As part of the Czech Republic’s application to enter the European Union, the utility market is being privatized and deregulated. In order to be competitive, SME (Severomoravská energetika, a.s.), the utility company serving Northern Moravia with electricity, needed to reorganize the company, increase the level of customer satisfaction and cut costs. To do so, SME implemented a turnkey network information system (LIDS and TOMS) from BERIT, Bentley’s strategic utility solution partner, based on Bentley’s solutions to create, manage, and publish engineering content.

The system supports the life cycle of the distribution networks from a central database, eliminating data redundancy. Modules for planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation include interfaces to SCADA, CRM and billing systems.

The new system allows SME to coordinate activity and intervention in the distribution system. Upgrades to the facilities are done according to statistical failure reports and investments are made according to UNIPEDE criteria. SME has been able to reduce the workforce by 7%, facilitated by reorganization and implantation of the network information system.