NORTHBROOK, IL, Nov. 9, 2005 -- AMRA, the international voice of the automatic meter reading industry, announced Nov. 1 it had experienced a 39% growth in membership since this time last year. This strong upward trend is attributed to the strength of the utility automation industry and the value of AMRA's new member services.
"Our membership continues to grow, which is a great sign for the industry," says AMRA President Brian Pollom. "Especially as utilities work to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005, AMRA is poised to help them better understand and apply AMR technologies."
AMRA members increased from 726 members in October 2004 to 1,010 members in October 2005, marking the organization's largest-ever membership count.
AMRA offers new and improved services to help members connect and learn, including public policy updates delivered regularly so members stay up-to-date on legislative initiatives that may affect utility automation. Also, AMRA's Web-based seminars feature presentations by AMR experts who share knowledge about industry fundamentals as well as advanced topics. The new online message posting service, AMRA Forums, helps utility members quickly and easily get in touch with their colleagues, share experiences and seek solutions to AMR technology and business questions.
Members got another taste of the new and improved AMRA at Autovation 2005: The AMRA International Symposium, in Long Beach, Calif., Sept. 18-21, 2005. Educational programming for this event featured many sessions about advanced uses of AMR, and included utility-only sessions for an even more open exchange of experiences.
"Autovation was better than ever this year, and AMRA services throughout the year are delivering real value to our members," says Pollom. "We're looking forward to 2006 — the industry continues to grow and AMRA will serve and grow with it."
AMRA (www.amra-intl.org), the international voice of the AMR industry, provides information critical to the understanding and application of the wide range of AMR technologies. Through industry analyses, symposia and relevant publications, AMRA serves the business interests of utilities and utility technology suppliers.
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In related association news:
-- "Reap the Benefits of Advanced Metering Infrastructure Using Standards"
Utilities Learn Best Practices During AMRA Webinar Nov. 16, 2005
-- "Better Than Ever: Autovation 2005 in Review"
Utility Roundtables the Talk of Utility Automation Meeting
-- "AMRA Announces 2005-2006 Board of Trustees"
For these and other AMRA news items, see: www.amra-intl.org/news/index.htm
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