CNR (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône) is France’s largest producer of 100% renewable energy.
Founded in 1933, the company has been a major hydropower producer for the past ninety years. Today, it manages 49 hydropower plants, which make up 25% of France’s hydroelectricity production.
In the past fifteen years, the company has pursued an ambitious diversification strategy, expanding into wind and solar power. With 58 wind farms and 54 photovoltaic plants under supervision, it is now a major contributor to developing these energy sources in the country.
On-prem to SaaS: CNR’s move to Attune EAM in the cloud
Managing and maintaining so many largescale assets across multiple sites requires a robust asset management solution, which is why CNR has trusted Attune EAM (formerly HxGN EAM) to power its operations for the past two decades.
Before 2022, CNR’s instance of Attune EAM was hosted on-premises, but the company felt it could benefit from a move to the cloud. The migration would reduce costs and streamline its use of the software, allowing the company to take advantage of the latest version’s advanced mobility features, asset performance management, and root cause analysis.
The migration project began in the spring of 2022 and was split into two phases, starting with solar and wind assets as a pilot before moving to hydroelectric assets. The first phase was kicked off in October and went live successfully in January 2023.
“We were very happy that the move could be conducted in only three months,” says Christelle Brugière, Information Systems Asset Engineer at CNR. “In addition, we were impressed by the ability of the Attune EAM team to take ownership of the project and conduct a fast, well-organized, and well-executed migration.”
Key results: A platform for CNR’s present and future success
Moving to the cloud has provided CNR with several key benefits.
First, it has reduced the need for ad hoc development, making it easier to interface with other solutions like PowerBI and CNR’s data warehouse. With these integrations, the CNR team gained greater visibility and insight through real-time reporting into its day-to-day operations, maintenance, safety, and downtime.
Secondly, it has simplified communication and collaboration with over 90 third-party operators. Important tools like ticketing or alert management are now available within a single solution.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, migrating to the cloud has been key to preparing for the future. To prepare for phase two of the project and envision all future possibilities for the company, the project team has requested training on all Attune EAM modules.
The growth of renewable energy in France and Europe demands operational excellence and effective asset management. By adopting Attune EAM, CNR has secured the right tool to ensure its success in this field.
Key results
A successful cloud migration encompassing assets over 100+ sites, conducted within 3 months
Integration of key features that were previously unavailable or disjointed, such as case, ticket, and alert management
Interface with several third-party solutions (PowerBI, Oracle Data Integrator…) and use by 90 third-party operators
“For CNR, migrating our asset management to the cloud is an important way to operate more effectively today, but also to prepare for the future. The Attune EAM team led this migration very well, in a very precise and organized way that was instrumental to its success.” Christelle Brugière Information Systems Asset Engineer at CNR