MECOMS

MECOMS is the solution of new generation intended for complex automation of power supply companies, enterprises gas - and water supply and other types of utilities. A solution designer is the Belgian-Dutch company Ferranti specializing in software development for power since 1976. Today it is used in the activity by many largest power supply companies worldwide (SPE, RWE, Nidera, etc.).

Thanks to application of MECOMS utility companies can improve, automate and control such processes as consumption accounting, contract management, customer relations, billing, collecting of cash, asset management, service on places and portfolio management. A system is based on the Microsoft Dynamics AX platform, consists of different modules and has good expansibility, providing flexibility for fast adaptation.

The industry solution of MECOMS represents the multifunction system with the modern interface consisting more than of 20 modules and control block business processes which connects separate functions in the uniform managed workflow. The information system Microsoft Dynamics AX acts as a software platform of the solution. To this timepoint specialists of GMCS successfully completed the works on localization of the solution taking into account specifics of the Russian market.

The industry solution for the enegrosbytovy companies, the enterprises of the sector of energy industry and VKH MECOMS includes the following functionality:

Customer relationship management (CRM) - The solution allows to organize effectively work with clients due to integration with call center of the company. Besides, the solution contains opportunities for collecting of wishes from clients, allows to conduct questioning and surveys, etc.

Contract management and billing - Functionality of the solution maintains features of contractual relations as in business market (interrelation of personal accounts, supplementary agreements, individual rates and so forth), and during the work with individuals (a large number of personal accounts, the unified rates and so forth). The subsystem of billing and drawing of accounts allows to work with large volumes of information – exposure of millions of accounts in short time.

Data collection from counters - a System allows to perform data collection from counters all by methods available at the moment: automatically (from automatic counters), by means of import from data collection terminals (at their use), manually (data entry by operators). In particular, the solution supports functions of distribution of tasks (at periodical collection of information) and also control of their execution.

Drawing of forecast accounts is Use of the different mathematical models both put initially in a system, and configured individually at implementation, allows to predict most precisely implementation and also to make out forecast bills (in case of applicability of this approach).

Reconciliation - Thanks to the configured rules of verification of the data obtained from counters a system can check in the automatic mode accuracy of the data about consumption. At the same time the different models of check including complex systems of calculations, comparison with historical data, use of different correction factors can be used (seasonality, temperature condition and so forth)

Tariffing/drawing of accounts - the Solution supports a flexible system of rates and different rules of calculation of cost of the account to the client. Advantage is that change of rates and rules of calculation does not require programming and is performed using the intuitive interface.

Matching - This functionality allows to compare invoices and the received payments automatically. Use of different methods of comparison in case of existence more than one unpaid account is possible. Information on the received payments can be automatically imported from the Bank client system used at the enterprise.

Claims activities - in case of claims from client side concerning exposure/payment/matching a system allow the employee of the sales company to obtain instantly all necessary information on transactions of the personal account of the client in order that the problem was solved in the shortest possible time and with the maximum satisfaction of the client.

Management of finance - the Solution Microsoft Dynamics AX & MECOMS is completely integrated into a management subsystem by finance of the enterprise and meets all requirements of the Russian accounting and tax accounting. The functionality of the solution includes also treasury, there is a possibility of broadcasting and obtaining the reporting according to the IFRS standards.

Key indicators - Use of functionality of the solution in combination with the modern technologies offered Microsoft gives the chance to the enterprise to perform operational monitoring of key indicators (KPI) and to accept more verified management decisions on the basis of these data.

Planning and budgeting - Planning in the energy company includes a set of aspects of different business areas: maintenance, tariffing, treasury, and so forth. The solution Microsoft Dynamics AX & MECOMS allows to connect together specific sites of planning (different budgets) and using different mathematical models of forecasting to receive different versions of forecasts and budgets.

Analysis and BI - The functionality of a system allows on the basis of given to prepare the reporting necessary for different categories of consumers from different sources (information systems). This reporting is available to convenience of users in different formats: Word, Excel, Web. Besides, it can be reconfigured without programming.

Management of fixed assets - the Solution includes a subsystem of TORO (maintenance and repairs) which allows to conduct all complex of operations on certification of the equipment, planning of service and repairs (including costs), to reflection of the actual execution of the servicing functions.

Purchases - the Complete solution MECOMS allows to manage optimum process of purchases, both at the centralized scheme, and at the distributed purchases. In particular, a system supports such important processes as tender procedures and assessment of suppliers.

Personnel management - the Solution increases efficiency of personnel records, offering additional functions in the field of hiring of personnel, including storage of the database of the summary, training, assessment and questioning of personnel, maintaining KPI.

Remote work - a System completely supports work with data collection terminals (PDA) which can be used for the different purposes: inventory of the equipment, collecting of indications from counters and so forth. Information collected using the CPC can be transferred to a system or online (by means of cellular communication), or with any set frequency.

The power companies should deal with "heritage of the past" for a long time — the park of old measuring devices. Customer service quality inevitably suffers from it. To the MECOMS™ system, for example, can process at the same time data of the hand, automated and automatic measuring instruments. The Belgian company Indexis implementation of MECOMS™ allowed to optimize process of removal of indications from counters. Indexis was founded in 2003 as the independent company on accounting of meter readings for the Belgian liberalized market of energy resources. The company the complete solution for collecting, processing and distribution of indications from 7 million counters was required. Thanks to implementation of MECOMS™ functioning of small-size terminals for data collection of meter readings and also different systems of self-service based on web applications and main systems which are responsible for processing and sending data to other market participants was ensured.

In Waternet company (Holland) thanks to implementation of MECOMS™ productivity of work of employees increased by 20%. Waternet was created as a result of merge of Amsterdam Water Authority and utility sewer networks DWR. With respect thereto there was a need for the complete solution capable to provide reliable support of the processes connected taking into account consumption and billing. As the tool for the solution of these tasks the MECOMS™ system was selected.

Among other large-scale users MECOMS™ RWE (Denmark), Nidera (Argentina), SPE (Belgium), Essent (Belgium), HVCenergie (Netherlands). In particular, Essent implementation of MECOMS™ allowed to increase integrity and quality of data and also efficiency of processing of primary customer appeals. Essent is an active participant in the market of energy resources of Belgium, acting as electricity provider and natural gas for residential and industrial consumers. Customer relationship management and billing of the company required the integrated tool which would allow to solve effectively the problems arising in the non-regulated electricity market and would be convenient for use by the staff of the company.

Assessment of performance of the complete solution for the energy companies and the MECOMS housing and public utilities enterprises

On September 17, 2012 the companies GMCS also Microsoft announced results of assessment of performance of the complete solution for the energy companies and the MECOMSTM housing and public utilities enterprises certified for Microsoft Dynamics AX. Assessment works are carried out at the test stand deployed in the Moscow Technology center of Microsoft company using the equipment HP.

This project became continuation of joint initiatives of the Microsoft and GMCS companies in the sector of the power engineering specialist directed to creation of the innovative complete solutions on automation of activity of the enterprises of the industry (sale, generation, networks) and to information service of different customer groups of utilities – industrial commercial and state-financed enterprises and ordinary citizens. The relevance of a research is caused by the requirement of the Russian energy companies and the housing and public utilities enterprises for the powerful and reliable tools capable growing in conditions of upgrade of the market of utilities not only to provide effective service of all customer groups at cutting of costs for their service, but also to increase satisfaction with service quality and labor productivity of personnel.

Results of the carried-out works confirmed reliability and high-quality work of MECOMSTM in the conditions as close as possible to real work in the company of the reference customer – the power supply company servicing 2 million subscribers and 5 million metering devices. It is established that on the amount of data of 1.39 Tb (2.64 billion records) and during the one-time work more than 3,000 users of MECOMSTM show the high performance, high-speed performance and fault tolerance of work. During the one-time work of users MECOMSTM allows to execute more than 15,000 operations on an institution of new payment within one hour, to perform more than 16,000 operations on identification of the client and comparison to the existing delivery notes, to execute more than 32,000 operations on an institution of new meter readings. At batch processing of data the solution provides one-time import about 200,000 payments, automatic comparison of 40,000 payments to the existing delivery notes, formation and delivery of 160,000 delivery notes, automatic input of 200,000 indications of metering devices.

The received results confirm that the MECOMSTM system can be used by the largest Russian power enterprises as the reliable business tool for support of activities for key processes of consumer service of utilities: collecting of indications from metering devices and their verification, formation and drawing of accounts (billing), matching, contract management, claim and claim activity, the analytical reporting.

Meanwhile in MECOMSTM world in the activity uses a number of the largest enterprises of a power complex servicing from 1.5 to 25 million subscribers (commercial and residential consumers). Among them there is the second in value Belgian power supply company SPE, Nidera (Argentina), RWE (Denmark), etc.

"In alliance with Microsoft we actively work on providing to the Russian energy companies the most modern solutions on activity automation. MECOMSTM completely conforms to requirements of the Russian electricity market and power and features of the legislation of the Russian Federation. Today one of the largest power holdings of the country – "RAO Energy Systems of East" – within upgrade of the infrastructure of sale of utilities selected MECOMSTM for a basis for creation of a modern billing system, – Oleg Lysov, the vice president of GMCS comments. – We are satisfied with the received results on assessment of system performance and we hope that they will be useful to the energy companies when planning the IT infrastructure to ensuring reliable service at accomplishment of "heavy" mass transactions on large volumes of data".

During the conducted research the optimal hardware-software configuration for operation of the solution is also revealed, recommendations about setup of nodes of a hardware and software system are created. It is confirmed that the stock on performance of MECOMSTM in combination with the selected equipment allows to increase the number of simultaneous users of a system up to 6,000 and more. At the same time in the conditions of essential load of a system response time of the user interface at implementation of standard transactions remains minimum (on average no more than 3 seconds for simple forms). Thus, in the conditions of accumulation of rates of business and increase in the customer base use of MECOMSTM guarantees steadily high quality of consumer service.

For evaluating in the Moscow Technology center of Microsoft (MTC) company the test stand based on the equipment of Hewlett-Packard was deployed. 38 virtual servers AOS based on HP BL model 460g7i 11 of servers of test agents based on HP BL model 460G7 and a database server – HP of DL 980G7 8*8 RAM 1 TB were its part. Testing was performed according to the developed scenarios. Modeling of loading was performed by emulation of real work of users on the key business processes implemented in MECOMSTM. The special tests emulating load of a system at mass document handling and testing of performance of operation of the user interface are carried also out.

"Big corporate customers even more often select Microsoft Dynamics AX as the operational platform of the business. It belongs to distribution and retail, it is fair for the industry and power. The held testing once again confirms high scalability of a system and readiness of work with large volumes of data. The new version of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 perfectly proved in a corporate segment, we bring its latest updating R2 to the Russian market in December of this year", – Yulia Barabanova, the director of Microsoft Business Solutions Russia on work with corporate customers says.