Eastern region of the USÔÇöfrom Michigan to the Florida KeysÔÇöand was previously owned by Asplundh Tree Expert Company before the acquisition. Founded in 1982, the company has shown steady growth as the real estate and construction industry also grew. State laws mandate that utility lines be clearly marked prior to any excavation. Locating and marking lines is an integral part of the construction business, allowing for a clear excavation path as well as routine maintenance on lines. Utilities also use CLSÔÇÖs services to map out infrastructure for inspections or reporting.ÔÇ£The acquisition with SM&P has included integrating our back office,ÔÇØ says Jim Wallace, vice president of operations for CLS, based in Carmel, Indiana. ÔÇ£As far as our coverage areas, we only had overlap in Illinois and Indiana with them.ÔÇØDuring the peak months of April through October, CLS and SM&P combined employ upward of 3,400 locators in the field. The total number of employees tracks closely with the level of construction or road work happening at the time. ÔÇ£The Florida market doesnÔÇÖt have a peak, since it isnÔÇÖt really seasonal weather. Therefore, they can work year-round,ÔÇØ says Wallace. ÔÇ£In colder states, like in the Midwest and Northeast, there is very little planned excavation happening during the winter. During off-peak times, we have a reduced workforce but keep some people on for emergencies such as water main breaks.ÔÇØWallace also notes that this yearÔÇÖs peak is uncertain due to the economy and the lower amount of activity in residential and commercial construction and excavation. To manage the fluctuating workforce, Wallace says that the company will have layoff conditions where benefits are maintained so that employees can still access the company health insurance plan. ÔÇ£As peak time approaches, weÔÇÖll bring them back, recertify them for field work if necessary, and put them back on the job,ÔÇØ he adds. ÔÇ£We use historical data on volume and attrition to staff accordingly.ÔÇØKey components to success are organization, steady recruitment, and an intensive training program. The robust training program is four weeks long, with a mix of classroom and field work.┬á ÔÇ£Our training program was developed in-house and was later refined by a professional learning company. ItÔÇÖs standardized for adult learning. Many of our people are kinetic learners who learn by doing, so the course is very field-oriented,ÔÇØ says Wallace. ÔÇ£They learn about print reading and about the different types of utility lines. During the first 30 to 45 days after completing training, tickets are hand-selected so that the person is brought through the learning curve in a controlled way. After about one year in the field, the efficiency and quality of the personÔÇÖs work goes up dramatically.ÔÇØ Wallace says that the biggest expense behind labor costs is damage caused at a work site due to unfound lines. Therefore, the training period extends beyond the first four weeks into the employeeÔÇÖs first nine to twelve months on the job. ÔÇ£After about 45 to 60 days in the field, weÔÇÖll bring them back into the classroom for more training. At that point they have enough perspective in the field to know what they need to work on,ÔÇØ he adds.CLSÔÇÖs mobile workforce is organized into geographically based crews with a supervisor. Wallace says there are spans of control based on the locatorÔÇÖs experience. In addition, the wireless ticketing system can track workload as well as progress. ÔÇ£Every locator has a laptop and a wireless connection to access the ticketing system. Each locator also has a locating device and sometimes ventilating equipment for certain environments.ÔÇØA locator logs into the ticketing system and can see his or her workload. They also have access to mapping tools that show the most efficient route. Prior to the acquisition, each company had a ticket management system. Both companies have transitioned to a common system and are building and enhancing it with features now. Other new technology includes the pilot test of a GPS system for each locatorÔÇÖs vehicle. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre testing a GPS system that will allow us to build dispatch algorithms for dynamic dispatching that will help with load balancing,ÔÇØ says Wallace. ÔÇ£It will also help us cut gas costs.ÔÇØOne of CLSÔÇÖs and SM&PÔÇÖs initiatives in 2009 is to improve miles per gallon. ÔÇ£We want to cut idling. Locators working in cold regions want to keep the truck heated, and those in warm regions want to keep the vehicle cool. Using the GPS, we can preset the idling time for each vehicle. It will also show the route taken and the tickets completed in a time-sensitive way,ÔÇØ he adds.The companyÔÇÖs constant focus on training and safety ensures that locators in the field are working at their maximum potential. Wallace points out that the companyÔÇÖs turnaround time is fixed by law, depending on the state, and that they are a high-transaction business, with 16 million tickets completed last year. ÔÇ£Our goal is have more than 70 percent of our locators in the field with more than a year of experience. This supports our pledge to provide the highest quality at a fair price,ÔÇØ he says.  CLS has reduced employee vehicle accidents by emphasizing safe driving. At-fault accidents are down by 40 percent, and it has also improved work quality by 15 to 20 percent by emphasizing accuracy.To recognize locators who do excellent work, the company awards ÔÇ£Damage-freeÔÇØ awards as well as ÔÇ£Count on meÔÇØ awards that recognize a locatorÔÇÖs above-and-beyond effort to help people or to protect the customerÔÇÖs assets. ÔÇô Editorial research by Greg Petzold First published March 2009┬á