32 EXOR
EXOR 33
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
APPLIED TO A
VAST LOCALITY
ANTHONY MARONI,
MAIN ROADS
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
MAIN ROADS WESTERN
AUSTRALIA (MRWA) MANAGES
ASSETS OVER A VAST
GEOGRAPHICAL REGION,
ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT IN SIZE
TO WESTERN EUROPE. THIS
REGION IS HOME TO SOME
OF THE WORLD'S MOST
ISOLATED ROADS AND SOME
OF THE WORLD'S MOST
EXTREME TEMPERATURES,
WITH VALUES RANGING FROM
SUB-ZERO TO IN EXCESS OF
50 DEGREES CENTIGRADE.
CONTROLLING 17,500 KM
OF NATIONAL AND STATE
ROADS WITH A TOTAL ASSET
VALUE OF $22.3 BILLION,
PLUS ASSISTING LOCAL
GOVERNMENT IN MANAGING
A FURTHER 130,000 KM OF
LOCAL ROADS IS CLEARLY
A VAST AND COMPLEX TASK.
EXOR, IN COLLABORATION WITH
ORACLE, WERE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE SUCCESSFUL BID
IMPLEMENTED A SYSTEM
KNOWN AS INTEGRATED ROAD
INFORMATION SYSTEM (IRIS).
IRIS WAS A COMPREHENSIVE
OFF-THE-SHELF SYSTEM THAT
REPLACED THE DISPARATE
EXISTING ONES BUT STILL
ALLOWED MRWA THE
FLEXIBILITY TO CONTINUE
USING ITS EXISTING BUSINESS
PROCESSES AND APPLICATIONS.
SUCH A LARGE-SCALE
DEPLOYMENT WAS
UNDOUBTEDLY CHALLENGING
BUT NOW, OVER FOUR HUNDRED
REGISTERED USERS RELY ON
IRIS AS A FUNDAMENTAL TOOL
TO ACCESS AN INTEGRATED
RANGE OF BUSINESS
INFORMATION TO SIMPLIFY
THE MANAGEMENT OF THEIR
COMPLEX INFRASTRUCTURE
AND ASSETS.
SO WHEN MRWA DECIDED
ON DEVELOPING A ROAD
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM, IT NEEDED TO
BE BOTH EXCEPTIONALLY
CAPABLE AND ROBUST.
IN THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES,
THE ORGANIZATION HAD KEPT
ABREAST WITH ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY AND INVESTED
HEAVILY IN VARIOUS IN-HOUSE
SOFTWARE INITIATIVES.
HOWEVER, OVER TIME, THE
COST OF RUNNING AND
MAINTAINING MAINFRAME
APPLICATIONS HAD BECOME
PROHIBITIVE AND THEY
HAD STRUGGLED TO KEEP
PACE WITH RAPID CHANGE.
THIS LED MRWA TO LOOK
FOR AN EXTERNAL PARTNER
TO PROVIDE ITS ROAD
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS.
EXOR PROVIDED NOT ONLY THE
SYSTEM BUT ALSO EXTENSIVE
TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY.
MRWA CAN NOW COLLECT,
MAINTAIN AND ACCESS
INTEGRATED DATA WITH VASTLY
IMPROVED RELIABILITY AND
EFFICIENCY AND IS REGARDED
AS A WORLD LEADER IN
ASSET MANAGEMENT, NOT
TO MENTION ONE OF THE
LARGEST USERS OF EXOR
SOFTWARE WORLDWIDE.
Exor was founded in a country where the first
proper highways were built by overseas contractors
from Rome.
However, long since those engineers left the site,
there is still much that can be learned from what
happens internationally. It would be extremely
arrogant of us to assume that even our vast
experience is enough. New ideas are the most
important and valuable commodity that we have.
Exor is unique in having a presence on three
continents. And, by this, we don't mean the postal
address of an associate. We mean a presence at
the very grass roots.
Attend TAC in Canada and you will not be surprised
to hear a keynote speech from an Exor panelist.
Look on the members' register for the Transportation
Research Board in Washington and you will, unwittingly,
see names of Exor directors. It's been like this for
many years.
As a global business we can bring together the best
thinking and best practice from around the world
and offer it for your benefit, regardless of your mother
tongue. As a round the world business we can offer
you round the world technical support, following the
sun, rather than being hindered by time zones.
We frequently act as an idea importer-exporter of
intellectual property. For example, the Linear
Referencing technology we developed in the UK
was exported to the US. Best practice from Australia
and New Zealand is now common practice in parts
of the UK. Not only does Exor allow you a single
view of the truth, without duplication, by putting
all your information in front of you, it allows you
a panoramic view that would not be possible from
a single country operation.
Engineers, financiers and IT specialists want the
same thing in civil engineering the world over: to
be able to see everything they need to see in one
place, in the way they like to see it. One reason
why, 2000 years after the fall of the Roman Empire,
Exor technology is being used in Italy.
What's good over here...C
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