The Distribution Control Systems Inc. (DCSI) subsidiary of ESCO Technologies Inc. (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.) has received a contract from PPL Electric Utilities Corp., a subsidiary of PPL Corp. (Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.), for an automatic meter reading (AMR) system. The contract will result in US$112 million of sales assuming successful completion of a small-scale test in mid-April. The contract calls for deployment of DCSI's (TWACS) Two-Way Automatic Communication System to perform AMR and other related functions. PPL spent two years evaluating available technologies before determining TWACS would best meet its requirements.

Upon successful completion of the testing phase, DCSI's system will support PPL's 1.3 million residential, commercial and industrial customers located in a 10,000-sq mile (25,900-sq km) area of eastern and central Pennsylvania. The territory includes a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas. The project is scheduled for completion in 2004.
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