VSI Meter Services and Clevest Solutions Announce Partnership for Smart Metering Deployment System
Aston Pennsylvania, January 19, 2010 -- VSI Meter Services, Inc. announces the introduction of their proprietary AMI Smart Metering Utility Deployment System, powered by Clevest Solutions, Inc., a leading software provider of Smart Grid solutions.
This revolutionary, fully integrated end-to-end mobile workflow and asset management tool was developed specifically for VSI, an acknowledged leader in large scale AMR/AMI deployments and field meter services. Through its partnership with Clevest, the VSI solution addresses the intricacies of the Smart Grid and includes comprehensive tools with advanced customer relations management (CRM) features and specialized reports that provide insight into field operations to help increase efficiency and reduce operating costs.
“We are excited to have partnered with VSI to create the industry's most advanced deployment solution available,” says Thomas Ligocki, CEO of Clevest Solutions. “It was designed to solve many of the challenges of deploying and supporting the utility industry's Smart Grid infrastructure.”
Powered by Clevest's Smart Grid Deployment and Operations Support System software, this advanced product supports utilities with post-deployment maintenance and diagnostics of network nodes. These services help utilities realize the benefits from the vast information offered by the Smart Grid.
“By combining the IT architecture of our own Work Order Management Systems with those from Clevest, we now have a true state-of-the-art deployment tool that puts VSI in front of the technology curve,” says David McGinley, vice president of business development at VSI.
The partnership between VSI and Clevest has enabled both companies to combine their individual strengths to develop a superior deployment tool, which after being fully field tested, was successfully implemented in 2009. In addition to the features offered in Clevest's Mobile Field Force (MFF) product, such as customized work orders, GPS markers and bar coding, the advanced VSI solution offers real-time reporting capabilities with unparalleled customization features and asset tracking. Many of the special features are safety and security related, and can be custom designed to reflect specific requirements from the utility's operating and IT cyber security policies to ensure regulatory compliance.
“With the installation of over 6 million end points during the past 20 years, our own IT experts had successfully developed resolutions to any critical issues as we encountered them. However, with the growing complexity of the Smart Grid, we needed to go beyond the next level of MFF,” says Ted Fiala, vice president of operations at VSI. “By linking up the unique skills and deployment knowledge of our own IT group with the extraordinary experience in software design provided by Clevest, we have jointly developed a handheld tool that captures all of the facets of a smart meter deployment, including real-time integration.”
About VSI Meter Services, Inc.
VSI Meter Services, Inc. specializes in large AMR and AMI deployments for electric, natural gas and water utilities and related field meter services including non-compatible meter exchanges, atmospheric corrosion remediation and manual meter reading. With headquarters in Aston, Pennsylvania, VSI has deployment facilities across the United States and parts of Canada. VSI is part of Utilicon Solutions, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Asplundh Tree Expert Co., the world's largest supplier of outsourced field services dedicated to solving the manpower needs of utilities. Asplundh is a privately-held company, founded in 1928, which currently employs more than 26,000 people.
For additional information, visit the company Web site at www.vsimeterservices.com .
About Clevest Solutions, Inc.
Clevest Solutions, Inc. is the leading software provider of Smart Grid Deployment and Operations Support System (OSS) solutions and provides the most complete and flexible end-to-end mobile workforce management solutions in the utility industry. Clevest's application suite provides modular tools that include Dispatch, Scheduling, AVL, In-vehicle Navigation, Mobile, and a patent pending Configuration tool. The company's award winning applications integrate the latest innovations in software, wireless technologies, and mobile devices to get jobs done faster, smoother, safer, and increase efficiency and reliability. For more information on Clevest Solutions, visit www.clevest.com.
Contact:
David McGinley,
Vice President, Business Development,
VSI Meter Services Inc.
Phone: 800-606-7981, ext. 2485
E-mail: [email protected]
Bill Lee
Marketing Manager
Clevest Solutions Inc.
Phone: 604-214-9700 ext. 245
E-mail: [email protected]
