City of Richmond to Deploy Itron AMR System; $15 Million Project to Automate 164,000 Gas and Water Meters.SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1999-- Itron Inc., (Nasdaq:ITRI ITRI Industrial Technology Research Institute (Taiwan, ROC) ITRI Information Technology Research Institute ITRI Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute ITRI International Tin Research Institute Ltd ITRI Information Technology Reuse Initiative ) a leading provider of integrated data collection and management solutions to the utility industry, announced today that it has signed a contract with the city of Richmond (Virginia Virginia, state, United States Virginia, state of the south-central United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), North Carolina and Tennessee (S), Kentucky and West Virginia (W), and Maryland and the District of Columbia (N and NE). ) to provide the city's Department of Public Utilities with a territory-wide automatic meter reading Automatic meter reading, or AMR, is the technology of automatically collecting data from water meter or energy metering devices (water, gas, electric) and transferring that data to a central database for billing and/or analyzing. (AMR (1) (Adaptive Multi-Rate) A variable rate speech codec selected by the 3GPP for the 3G evolution of the GSM cellphone system (WCDMA). Using the Algebraic CELP (ACELP) compression technology, AMR provides toll quality sound at transmission rates from 4.75 to 12. ) system to collect data from a total of 164,000 natural gas and water meters. To meet the city of Richmond's operational and strategic objectives, Itron will deliver an AMR solution that includes its radio-based DataCommand(R) and DataPac(R) mobile AMR technology, along with ERT ERT abbr. estrogen replacement therapy Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) A treatment in which estrogen is used therapeutically during menopause to alleviate certain symptoms such as hot flashes. (R) meter modules that Itron will install on all of the city's natural gas and water meters. The $15 million turnkey See turnkey system. project will be implemented in two phases. Installation of the first 45,200 meter modules for gas meters will begin in January and is scheduled to be completed by August of 2000. Itron and the city of Richmond will then move forward with installation for the remaining 54,000 gas meters and 67,000 water meters over a three-year period. "The deployment of Itron technology reflects the city of Richmond's continuing commitment to deliver a superior level of service to our customers," said Lew Adkins, AMR project manager for the city's Department of Public Utilities. "In today's increasingly competitive marketplace, we believe AMR technology is an integral part of ensuring that the city of Richmond delivers maximum value to our gas and water customers as we enter the 21st century." "By deploying Itron technology, the city of Richmond is doing much more than simply automating its meter reading operations," said Mike Chesser, Itron's president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "The city of Richmond is joining the growing number of Itron utility customers who are using the information our technology delivers to fundamentally improve many different aspects of their businesses and to strengthen the relationship with their most important asset -- the customer." Adkins said increased operational efficiency, improved customer service and establishing a stronger competitive position in a deregulated market were the primary drivers behind the city's decision to deploy AMR technology. "By moving forward with AMR deployment, we will achieve substantial annual cost reductions in our meter reading and other operations at the same time we improve customer service and position ourselves as the low-cost services provider in a competitive environment," said Adkins. For instance, Adkins said that Itron AMR technology is expected to yield significant savings in meter reading operations, improved tamper To meddle, alter, or improperly interfere with something; to make changes or corrupt, as in tampering with the evidence. and theft of services Theft of services is the legal term for a crime which is committed when a person obtains valuable services — as opposed to goods — by deception, force, threat or other unlawful means, i.e., without lawfully compensating the provider of said services. detection, increased revenues from replacing old, inaccurate meters, reduced call center traffic, and automation of costly "off-cycle reads" associated with beginning- and end-of-service transactions. The system will deliver other operational benefits as well, Adkins added. These include improved billing accuracy through the elimination of errors and estimated reads, improved cash flow, and improved conservation and revenue assurance by collecting information that will enable the city to detect and repair potential system leaks more quickly and efficiently. Itron Inc., a leading provider to the utility industry of solutions for collecting, communicating, and analyzing electric, gas and water usage data, serves over 1,500 customers in more than 45 countries around the world. Having shipped more than 15 million AMR meter modules to over 500 utility customers, Itron is the world's leading supplier of systems to the growing AMR market. The Company is headquartered in Spokane, Washington Spokane (pronounced [spoʊ̯ˈkæn]) is a city located in Eastern Washington. The seat of Spokane County, Spokane is the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest, the second largest city in Washington state, and , and has engineering, design, and manufacturing facilities in several US locations and subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. For more information, visit Itron's website at www.itron.com. |
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