SPOKANE, Wash., Sept. 12, 2002 -- Itron Inc. announced recently that it has reached an agreement with California Water Service Co. (Cal Water) to provide the investor-owned utility with technology to collect data accurately and efficiently from thousands of water meters across the state.
Cal Water will also begin an initial rollout of Itron automatic meter reading (AMR) technology to automate data collection from meters in one of its service areas.
Cal Water serves 1.9 million people in 25 California operating districts stretching from Chico in the northern part of the state to Palos Verdes in the south. The contract includes the purchase of 102 Itron G5 handheld computers.
Some of these computers will be equipped with powerful full-duplex radios and will be used to collect metering data from 500 customer properties in the Rural North Vacaville Water District, enabling Cal Water meter readers to automatically collect accurate meter data simply by walking past or near the metered property.
Richard Schuppe, commercial manager at Cal Water, believes the versatility of Itron technology will permit Cal Water to meet current and future operational challenges.
"We are completely focused on providing our employees with the best tools available, so that they can perform their duties as accurately and efficiently as possible," says Schuppe. "This technology investment represents a major step in that direction."
John Hengesh, vice president and general manager of Itron's Water and Public Power Business Unit, says Cal Water is making a solid investment in its future operational success.
"Water utilities face an increasing number of challenges, many of which Cal Water is taking proactive steps to address with Itron technology," says Hengesh. "This is just the beginning of their efforts to improve customer service, reduce costs and increase operational efficiency, and we are very excited to be of assistance as a lasting partner."
About Itron
Itron is a technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. More than 2,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron technology to deliver the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron delivers value to its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for meter data collection, energy information management, C&I customer care, load management and demand response, transmission and distribution system design software and services, and web-based workforce automation.
Source: Itron Inc.
