HECO Selects Integrated Software Solutions from SPL WorldGroup; Hawaii's Largest Electric Utility to Utilize SPL's Outage Management and Mobile Workforce Management Solutions as Part of Their Strategic Initiatives.

SAN FRANCISCO -- SPL WorldGroup, a leading provider of mission-critical software solutions for the global utility market, today announced that the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) has selected SPL to deliver an integrated software solution comprised of SPL(R) Outage Management System (SPL OMS) and SPL(R) Mobile Workforce Management (SPL MWM). These pre-integrated solutions will help HECO more efficiently manage outage and restoration activities as well as improve the accuracy and timeliness of outage information communicated to customers.

HECO, along with its subsidiaries, provides electricity to 95% of Hawaii's residents. An integrated outage management and mobile workforce management system was one of the four cornerstone campaigns of HECO's strategic Operations Information Systems Strategic Plan (OISSP) initiative. OISSP, along with a newly planned Operations Dispatch Center, is part of their overall plan to integrate tools which will lead to better system reliability and customer service.

As an island community, Hawaii faces unique challenges in that each island stands alone with no back up capabilities available from other power utilities during an outage. It therefore becomes paramount to have systems in place that will enable optimal electric grid network reliability and, in the event of an outage, support power restoration as quickly as possible. OISSP includes HECO's strategic and proactive plans to implement systems that will help them further improve their response to customer outages and improve how information is received and communicated to the customer.

SPL became the front runner during HECO's evaluation process based on the robust functionality of each of the individual SPL solutions. The defining factor was SPL's unique advantage of offering an integrated solution. This approach was synergistic with HECO's strategy to create a seamless information environment to improve customer service by (1) providing timely outage status information and (2) minimizing outage restoration times by quickly and accurately identifying device failure and the subsequent deployment of the optimal resources to repair and correct the failure.

"Overall, SPL offered a robust solution to manage information during our outages. And, no other vendor offered the unique advantage of an integrated solution which was key for our strategic initiatives and dedication to further improve our level of customer service," said Chris Shirai, HECO's Vice President of Special Projects. "HECO needed a total solution that would support cross-functional teams -- from the collection of outage data, to the flow of that information to the dispatch center, communicated to the field work force, with work and restoration updates wirelessly transmitted back to our customer service personnel. We were looking for a solution which would be fully integrated and interoperable with our new Energy Management and Customer Information Systems. This flow of information and real time updates will ensure improved timeliness and accuracy of outage information communicated to our customers, and restore power to them as quickly and safely as possible."

"We're pleased that HECO recognized SPL solutions as the best functional choices to help them better manage and improve their outage and restoration response activities. The fact that HECO specifically sought best-of-class integrated solutions continues the validation of SPL's vision to recognize and meet this market need," commented Guerry Waters, Senior Vice President of product management at SPL. "Additionally, SPL's out-of-the box product integration will aid HECO in further improving its strong customer service by providing interoperability across multiple applications."

About SPL

SPL (www.splwg.com) delivers the proven software applications that help utilities around the world achieve competitive advantage and excellence in business performance, while ensuring a lower total cost of technology ownership. SPL solutions in customer care and billing, enterprise asset and work management, mobile workforce management, and outage and distribution management are specifically designed for energy, water, and service companies. Working with systems-integration and technology partners around the world, SPL has an unparalleled record of implementation success. SPL focuses on clients' return on investment and fosters long-term relationships based on confidence and trust. Visit SPL at www.splwg.com or call [phone] (San Francisco), [phone] (Paris), or [phone] (Sydney). Within the US and Canada, call [phone].

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