ATLANTA, Oct. 22, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- CES International, a leading provider of network and outage management software for distribution utilities, announced today that its Centricity Operations Resource Management (ORM) system has been selected by Xcel Energy for a corporate-wide deployment across all service territories.
CES International partner MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:MDSI) (TSX:MMD), the leading provider of mobile work-force management solutions, was also selected by Xcel Energy in an agreement to supply its Advantex r7 solution. Both solutions will be rolled out across Xcel Energy together to provide the utility with an integrated, best-of-breed platform for managing network operations, outage restoration and mobile work-force management.
Tim Taylor, Xcel Energy vice president of Asset Management, remarked, "We chose the CES/MDSI team because individually they are market leaders and collectively their solutions give us the most advanced technology platform available to meet our commitment to continual improvements in customer service."
The CES/MDSI project is a key enabling component of Xcel Energy's ongoing Distribution Asset Management System initiative.
MDSI's Advantex software suite manages the full range of work orders handled by utility field service operations and the entire workday of the field service technicians who execute them. CES' Centricity solution supports trouble call management, outage analysis, switching and powerflow management, regulatory reporting and customer notification management.
As an integrated solution, Advantex and Centricity provide Xcel Energy with the tools to improve day-to-day field operations, optimize distribution network management and enhance customer service and communication both during normal operating conditions and during outage situations.
CES International President and CEO Dave Jones said, "Xcel Energy is one of the largest and most advanced utilities in the world. This award is a landmark win for CES International, and it's a strong validation of the future potential of the CES/MDSI team."
About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas company with regulated operations in 12 Western and Midwestern states. Formed by the merger of Denver-based New Century Energies and Minneapolis-based Northern States Power Co., Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.2 million electricity customers and 1.7 million natural gas customers through its regulated operating companies. In terms of customers, it is the fourth-largest combination natural gas and electricity company in the nation. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis. More information is available at www.xcelenergy.com.
About CES International
CES International is a leading global supplier of real-time software solutions for distribution utilities. CES' flagship product, the Centricity(TM) operations resource management (ORM) system, optimizes distribution-network operations, and includes software suites which provide an information infrastructure and applications for the delivery of the "high 9's" reliability and power quality levels demanded by the digital economy. CES was established in 1990 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with development headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Asia Pacific headquarters in Brisbane, Australia. For more information, visit www.ces.com.
About MDSI
MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:MDSI) (TSX:MMD) is the leading provider of mobile workforce management solutions. MDSI's suite of applications improves customer service and relationships, and reduces operating costs by empowering service companies to optimally manage their field resources. MDSI also provides all of the professional services necessary to help customers implement, maintain and take full advantage of its solutions. For more information, please visit www.mdsi-advantex.com.