BURLINGTON, Mass., Aug. 7, 2003 -- Gensym Corp., a provider of software and services for expert operations management, announced that JEA, the provider of electric, water, and waste water utility services in the Jacksonville, Florida area, has selected Gensym's G2® expert-system software as its platform for real-time expert decision support applications across its operations.
The first application, now underway, is for optimizing well water operations.
"We chose Gensym's software for several reasons," said Michael Eaton, application engineer within JEA's Technology Services group. "Most importantly, the types of applications and operational benefits enabled by Gensym's reasoning technology are an excellent fit with JEA's corporate goals of finding more efficient ways to produce and deliver electricity and water and to collect and treat wastewater. We also concluded that Gensym's technology, people, and partners, as well as our in-house expertise, provide all the ingredients necessary for successful implementations of high-payback decision support solutions throughout our operations."
JEA's first G2 application is to improve the efficiency of JEA's well water operations through knowledge-based optimization. JEA's water operations consist of a highly distributed network of facilities that serve more than 200,000 customers.
A first phase of the application, already completed, captures and applies the knowledge of JEA's experts about well water pumping schedules in their water treatment facilities.
A second phase, now underway, will extend this knowledge to automate scheduling decisions for pumping water throughout JEA's network of facilities. Decisions are to be based on such factors as demand forecasts, pump maintenance requirements, well levels, well-water quality, and the cost of electricity for a given time of the day.
"Our G2-based solution will enable our operators to be much more proactive in managing our overall water production," said Scott Kelly, director of JEA's water and waste water operations. "We anticipate that this application, when completed for our network of over 45 facilities, will enhance our ability to service our growing customer base and will result in substantial payback. It will reduce the need to invest in new wells and water mains, lower pumping energy costs, reduce equipment failures, and minimize equipment maintenance. For example, if we eliminate the need to build even a single new well, then this solution will easily pay for itself."
"We are currently evaluating other real-time applications based on G2 that can improve operating efficiencies," added Eaton. "These include applications that help optimize combustion within our boilers, monitor the health of critical equipment to reduce downtime, support power generation dispatching decisions, and help us better manage plant processes within operating constraints."
"We are very pleased that JEA has selected Gensym's G2 software to support its operations," said Lowell Hawkinson, chairman, president and CEO of Gensym. "Many organizations have achieved significant savings and have increased operational reliability through applications based on our G2 reasoning technology. These applications have been deployed across a wide range of industries, including the utilities industry. A key element in these successes has been the involvement of our partners. For example, in the JEA application, we are working closely with EMA Incorporated, a Gensym partner with broad technology and business expertise in the utility and manufacturing industries, and Adatech, a long-time Gensym partner with extensive experience in building G2 applications for industrial operations."
About Gensym Corporation
Gensym Corporation (www.gensym.com) is a provider of software products and services that enable organizations to automate aspects of their operations that have historically required the direct attention of human experts. Gensym's product and service offerings are all based on or relate to Gensym's flagship product G2, which can emulate the reasoning of human experts as they assess, diagnose, and respond to unusual operating situations or as they seek to optimize operations.
