Background Y-W Electric Association, Inc. has powered northeastern Colorado since 1945, managing 9,000 meters across 3,943 miles of line. In its 80 years of service, much has changed for Y-W. More families and businesses moved in, electric demand grew, and aging infrastructure needed maintenance. The traditional way of managing inventory no longer stood up to the task. |
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Challenge
For decades, Y-W's inventory system operated as most do, with paper-based systems. As handwritten records passed from department to department, mistakes inevitably happened. At the same time, inventory levels could be outdated by up to 30 days due to manual processing.
While the system worked, it lacked efficiency and was labor intensive. Y-W recognized that its legacy system needed an upgrade.
The Solution When Y-W approached Irby with this challenge in 2018, the answer was clear: iAssist, Irby's real-time inventory management platform. iAssist turns manual, paper-heavy processes into one digital, automated system. The platform integrates with existing workflows and handles everything from material checkout to reordering—no hardware required. Irby's team took Y-W through their three-phase setup: warehouse evaluation, integration with Y-W’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and staff training. Once live, the linemen, warehouse staff, and purchasing and accounting teams had access to real-time inventory data from their phones and desktops. |
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Results
From 2018 to present day, the impacts of iAssist have been crucial to Y-W’s material management. Two long-time team members have seen this firsthand: Gannon Leifheit, Purchasing Agent with 13 years at Y-W and 25 years as a lineman, and Courtney Agan, Plant Accountant with 16 years at the cooperative.
Real-Time Accuracy and Time Savings
Arguably the biggest benefit, every Y-W department benefits from by-the-minute accuracy:
- The accounting team shifted from data entry to data validation.
- Purchasing and warehousing teams can stay ahead of shortages.
- Linemen can focus on fieldwork instead of paperwork.
Simplified, Accurate Requisitions
For Gannon, the requisition feature has proved most beneficial. Previously, warehouse staff would hand-write reorder lists, and Gannon would manually enter each item into the system before placing orders. Now, staff scan barcodes, iAssist auto-populates the data, and Gannon can generate quotes instantly.
iAssist has drastically reduced our time in the acquisition of materials. It's also more accurate. The fewer hands that touch it, the fewer errors we have.
– Gannon Leifheit, Purchasing Agent, Y-W Electric Association, Inc.
Fast Issue Resolution
iAssist's admin portal gives Courtney complete oversight. Every morning, she quickly scans yesterday’s transactions, catching issues in hours instead of months.
"It's our line of defense against errors,” Courtney said. “I can send a quick email asking, 'Did you mean to do that?' and save weeks for someone to manually catch an issue, or not catch it at all."
Better Training and Accountability
With transactions tied to specific users, mistakes are caught and corrected fast. "We can quickly identify who might need additional training or support and address those needs right away,” Courtney said.
Continuous Improvement
Many of iAssist's most valuable features weren't part of Y-W's original implementation. Instead, they developed through feedback from utilities like Y-W, who knew exactly what they needed to operate more efficiently.
The requisition system, admin portal enhancements, and automated stock level alerts all came from customer-driven development.
Irby has been very responsive in making iAssist work best for our team. I couldn't have asked for better support.
– Courtney Agan, Plant Accountant, Y-W Electric Association, Inc.
Inventory Management Made Easy
iAssist eliminates manual processes, reduces errors, and gives teams the visibility needed to keep projects moving.
Want to see what iAssist can bring to your team? Connect with our specialists to discuss how real-time inventory management can benefit your operations.