GEN-I wanted to conduct a complete overhaul of all IT solutions that were in use to provide support to Energy Sales to all customers in all segments and markets where GEN-I operates. The solution needed to have a proven reputation in the energy market and needed to be fully integrated with an ERP solution.
The Company
GEN-I is an independent gas- and electricity supplier in Central and Southeastern Europe. The Group’s core activities include international electricity and gas trading, the sale of electricity and gas to end-customers and the associated purchases of electricity and gas from producers. The GEN-I Group is present on 198 electricity and 5 gas wholesale and 8 electricity and 2 gas retail markets. The main company is based in Slovenia and there are 135 daughter companies across Central and Southeastern Europe.
The Markets
GEN-I focusses mainly on so-called ‘emerging energy markets’ where the deregulation process has just started.
The GEN-I Strategy
The strategy of GEN-I is to gain new customers by being the first independent supplier offering better service and tailor-made products at very competitive prices.
GEN-I’s Promise to Customers
GEN-I promises to provide “Poceni elektrika” and “Poceni plin” (GEN-I’s product brands) customers the most favourable electricity and gas prices in the long run. Since its entry into the energy market in 2009, the GEN-I Group has proven to be the cheapest electricity and gas supplier in all groups of consumption for household consumers, year after year.
At the end of 2009, GEN-I supplied more than 8.900 household customers. From then on, the GEN-I customer total has risen to 103,550 customers in May 2014 – a total of 98,453 customers amongst households and 5,097 amongst small businesses in Slovenia.
Since the introduction of the “Jeftina Struja”-product brand to the Croatian market on 17 June 2013 the company has been supplying electricity to 19,513 customers in Croatia.
Why was MECOMS selected?
MECOMS has been selected amongst several potential solutions because of:
- All presentations and workshops demonstrated that MECOMS offered an adequate response to all challenges and requirements.
- The strong integration with the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP solution
- MECOMS is recommended by Microsoft as their preferred solution for utility companies
- The collaboration with a very committed and skilled MECOMS Partner Adacta operating in the region of Slovenia and Croatia.
What IT challenges and requirements did GEN-I want to manage?
Market Messaging:
- High flexibility and interface handling due to quickly changing data formats and requirements
- Advanced control algorithms required due to the high rate of mistakes of missing consumption and other market data
- Ability to handle many messaging channels with different market participants
Customer and workflow management:
- Enable high and fast processing of customer responses and to support various attractive first market entry offers
- Being superior in customer management and request processing.
- Ability to handle a high rate of changes in workflows and documents
Flexibility in data modelling
- Ability to cope with high variety in types of meter reads, owners, contractors, payees and services
Billing capabilities
- High adaptive billing error correction mechanism to cope with poor input data
- Flexible handling of billing runs
- Easy to add services
- Easy and very flexible to format complex invoicing
- Enable complex pricing models
Accounts receivable handling, debt collecting, dunning
- Flexible and highly adaptive bank statement payments matching
- Cope fast and accurate with bad payers or already in debt
Portfolio management capabilities and reporting
- Close and accurate monitoring of the different customer segments
- Enable procurement to quickly respond to change in customer behaviour
What is MECOMS performing at GEN-I?
MECOMS will be implemented throughout the whole GEN-I group during 7 phases of which 3 are completed. MECOMS is currently performing all processes for supplying Gas and Electricity (Go-live for electricity in September 2014) to B2C customers in Slovenia, and for supplying electricity to B2B and B2C customers in Croatia.
MECOMS will also be implemented for supplying electricity to B2B customers in Slovenia, for Portfolio Management and Forecasting, for supplying electricity to B2B customers in Italy and Austria and finally for supplying Gas to B2B customers in Slovenia.