Business process management (BPM) firm Cordys said it is unveiling a new smart metering solution developed for the utility sector at this year’s Smart Utility 2008 show in London this week.

The utilities market is being driven by a number of demands from regulators, as well as experiencing constant pressure to improve productivity and lower costs. One of the initiatives currently being introduced in the UK to address these demands, is the implementation of smart meters for consumers and businesses alike.

Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, is embarking on the first large scale trial of advanced energy meters in Britain, in a £10m scheme that will affect over 15,000 households. Smart metering will have a dramatic impact on the entire utility industry, ranging from the grid operators, through to the domestic and business retail energy suppliers. 

Wayne Parslow, CEO, Cordys UK, said: “The utility market is currently experiencing a number of challenges, as it balances competing demands from consumers, shareholders, regulators and the Green lobby. In the current economic climate, it is essential that organisations improve their operational productivity and business performance whilst still meeting the ever changing compliance and regulatory requirements.”

“When managing and improving business processes, the complexity of information systems can quickly begin to limit rather than enable business change,” said Parslow. “Cordys has developed its smart metering data collection and process enabled application to deliver to the market an integrated all-in-one solution.”

Cordys said it has already successfully delivered integration and business process centric solutions to a number of European energy and utility companies to support initiatives such as smart metering, complaints handling, inspection management and other business critical processes; and is now turning its attention to the UK.

 “The Cordys smart metering solution is uniquely suited to this role,” added Jon Pyke, chief strategy officer, Cordys. “Underpinned by the Cordys Business Operations Platform (BOP), it provides a unified view of customers, finance, assets and operations, enabling greater business flexibility and allowing utility companies to transform their ability to meet the challenges ahead.”
 
The Smart Utility 2008 show is in London this week from 9-10 December.