Michigan Deregulation Leader Nordic Electric L.L.C. Selects Energy from Peace Software
18 July 2000
Michigan Deregulation Leader Nordic Electric L.L.C. Selects Energy from Peace Software
ATLANTA--July 18, 2000--Peace Software International today announced that a pioneer in the Michigan electric competition pilot program, Nordic Electric L.L.C. of Ann Arbor, has selected Peace's Energy ECM (Energy Customer Management) software to manage their deregulated retail utility business.As the largest independent, non-utility retail power provider in Michigan, Nordic Electric supplies 80 MW power to commercial and industrial customers, including such companies as General Motors Corporation, Daimler Chrysler Corporation, Eaton Corporation, Georgia Pacific Corporation and Martin Marietta Magnesia. The power marketer plans to add substantially to its existing customer base and increase its total load to 700 MW throughout Michigan and the Midwest by the end of this year.
Critical to achieving this goal was the need to invest in a superior web-based ECM solution capable of addressing complex commercial/industrial requirements and expanded grid volume. "Nordic's rapid expansion in the deregulated utility market is the driving force behind our decision to implement an advanced, scalable e-commerce solution," said John Baardson, CEO of Nordic Electric. "The deployment of Energy provides us with the optimal system to achieve greater productivity and synergy in the competitive marketplace."
Energy is a proven Energy Customer Management (ECM) product suite, comprising seven components: Energy Commercial & Industrial (Energy C & I), Energy Customer Information, Energy B2C, Energy B2B, Energy Customer Enrollment, Energy Customer Interaction Center Integration, and Energy Supply. The inclusive, integrated nature of the Energy suite appealed to Nordic Electric because it provided a "total solution," covering customer acquisition and enrollment, customer information, billing and accounts receivable, through to demand forecasting and settlement functionality. Specifically, Nordic Electric will be using Energy C & I to manage large customer contracts and perform complex billing, including management of large volumes of electricity interval demand data.
Nordic Electric's decision to deploy Energy was predominantly value-oriented. "Energy presented the best value in terms of versatility and functionality for our specific market requirements," said John Baardson. "Peace leverages native web technology and global, multi-discipline development teams to deliver value-based customer transaction services for the energy industry."
A rapid deployment of the system is planned, with an initial Go Live targeted for the fall of this year. This aggressive deployment, facilitated by Peace's experience in deregulated markets and Energy's configurable framework, will enable Nordic to be ready to service the expanded customer base in Michigan, and eventually enter other Midwest markets. "Nordic Electric L.L.C is a pioneer in the Michigan deregulated markets, and their growth provides an excellent example of how increased competition is enabling aggressive utility players to expand market share," said Brian Peace, CEO and founder of Peace Software. "Peace's success in the U.S. marketplace has been largely driven by the early adoption of Energy by market leaders in every deregulated state market, as they turn to Energy for advanced browser-based ECM functionality and rapid deployment."
About Peace Software
Peace Software is an experienced provider of Energy Customer Management (ECM) solutions to the deregulating energy industry. Peace's innovative Energy software was developed in the deregulated markets of New Zealand and Australia and has been successfully implemented in Canada and the United States. Energy offers unprecedented value through native Web support and a Browser User Interface (BUI); integrated eCommerce functions like electronic bill presentment (EBP), customer self care, and 3D visualization tools for decision support. Energy addresses major ECM retail functions including customer information, consolidated billing, meter and premise management, price modeling, customer acquisition and enrollment, order tracking, forecasting, credit control, payment processing, contract management and settlement. Additional information about Peace is available at http://www.peace.com.
About Nordic Electric L.L.C
Nordic Electric is the largest independent, non-utility power provider to retail customers in Michigan. An early innovator in the Michigan marketplace, the company has been delivering power to Michigan customers since 1995. Nordic prides itself on its strong customer focus resulting in high service quality and cost savings for the client. This involves providing reliable and competitive power supplies, innovative metering and real-time monitoring, advanced billing and bill analysis, and efficient operations. Additional information about Nordic is available at www.nordicelectric.com.