COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - Oct 20, 2011) - Since the beginning of 2011, seven utility companies have renewed contracts with ARCOS, Inc. to use the Ohio-based software maker's internet-based automated callout and resource management system.
Avista Corporation, Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, Madison Gas & Electric, PEPCO, Progress Energy Florida and a diversified energy company serving the U.S. Midwest and Mid-Atlantic have signed multi-year contracts to use ARCOS, Inc.'s software-as-a-service (SaaS) system, which automatically locates and assembles utility repair crews after normal business hours.
The majority of the companies renewing their contract this year have done so two or more times since becoming customers.
"Some of these utilities have been a customer since 2000," said Mitchell McLeod, president and CEO of ARCOS, Inc. "This year, we've turned on the ARCOS System for the first time at approximately seven utilities nationwide, including AEP. As our customer base has grown, we've seen renewals steadily climb too."
Utility companies engage the ARCOS System to initiate a callout for a crew to restore power or respond to a gas leak. The system automatically takes into account the availability status and callout rules for every worker as it assembles a crew. The ARCOS System also helps managers track the status of crews during normal work hours to see who can take overtime in the event of an emergency.
Along with the growth in contract renewals, ARCOS is implementing its system in new markets such as power-generation plants, both fossil fuel and nuclear.
The ARCOS System can help utilities achieve a five- to 10-minute reduction in the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI), a reliability index for electric power utilities, and shave minutes off gas leak response. For power-generation plants, the ARCOS System's automated emergency callout platform plays a primary role in preventing a unit shutdown, which could trigger the start-up of a more costly unit or require the plant to purchase energy at a premium price to meet contractual commitments.
About ARCOS, Inc.
Seventeen of the top 25 U.S. utilities rely on the ARCOS Automated Crew Callout and Resource Management System. When the power goes out or other emergency situations occur, the award-winning, web-based ARCOS(SM) System instantaneously finds, assembles and tracks repair crews, thus reducing outage interruptions and improving restoration time for electric, gas and nuclear utilities. For more information, visit the company at www.arcos-inc.com, or call 614-396-5500.
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