Davao Light & Power Company

International subsidiary
163-165 C Bangoy Sr St., Davao City, PH-8000, Philippines
()63 03582 221 2291, 63 03582 221 2105 fax, http://www.davaolight.com
Primary SIC: Electric Services, Primary NAICS: Electric Power Distribution
Description: Utilities: Generation and transmission of electricity

First, I will make some brief history about Davao Light & Power Company.

Davao Light & Power Company was incorporated in 1929 by Patrick Henry Frank, Relatives and Associates. Negotiations for the purchase of Davao Light by the Aboitiz Group was seriously undertaken in late 1941 but was subsequently aborted due to the outbreak of World War II.

From that time on, Such oversaw the rebuilding and operating of Davao Light’s remaining assets until 1952 when Edson Canova took over the management seat. Shortly thereafter, Luis Aboitiz, Jr. joined the company and was later on followed by Ernesto Aboitiz. It was at this point in time where the marginal growths started to take place.

Davao Light and Power Company is the third largest privately-owned electric utility in the Philippines. It holds the franchise for distributing electric power to Davao City, the largest city in the world in terms of land area, as well as Panabo City and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali, and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte. On September 29, 2000, the franchise was renewed for another 25 years by virtue of Republic Act 8960.

They aim to be the country's leader in providing electric power and related services by becoming a world-class electric distribution company. The ultimate satisfaction of there customers is the driving purpose of there existence. They aspire for excellence in everything that they do by adhering to the highest standards of professionalism, by making integrity the foundation of all their relationships, and by focusing on the unlimited potential of their people.
They are a responsible partner on the road to progress and development, essential to their community's collective hope for a better life.

DLPC has a fully functional automated mapping and facilities management (AM/FM) system to track the location of electric distribution assets in its franchise. Also in place is a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, a facility that allows remote real-time data gathering and control of equipment in all power substations. High-end computers, sophisticated software, and other devices are being used to speed up meter reading, streamline billing, provide efficient and prompt response to customer inquiries, generate management information, and analyze electrical grid information.

The Information Systems Department of Davao Light and Power Corporation is divided into four sectors:

Business Solutions Department (BSD) - which deals with creating business solutions to the company such as creating new systems for the company's use only and aims to make the company be more progressive.

Engineering Information Department (EID) - creates solutions to the business problems or queries presented to the Davao Light and Power Corporation.

Network Infrastructure Department (NID) - which handles the company's IT/Network infrastructure.

Database Management Department (DMD) - they are the ones who manages and updates the databases made in-house and sometimes outsourced by the company.

Programs that Davao Light Power Company offers:

1. The Central Communication and Emergency Response Center which was patterned after the “911” in the US is a project that uses a special computer software to help authorities respond to distress calls. The project was conceived during the first quarter of 2002. It was developed and made possible to help in fighting crime and lawlessness in Davao City. The launching of the “911” in Davao, made the Philippines the only country after the US and Canada to adopt the system. Using the 911 system, DLPC used a modified version of its Geographic and Information System—and called it the Emergency Computer Aided Dispatch (ECAD) to help authorities locate the origin of emergency calls. The system even tracks how fast the police could respond to the emergency calls. The system also uses color-coded icons to monitor movement and location of police mobile units: Blue for mobile units at rest; Red for on the move response and Green for onsite, which means that a mobile unit has arrived in the site of emergency. The city also hired operators to man the center. “911” has eight fulltime call takers, two dispatchers and a tracker. It’s a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week system. At least 15 police mobiles are on call for emergency response aside from the regular police cars given to police precincts.

2. Cisco's IP Telephony Solution, DLPC was able to provide a single hotline number to its customers. DLPC now enjoys a structured local telephone numbering, speed dialing using email and enhanced voice mail features. "We no longer pass customer calls around among our three offices and they only need to remember one number to contact us," said Ronald Chan, Head of Systems Operation Department. Maintaining their communication infrastructure is now easier and cheaper as it integrates both voice and data into one network, preventing duplicate infrastructure and simplifying network management. Running on this same network is DLPC's mini call center that caters to calls from customers who need quick answers to their concerns and inquiries.

3. Supply Chain Consulting by providing innovative enterprise software solutions and services, the Supply Chain have built a strong following of loyal customers including Davao Light & Power Company. They have partnered with many of these customers since their original system implementation and provide ongoing support for their operational and strategic business needs. In relation, Davao Light and Power Company is the third largest privately-owned electric utility in the Philippines and the #1 Power Utility in the Visayas and Mindanao Region. Supply Chain Consulting provided consulting services to Oracle for the implementation of the AEV ERP Project.

4. Using Short Messaging Systems (SMS) - Aboitiz has an e-ticketing/SMS ticketing service that provides a channel for passengers to directly book and pay for their own tickets and allows ticketing agents to issue any accommodation for any Super Ferry voyage online. It also provides Easy Cards which is a pre-paid, re-loadable and refundable card for passengers that provides the safety and security of not having to carry around cash while on its vessels.

5. International Payroll Outsourcing - It cuts costs and administration and management time.Accuracy and efficiency increase. Consolidated real-time reporting across countries quickly provides data to show that compliance standards and Service Level Agreements have been met.

This are only some practices that the Davao Light and Power Company using Information Systems.

References:
>http://www.davaolight.com/
>http://www.rvr.aim.edu.ph/Website_Awards/nominees/041.htm
>http://www.aboitiz.com/Main/176:Davao_Light__Power_Company.html
>http://www.cisco.com/web/PH/learning/wins/davao.html
>http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/product-compint-0001199526-page.html
>http://www.supplychain-consulting.com/index.php/customers/
>http://www.ict4d.ph/proceedings/Project_Inventory2.php
>http://www.patersons.net/