“Centix has saved us a lot of time.”
During the week of Pinkpop, Landgraaf welcomes many visitors. Although the festival organisation itself manages the event, the municipality remains responsible for the management and maintenance of public spaces. From paving and landscaping to sewerage, everything must be kept in tip-top condition. Sriramanan Kanapathipillai and Steven Weckseler of the Public Space Management department explain how Centix helps them maintain an overview and work efficiently, even during busy periods.
From manual work to digital equipment management
The Municipality of Landgraaf has been a Centix customer for some time, in fact since 2016. Within the organisation, there was a growing need for a structured way to register and issue materials and tools. Previously, this process was carried out manually, which led to a lack of clarity about who was using which equipment and when it was returned.
To improve this, the municipality introduced Centix. With this system, it became easy to keep track of which materials and tools were issued, to whom, and for what period. This digitalisation brought significantly more control over equipment management.
Thanks to Centix, the Municipality of Landgraaf now always has insight into the availability and location of their equipment. This contributes to a more efficient and effective execution of work in public spaces. Sriramanan explains: “With Centix, you simply have better oversight of inspections and who has what. It’s also important for us that you can link the inspection documents and easily retrieve them. You also know exactly where the equipment is located. That is really the advantage for us.”
Intake, lending, and inspection monitoring of municipal equipment
Within the municipality, Centix is primarily used for the intake and lending of equipment to employees. Sriramanan explains: “The majority of our equipment registered in Centix consists of tools used by the outdoor services — think of hedge trimmers, brush cutters, and also vibrating plates. In addition, we’ve included our vehicles, such as vans and forklifts, in Centix. In fact, all our equipment, including the associated inspections, is registered in Centix.”
The Public Space Management department consists of 104 employees. Each employee is registered in Centix as a location. Every morning, equipment is lent to employees and linked to their location. This provides a clear overview of who is using which equipment. At the end of the day, the equipment is returned and re-registered at the warehouse location. “This way, we maintain oversight of who has which materials and exactly what is happening with them,” says Sriramanan.
Inspections of the Municipality of Landgraaf’s equipment are carried out by an external party. The certificates received are then imported into Centix. In this way, the certificates, including their validity dates, are linked to the relevant equipment. When a certificate’s validity expires, the municipality automatically receives a notification via the object alerts.
“Centix just gives you a much clearer picture of inspections and who’s using what.”
The role of the Municipality of Landgraaf during events such as Pinkpop
In the lead-up to large-scale events like Pinkpop, the Municipality of Landgraaf ensures that the public space surrounding the festival grounds is in optimal condition. The Public Space Management department is hard at work maintaining the area — mowing grass fields and pruning vegetation — so that everything looks neat and well-kept for the many visitors.
In addition, the municipality supports the placement of barriers and traffic measures on public roads, in collaboration with the event organisers. Although in recent years Pinkpop has increasingly outsourced tasks such as hiring portable toilets, the municipality remains closely involved in the preparations. During the event itself, the Municipality of Landgraaf is on standby to respond to any incidents or emergencies.
“Most of the other events also take place on the same site as Pinkpop,” says Steven. “There are tent parties, for example, and the four-day walking event departs from there. We monitor the condition of public spaces both before and after events. Once everything has been cleared away, we check that the grounds have been left tidy. So, we have a supervisory role, and we provide support whenever needed.”
Conclusion
For the Municipality of Landgraaf, the greatest advantage of working with Centix is the overview the system provides. Lending and returning equipment has become much easier, and it is immediately clear when inspections are due.
“Centix has saved us a lot of time. You don’t have to track everything manually, one by one,” says Sriramanan. “We also work with a scanner, which makes it even faster to register equipment. Thanks to the QR codes, you have instant insight. Yes, in the end, that really saves a lot of time.”
Discover what Centix can do for your organisation
Are you interested in learning more after reading about the experiences of the Municipality of Landgraaf? I would be happy to guide you through the possibilities Centix has to offer in a product demonstration. Depending on your requirements, I will brief you in half an hour to an hour and a half to give you a clear picture of our complete equipment management solution!
