TALLASSEE, Ala., June 9, 2003 -- Neptune Technology Group Inc. announced that a contract is in place to provide the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) technology to automate data collection from the 235,000 water meters in Cincinnati's service area with Neptune's ARB Water Revenue System.
VSI Group, Inc. was selected as the General Contractor to install the Neptune meters and R900 automatic meter reading (AMR) units for GCWW.
GCWW will call the Automatic Meter Reading project "H2O Radio" as a way of building awareness within the community and the waterworks industry. The main benefits for the community are accuracy of the reading, convenience to the residents, and the fact that the program is self-financing and will not impact water rates. Installations are scheduled to begin in June and will continue over a 4-year deployment.
This project includes Neptune meters equipped with ProRead(tm) absolute encoder registers and R900 radio frequency (RF) meter interface units (MIUs). Both the ProRead register and the R900 RF MIU provide a solid foundation for improved efficiency and guaranteed meter reading system accuracy.
"GCWW has been reading water meters for more than 144 years. For many, many of those years we have been using Neptune meters. So, we are very excited that H2O Radio and Neptune's technology is moving us toward a new wave of customer service and efficiency. We believe we have a strong team with GCWW, VSI, and Neptune and we are looking forward to the implementation of H2O Radio," stated Connie Roesch, Superintendent of Commercial Services Division.
"The goals established by Greater Cincinnati Water Works for this project fit perfectly with Neptune's approach. Our company slogan is "Integrity by Design". We realize that the accuracy of the metering and data collection systems is of primary importance to the utility and its consumers, and we make sure that our products are designed with this in mind", says Neptune's President & CEO, Chuck DiLaura.
As general contractor, VSI will assign an on-site, Cincinnati-based Project Manager, a local Master Plumber, and up to 18 experienced plumbers as field installers. VSI Group's Corporate Trainer is certified by Neptune on Neptune's R900 RF MIU. Additionally, VSI Group will provide call center services for the project.
"VSI is very excited to begin the AMR deployment for the Greater Cincinnati Water Works. A great deal of planning and preparation has occurred over the last few months and the working relationship that has developed between ourselves, Neptune Technology Group and the Greater Cincinnati Water Works has been excellent. We could not have asked for a better team," stated David McGinley, VP of Sales and Marketing for VSI Group.
"Greater Cincinnati Water Works has always been a leader in customer service. By implementing Neptune's ARB Water Revenue System, GCWW will continue to improve service to its customers through improved meter reading accuracy and reduced intrusion on its customers' property", adds Kent Murray, VP of Marketing for Neptune.
About the Companies:
Greater Cincinnati Water Works provides about 175 million gallons of water a day through 3,000 miles of water mains to the residents of Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and several neighboring counties. With its commitment to customer satisfaction, GCWW's mission is to provide its customers with a plentiful supply of the highest quality water and outstanding services in a financially responsible manner.
In operation since 1892, Neptune Technology Group Inc., offers a full line of metering products and meter reading systems to water utilities throughout North America. For the past 40 years, the company has pioneered the development of systems that make it easy, economical, and safe for its water utility customers to accurately collect meter readings. Neptune's vision is to be viewed as the "most valued partner" in assisting the water industry to more effectively serve the public. Neptune is the only major water meter manufacturer to switch 100% of its meter production to non-leaded meters, helping to ensure the purity of the water and the safety of the consumer.
VSI Group Inc., is the only InfraSource company dedicated to providing meter installation, meter reading, and related services. VSI is one of the largest meter outsourcing companies in the United States, annually reading over ten million meters and having installed three million meters.
