Introduction
Energir, Quebec’s largest natural gas distribution company, is known for its commitment to energy innovation across North America. With a presence in the United States and leadership in renewable energy initiatives, Energir also operates North America’s largest training lab dedicated to gas technologies.
At the heart of its training and research efforts is a real-scale mock city district, where technicians train on more than 1,000 lab assets and equipment types. To keep up with growth and evolving training needs, Energir needed to replace a legacy system that was increasingly costly and difficult to maintain.
The Challenge: Managing a Complex Lab on Legacy Software
For nearly 20 years, Energir’s operations team relied on custom-built software to manage their gas training lab and equipment. While the system once supported basic scheduling, it lacked the flexibility and scalability needed to support modern training initiatives.
Key challenges included:
- High maintenance costs from outdated systems
- Inability to support new training formats and infrastructure expansions
- Limited visibility into equipment availability and condition
- Manual reporting and delays in accessing operational metrics
With growing demand for new training programs, Energir set out to digitize its lab infrastructure and streamline coordination across all assets and facilities.
The Solution: Full Deployment of newLab® in Under 6 Months
To modernize lab operations, Energir implemented newLab® with a focus on equipment scheduling, facility visibility, and automation of planning workflows.
Key platform capabilities included:
Equipment Scheduling and Resource Management
- Scheduling workflows for over 1,000 lab assets
- Centralized assignment of equipment and training spaces
- Automation of resource planning and lab coordination
Real-Time Equipment Visibility
- Interactive map showing equipment status and availability across the facility
- Simplified coordination across multiple buildings and training zones
Inventory and Maintenance Tracking
- Digital logging of maintenance activity and asset lifecycle updates
- Support for reassignments, replacements, and new equipment onboarding
Dashboards and Reporting
- On-demand access to operational KPIs
- Custom dashboards to support training oversight and decision-making
Results: Faster Planning and Scalable Operations
With newLab®, Energir replaced its aging system and introduced a modern, scalable platform to support its lab operations and long-term growth strategy.
Key results included:
- 25 percent reduction in planning and preparation time through workflow automation
- Complete digitization and tracking of over 1,000 assets
- Real-time visibility into equipment usage and availability
- Expansion of training operations with the onboarding of a new facility called “the Village”
- Universal access to lab data and dashboards for all stakeholders
Looking to Modernize Your Technical Training Facility?
newLab® helps energy, utility, and industrial R&D labs digitize infrastructure, centralize scheduling, and scale operations with confidence. Built on the ServiceNow platform, it supports complex environments with simplicity and speed.
