Fujitsu Launches FUJITSU Intelligent Society Solution E3CIS for Retail Electricity Businesses

OREANDA-NEWS. January 27, 2016. Fujitsu today announced that it has developed the FUJITSU Intelligent Society Solution E3CIS, a customer management and rate calculation packaged solution aimed at retail electricity businesses. Sales of the new packaged solution will begin in Japan in early February 2016.

Leveraging Fujitsu's accumulated expertise in building systems for utility companies, E3CIS is a packaged solution for the core operational functions needed by the retail electricity industry, such as customer management, rate calculations, invoicing, and payment. By using E3CIS, customers seeking to participate in the retail electricity industry can launch and run their businesses with greater ease.

Background

Japan's retail electricity market for low-voltage customers (households and small businesses, such as convenience stores) is scheduled to be deregulated as of April 1, 2016. A variety of businesses are preparing to seize this opportunity to enter the retail electricity business. These businesses need a system to handle customer management (contract menu management and usage volume management for each customer), rate calculation, and billing and collections management. These functions are central to running a new business, and there is a need for a system that can be built quickly, while still having the flexibility to respond to future service changes.

Features of this Product

E3CIS is a packaged solution developed around the "three E" concept (Energy, Efficiency, and Extensibility), using Fujitsu's experience in building individual systems for customers planning to enter the retail electricity market as a base. Fujitsu's customers can deploy a system, quickly and with low costs, that offers a series of functions necessary for a retail electricity business, from customer management to payment collections.

1. Energy: Provides the necessary functions for the retail electricity business as a package

This product is offered as a package that features a series of functions, such as customer management and rate calculation, necessary for the retail electricity business. In addition, using the experience gained by Fujitsu in developing systems related to the retail electricity business for OCCTO⁽¹⁾ and general power transmission and distribution companies⁽²⁾, this product provides as standard functionality the ability to connect to the Switching Support System⁽³⁾ and Consignment Business System⁽⁴⁾, necessary for the complete retail deregulation system. This enables customers to smoothly set up their retail electricity operations.

2. Efficiency: Rate calculation function that responds to sudden market environment changes

Because the rate calculation function uses BRMS⁽⁵⁾ technology, it is possible to change settings for the rate menu, such as adding or modifying options without changing the application itself. This shortens the time necessary for system changes that accompany new rate plans or adding or changing services, enabling fast responses to market needs.

3. Extensibility: Extensibility that can accommodate a variety of business types

This product can also be deployed in combination with expanded functions provided separately from E3CIS, such as a web application system for customers or income and expenditure simulations needed when developing a rate menu. In addition, it can broadly support a variety of business types for retail electricity businesses, such as smoothly connecting with retail electricity businesses' supply and demand management systems⁽⁶⁾ and payment collection agencies, or matching with BPO service operators (companies that handle tasks such as customer registration and customer support), which are skilled at providing services through E3CIS.

Price

Package license price: starting from 12.6 million yen (10,000 customers) (Deployment rates not included, by individual estimate)

Sales Target

10 billion yen in sales over the next five years.

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