Elster Group

Elster Group is the world's leading manufacturer and supplier of highly accurate, high quality, integrated metering and utilization solutions to the gas, electricity and water industries. In addition, through its subsidiary Ipsen International, it is the leading global manufacturer of high level thermo-chemical treatment equipment.

The group has over 9,000 staff and operations in 38 countries, focused in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Elster's high quality products and systems reflect the wealth of knowledge and experience gained from over 170 years of dedication to measuring energy and scarce natural resources. The Elster Group is headquartered in Luxembourg.

Worldwide Energy Saving Solution Launched

Elster Group has launched a new business; Elster Integrated Solutions (EIS) based in Raleigh, North Carolina, to drive global programs to help utilities worldwide adopt the very latest smart metering systems. Automated Meter Reading (AMR) and Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) are designed specifically for multi-utility customers. These smart meters can help with some of the most pressing current environmental issues.

According to Elster Group CEO, Thomas Ganswindt, "Elster delivers advanced metering solutions to gas, electricity and water utilities that enable meters to be read remotely over smart wireless and fixed networks. These meters enable providers to check on an end-user's usage more frequently, in turn facilitating more frequent tariff changes including demand-responsive tariffs which enable prices to follow demand. Smart meters can send warnings to the consumer to turn on or turn off appliances. The end result is energy and resource savings. Highly accurate and fair billing will show the real use of energy and scarce resources by consumers."

"Metering is a fundamental business enabler for utility companies. In Europe alone there are approximately 244 million electricity meters and 101 million gas meters," continues Ganswindt. "The liberalization of energy markets requires that the utility meters of tomorrow be connected to data communication networks. Elster's investment in technology and people will help reduce operating costs, drive additional revenue streams for our customers and further improve the quality of energy usage for consumers. When installed, Elster smart meters will also help improve our environment."

President of Elster Integrated Solutions is industry veteran Sharon Allan who explains, "We deliver and integrate metering automation solutions for our customers so that they can better manage their business in the area of gas, electricity, and water usage as well as facilitate new end-customer programs. Whether it is AMR or AMI, we enable business and customer management from the metering information. Core to our solution is the use of intelligent mobile and fixed network communications."

Mark Munday, president and CEO of Elster Electricity, has been appointed executive vice president of the combined Elster electricity and water businesses in North America. "The launch of Elster Integrated Solutions will help drive our North American business forward, providing our customers with the information they need to shape strategic decisions about efficient energy use," said Munday. "Our expertise and heritage in the metering market are combined in the EIS business to accelerate the delivery of actionable intelligence to the 62,000 utilities that we work with across the region."

Thomas Ganswindt concludes, "As well as the clear opportunity that Elster Integrated Solutions delivers in North America, it is a strategic first step for our global offering."

Company Facts

• Owned by: CVC Capital Partners
• Global Revenues: 1.3B Euros annually
• Employees worldwide: Over 9,000
• Headquarters: Luxembourg
• Products: Smart meters, and solutions for Advanced Metering Infrastructures (AMI) and Automated Meter Reading (AMR) systems.
• Years in electricity metering business: 170 years
• Web site: www.elster.com

Mark L. Munday, CEO and President, Elster Electricity