- University of Michigan
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The University of Michigan’s outdated clock system was costing the institution thousands of dollars in unnecessary costs each year. Many students complained that the clocks were hindering them academically. The university found a solution for both of these problems with Primex.
“It’s saving money by eliminating maintenance and extra phone lines.”
Bob Nedrow
The Problem:
For a school with over 40,000 students, the University of Michigan didn’t have time to worry about the accuracy of their clocks. Still, the university was losing money every year in maintenance costs because of their clock system. The phone line-based system required all maintenance work to be preformed by the school’s engineers, which was especially cumbersome during the change over to Daylight’s Saving Time.
In addition, a number of students were unhappy with the inaccuracy of the clocks on campus. “Every semester, a few students would complain that they failed an exam because a clock was two minutes off,” said Tom Metty, Foreman I with the University of Michigan Facilities and Maintenance Department. When retrofit options and quick-fix remedies didn’t solve the problem, administrators felt they needed to change their approach.
The Solution:
Across campus, the old phone line– based clocks have been replaced with perfectly synchronized Primex Wireless clocks in all the instructional buildings, classrooms, labs and recreational facilities, and the old problems of cost and inaccuracy seemed to evaporate.
“It’s saving money by eliminating maintenance and extra phone lines,” notes Bob Nedrow, Industrial Engineer at the university. “And the engineering staff no longer receives the service calls it once dealt with for clock-related issues.”
Results:
- All of the university buildings are synchronized to the same time, so students and faculty are able to better organize their time.
- The high maintenance costs that existed with the old system are no longer a problem.
- Primex has eliminated time-wasting activities like the change over to Daylight Savings Time.
