Jun 2, 2004
Open Systems International, Inc. (OSI) completed a highly successful SCADA/Energy Management System project for Lincoln Electric Systems (LES) in Lincoln, Nebraska, in record time. The System has been commissioned four and one half months from contract award, representing a near record for the industry.
This project, which was implemented based on a Fast Track Implementation Program, was the culmination of extraordinary effort and teamwork between all participants including OSI, LES and KEMA, the LES Consultant.
The contract for supply of a new Linux-based SCADA and Energy Management System (EMS) was executed January 5, 2004. LES required a new system in operation prior to the start of the summer peak load season. The system was successfully cutover less than four and a half months later according to schedule. The project incorporated a SCADA/EMS system implementation as well as a Back-Up Control Center (BCC) and included extensive Factory and Site Acceptance Testing and Quality Assurance. The installed system is based on OSI's distributed and open monarch™ architecture.
"We congratulate LES and KEMA for their assistance during the process and appreciate their relentless efforts in meeting their obligations on the project. This was a total team effort and we hope it will become a new model of cooperative system implementation for an industry plagued with delays and unfulfilled promises," said Bahman Hoveida, President & CEO of OSI.
Doug Bantam, Vice President of LES' Power Supply Division, adds that, "It was evident during late 2003 that the replacement of LES' SCADA system had become a critical issue. A decision was made to challenge all those involved, including OSI, KEMA and our own staff, to execute this project in a secure and precise fashion within an unprecedented time frame. It is a tribute to the entire team and to the OSI system capabilities that this project was accomplished within 20 weeks and is in place prior to our 2004 summer peak season. This project has demonstrated the highest qualities and a fundamental commitment to excellence in all organizations involved."
"The fast track approach was made possible by a confluence of factors including the flexibility of the OSI monarch System and the diligence of the OSI implementation team, as well as LES' desire to purchase standard off-the-shelf hardware and software wherever possible. The fast track concept even extended to the preliminary project implementation efforts at LES through the innovative use of an extended Request for Information (RFI) document as both a vendor qualification approach and as a 'reduced' specification that later formed the basis for the Technical Statement of Work. All told, the entire process at LES from the initial consultant engagement for requirements definition to the final system implementation took less than a year. This is an impressive record by all measures," said Ed Dobrowolski, Senior Principal Consultant at KEMA.
Established in 1966, Lincoln Electric System (www.les.org) LES is the second largest electric utility in Nebraska and the 22nd largest public power electric utility in the United States, by the number of retail customers. LES rates are among the lowest in the nation. A KPMG LLP survey of 106 cities in the United States shows LES rates are in the lowest 10 (ten) percentile.
KEMA (www.kemaconsulting.com), (www.kema-xenergy.com) provides technical and management consulting and training services to the electric power industry, assisting more than 500 clients in 70 countries. With US headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia and offices worldwide, KEMA employs more than 1,500 full-time professionals and leading experts in many facets of the energy utility industry. With a history spanning three decades, KEMA, Inc serves the complete spectrum of participants in the energy marketplace and offers a full complement of services supporting generation through the consumer side of the meter. KEMA Inc. is the US subsidiary if N.V. KEMA (www.kema.com), a world-renowned consulting, testing and research and development firm in the electric power industry, which was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Amhem, the Netherlands.
OSI (www.osii.com) provides open, state-of-the-art, and high-performance automation solutions to electric utilities worldwide. These solutions include Energy Management Systems (EMS), Distribution Management Systems (DMS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems, and Generation Management Systems (GMS), as well as individual software products and e-business solutions for electric utility operations. OSI is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
For additional information regarding this news release please contact news@osii.com.
