Upstream! How Itineris Realized a Simultaneous Go-live of 4 UMAX Clients in the Netherlands
GHENT, Belgium, August 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
On August 1, at midnight, the Netherlands officially switched to the new Dutch market model (also known as Upstream!) changing the dynamics of the utility space completely and preparing the Netherlands for the future. At the same time, Itineris succeeded in the simultaneous go-live of 4 Dutch UMAX™ clients; all of them compliant with this new market model. This marked a major milestone and unique achievement for Itineris, the company behind the UMAX™ business solution for utilities.
The new Dutch market model: Upstream!
A couple of years ago, the Dutch energy sector had started a comprehensive program called 'Upstream!' ('Stroomopwaarts') to achieve a more sustainable and future-proof market model, primarily focusing on the liberalized retail segment. This new market model consists of several components of which some have already become effective, such as the capacity tariff and the introduction of smart meters.
Yet it was not until the 1st of August 2013 that the new Dutch market model came into actual force. As of that day, a major consequence was also visible for the customer: the distribution company model, in which the network costs (i.e. costs relating to the exploitation of the natural gas and electricity grid) were charged by the local distribution company to the end customer, no longer exists. Whereas numerous residential customers and SMBs used to receive a bill from their supplier as well as from their local distribution company, they now receive one combined energy bill from their supplier, which also comprises the network costs.
For the full impact of the Upstream! program and detailed information on the exact changes, we kindly invite you to check: http://www.edsn.nl.
Upstream! impacting business systems at utilities….
The Upstream! program also had an extensive impact on many other players linked to the utility industry. Itineris e.g., who supports major Dutch utility players such as E.ON, Eneco, GDF SUEZ (in implementation, go-live Q4 2013), Delta, DNWB,… through its UMAX™ customer information system for utilities built on and certified for MS Dynamics AX, was one of the IT/CIS providers impacted by the new market model. As a consequence, Itineris needed to adapt its standardized UMAX™ solution for suppliers and grid operators and have them comply with the new Dutch market requirements, as well as adjust its localization pack for this particular market (as e.g. the messaging standard was changed).
Roger Van Beeck - UMAX™ Product Delivery Director at Itineris - explains: "The Upstream! program & the sharp deadline of August 1 2013 represented a vast challenge for our company, project & product teams. Let's say the actual go-live was the culmination of a long-term commitment involving many preparatory activities such as customer groups, several workshops with the different clients, roadshows, a thorough assessment of the functional and technical impact, the detailed mapping of business processes, creation of Functional Designs, development work etc. Although this was an adventure never seen before at Itineris, we managed and simultaneously went live with 4 UMAX clients on the first of August. These utility companies are now running on the same integrated UMAX solution with each customer having its own configuration and parameterization. No critical issues were logged in the first 25 days after go-live at the 4 customer sites. I'm extremely proud with this unique performance of the teams."
"This once again shows that UMAX™ is an agile, future-proof and flexible business solution for utilities and this achievement also proofs the professionalism, commitment to excel and drive for success of the Itineris consultants. I particularly want to thank everyone who has helped to achieve this success. This achievement marked another major milestone in the development of our company," Edgard Vermeersch - CEO & founder of Itineris - on the news of the successful go-lives.
UMAX™ and Itineris are present at the European Utility Week 2013 (15-17 October) in Amsterdam. Meet up with our team and discover UMAX™ along with some of its new features at booth 1D14!
Who's Itineris?
Headquartered near Ghent, Belgium-based Itineris is an innovative 100% utility industry focused international, IT application consulting group with offices in the Netherlands and North America. For more information, visit http://www.itineris.net.
What's UMAX?
UMAX™ is an innovative and agile (ERP/CIS) business solution for utilities and water companies. This business solution integrates crm, billing, invoicing, cash collection, meter-data, asset and service management modules in one, offering utilities the tools and processes for effective sales, increased customer contribution margins, reduced lead times and streamlined operations. For more information, visit http://www.umaxsolutions.com.
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