Keeping energy flowing to hundreds of thousands of customers with IBM and Oracle
Company Size
1,000+
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Oracle Utilities Billing Component
Tech Stack
- Oracle
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries
- Utilities
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Demand Planning & Forecasting
- Energy Management System
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States, supplying and delivering energy to approximately seven million retail customers. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy operates assets in North America and Latin America, with a total service territory spanning more than 100,000 square miles. As part of its activities, Duke Energy provides natural gas transmission and distribution services to approximately 500,000 customers in Ohio and Kentucky. To ensure a safe and efficient supply of gas to homes and businesses across these states, and manage complex pricing, billing and gas delivery arrangements with suppliers, Duke Energy depends on the Gas Transportation Management System (GTMS).
The Challenge
Duke Energy, the largest electric power holding company in the United States, provides natural gas transmission and distribution services to approximately 500,000 customers in Ohio and Kentucky. To ensure a safe and efficient supply of gas to homes and businesses across these states, and manage complex pricing, billing and gas delivery arrangements with suppliers, Duke Energy depends on the Gas Transportation Management System (GTMS). For many years, Duke Energy has used Oracle Utilities Billing Component software to underpin the GTMS. When the company’s existing version of the Oracle solution went out of support, Duke Energy knew that it needed to act fast to upgrade to a newer version. The company faced a strict timeframe for the implementation due to operational constraints. With demand for natural gas typically reaching its peak between November and March, during the so-called ‘heating season,’ the implementation had to be completed outside of these months in order to minimize disruption to the business.
The Solution
After making the decision to upgrade to Oracle Utilities Billing Component version 1.6, Duke Energy launched a search for a partner capable of expertly deploying the Oracle solution; and performing the customizations necessary to adapt the software to the company’s unique needs. Following a competitive tender process, Duke Energy selected IBM Global Business Services to manage the implementation. With assistance from IBM Global Business Services, Duke Energy made a number of customizations to the core Oracle Utilities Billing Component solution. As a number of external parties utilize the GTMS, the project team enhanced the application to enable outside users to securely access the system. Duke Energy also introduced a forecasting feature which allows users to predict how much gas might be used by customers on a particular day, helping the company better plan gas supply and delivery activities. The upgraded GTMS, supported by the new Oracle Utilities Billing Component, was rolled out in April 2014 and is currently accessed by around 300 people on a regular basis, the majority of whom are external users, including third-party suppliers and large gas transportation customers.
Operational Impact
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