June 11, 2019
North Las Vegas Water Meter Retrofit
As part of a system-wide water meter update for the City of North Las Vegas, Oldcastle was awarded the contract to develop and manufacture new meter box lids for the municipality. This retrofit project showcases Oldcastle’s ability to develop an advanced and efficient customized solution that saves the client effort, time and money. Oldcastle’s FL03 lid allowed the City to adapt and improve select elements of their existing meter infrastructure and reap the benefits of the latest meter technologies.
CHALLENGE
The residential water meter system in North Las Vegas, Nevada, was approaching the end of its useful life. As a result of this outdated system,
the City of Nevada was spending money on labor and battery replacement every year. Updating and replacing the 88,000 residential meter units was
necessary to reduce maintenance costs, improve the accuracy of revenue collections and identify waste and leaks in the system.
Oldcastle was part of a team selected for the contract to complete the update. The project required not only changing out the meters inside the existing boxes with more current technology, but also replacing the meter box cover with one that could accommodate a new antenna configuration to permit remote readings.
Complicating the project was the fact that the municipality uses a wide range of meter boxes, of different sizes and materials (concrete, polymer, plastic) from a number of manufacturers. To meet project deadlines, it was necessary to design a new cover, source the tooling and tool build and produce the initial product in a greatly compressed time frame.
SOLUTION
The City selected Oldcastle’s Fibrelyte line of covers to be installed system-wide, citing a number of important factors:
- High strength/weight ratio
- Ability to accommodate the proposed new antenna configuration
- High coefficient of friction, to prevent slippage in pedestrian footpath areas
- Availability in a variety of sizes to fit the assorted meter boxes used in the system
Oldcastle’s rapid prototyping capabilities helped ensure the custom-designed FL03 samples were delivered to the customer quickly, while the unique Product Stage Gate process allowed for quick completion of the mold. Through the collaboration and disciplined workflow of the Oldcastle
teams, production design and tool build was completed in
under five months.
Within a week of the first purchase order, Oldcastle delivered every product needed for the first phase, totaling thousands of lids.
For the installation phase, the project team is deploying three crews of three members each, to install 250–300 meter update kits per day, including the new covers. Installation should be complete by October 2020.
BENEFITS
RETROFIT: A SMART MONEY-SAVING STRATEGY
The North Las Vegas update is an excellent example of the best practice of retrofitting. While meter boxes stand up well over the years, lids tend to wear down over time through exposure to the elements and human error (such as cars running over them).
Through retrofitting, the City can keep the original enclosure and replace only the lids, saving both time and money. And the new Fibrelyte lids can leverage the latest technologies. In this case, the new antenna probe hole saves considerable labor time and expense over the life of the product, because it will no be longer necessary to lift the lid to scan the meter. Instead, a utility
representative can simply wave the wand/scanner over the probe hole to get the meter reading.
A TAILORED SOLUTION ON A TIGHT TIMELINE
This effort demonstrates Oldcastle’s ability to customize products by first focusing on the needs of the customer, rather than forcing them into a cookie-cutter solution. This is a key differentiator in this industry. Through the efficient and unified efforts of Oldcastle’s sales, project management,
engineering and manufacturing teams, the City of Nevada received a custom solution that addressed every critical requirement related to the project.
Just as important, the project was accomplished on a very tight timeline. The design, build and approval process were completed in less than five months (from July to November), so that installation could begin the following March and the City could immediately begin receiving the benefits of the improved design.
SUPERIOR QUALITY AND ENDURANCE
The FL03 is not only a replacement of but an improvement over the original equipment. For example, because of its load-rating strength and durability, the lid can survive a car driving over it, unlike traditional concrete. In making the selection, the City noted that the Fibrelyte cover:
- Was much lighter than others being considered
- Was non-floating
- Did not chip
- Did not swell in extreme heat, which typically causes seizing in meter boxes
- Had a superior slip rating (based on the City’s own internal testing)
- Had an aesthetically pleasing appearance
The FL03 is another example of Oldcastle’s ideal combination of industry-leading innovation, responsiveness to customer requirements, speed of implementation and superior quality.
“Completing a product design/ tool built/ process buyoff in approximately
19 weeks is a monumental accomplishment, said” Ian Marten, Senior Product Manager.
Designed approximately 8 x 14 inches to accept antenna and fit into “03” size
meter box widely used throughout the municipality. Additional FL covers
(FL9X, FL12, FL30, FL1527 and FL36) are being used as well.