SPOKANE, WA — February 1, 2006 — Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) announced today a contract with Pulaski Electric Systems (PES) of Pulaski, Tennessee, for Itron’s Distribution Staker, a powerful software solution to streamline utility work flows and distribution line design.
By improving the distribution design process, Pulaski Electric will reduce the redundancy of construction drawings and staking sheets both in the field and in the office. In addition, the municipality plans to integrate Distribution Staker software with its GIS mapping system as a key step in automating its work order system.
Pulaski Electric is Tennessee’s oldest municipal electric utility and was the first in the state to receive power from the Tennessee Valley Authority. The utility serves about 15,000 customers in a region where the population continues to grow.
“Before Distribution Staker, we were doing everything manually at least twice—going out into the field and drawing our designs, and coming back to the office and doing it again,” said Kirby Parr, technical services manager for PES. “This automation tool provides us better service and faster turnaround on our projects and eliminates all the paper-based design methods.”
Distribution Staker combines robust CAD rendering and editing capabilities with intuitive design and efficiency tools to bring municipalities, co-ops, and investor-owned utilities the automation benefits and increased efficiency of computer-aided distribution design. Itron’s Distribution Staker streamlines existing utility workflows, reduces design cycle times, and maximizes scarce design resources. Using the software, Pulaski Electric can easily collect project information, create and modify multiple design scenarios, provide customer estimates and produce a complete construction package anywhere, anytime.
“We’re excited about the flexibility and ease of use of Distribution Staker. As we grow, Itron continues to improve and upgrade the product so the potential of Distribution Staker, for us, is unlimited,” said Parr.
Philip Mezey, senior vice president for Itron software solutions, said Distribution Staker was designed for engineers with flexibility and ease of use in mind.
“Pulaski Electric was looking to streamline their design process and Itron’s Distribution Staker meets that key challenge,” said Mezey. “Their designers will work faster and more efficiently with unprecedented ease of use.”
About Itron
Itron is a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. Nearly 3,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron’s award-winning technology to provide the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron creates value for its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for electricity metering; meter data collection; energy information management; demand response; load forecasting, analysis and consulting services; distribution system design and optimization; web-based workforce automation; and enterprise and residential energy management. To know more, start here: www.itron.com.
About Pulaski Electric System
As Tennessee's oldest municipal electric system, and the first system in the state to receive power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, Pulaski Electric System has a unique and unrivaled history of service. Pulaski Electric System currently serves nearly 15,000 customers throughout Giles County, including the city of Pulaski and the communities of Lynnville, Elkton, Minor Hill and Ardmore. To know more, start here: www.pulaskielectric.org).
For additional information, contact:
Christina Kelly
Marketing/Communications Specialist
(509) 891-3268
christina.kelly@itron.com
