News release
15 May 2002
CUTTING EDGE IT SYSTEM WINS VECTOR AWARDS FINALIST SLOT
Cutting edge IT solutions that deliver major customer benefits has secured VECTOR*, Auckland's electricity network, a
finalists' place in the'ComputerWorld Excellence Awards'.
VECTOR is one of three finalists selected for the "Excellence in the Use of IT to Support Decision Management" award
category.
VECTOR's entry focuses on how the company developed a GIS (Geographic Information System) that allowed information from
a number of previously independent systems - customer management, network management and financial management - to be
integrated into a single decision-making framework. From this, VECTOR is able to produce more complete and accurate
information to help take the guesswork out of decision-making which, in turn, is providing significant benefit to its
customers."
"When we began operating as VECTOR four years ago, we made a conscious decision to move away from being a traditional
'network-centric' organisation to a 'customer-centric' one," said VECTOR chief executive Dr Patrick Strange. "Given we
are one of only a handful of lines companies (out of 29) in New Zealand who has taken this path, it required a
fundamental shift in thinking, not just in terms of engineering but also in regard to our IT strategy.
"As one of New Zealand's largest electricity networks, we are committed to developing innovative, best practice
solutions that benefit our customers and help lead the industry forward. Our entry details how we applied that
philosophy and, in the process, pioneered a ] new network management system that allows us to work smarter, faster and
ensures our customer's needs are put first."
One of most significant benefits the system integration has provided to date relates to the company's ongoing vision to
reduce the number and duration of faults to achieve a more efficient network. The newly integrated network management
system combined fault cause data, network information, cost and operational restoration performance data together before
then overlaying geographical data to determine areas most prone to interruption in the network.
"This has been of great benefit to us, in terms of how we review and prioritise work in our network as it eliminated all
the guesswork and allowed us to concentrate on developing solutions in those areas causing the most disruption to our
customers. "
VECTOR's SAIDI** figure (an industry wide index that measures the average duration of power outages) has fallen from 130
minutes for the year end 1998/1999 to just under 60 minutes for the last three years in a row. This compared to the
industry SAIDI average in 2001 of 212 minutes (PricewaterhouseCoopers '2001 Information Disclosure Compendium). At the
same time, VECTOR's customer satisfaction scores have improved more than five points, a significant shift in such a
short time period.
"While our progress has been significant, we still have a long way to go in terms of network efficiency, and the
integration of our IT systems is just one of the tools we will be using to help us towards our ambitious targets." The
'Computerworld Excellence Awards' were initiated five years ago to showcase the high tech IT sector and to recognise the
contribution IT playsin growing New Zealand businesses. According to the organisers, the number of companies entered
this year has risen by more than 25 percent onpast years and this, coupled with the constantly improving quality of
entries, made the task of selecting finalists a difficult one.
Winners will be announced on June 28.
Editors Notes:
* VECTOR is Auckland's electricity network. Our job is to deliver a safe and reliable power supply to more than 236,000
homes in Auckland, Manukau and parts of the Papakura District.
** SAIDI - System Average Interruption Duration Index. An industry wide index that provides a comparison of network
reliability between electrical lines companies.
ends For further information, please call: Charlene White Communications Project Manager Ph: (09)
978 7638