By Adam Gifford
Auckland-based Peace Computers is continuing to make significant sales of its utilities billing software into the North American market, despite losing its two biggest sites at home.
TransAlta has decided to standardise its customer billing software on a German-made SAP system, replacing legacy systems in Auckland and Christchurch and
a recently-upgraded 140,000-customer Peace system in Wellington.
And Contact Energy has decided to shift billing for its 110,000 Enerco gas customers from Peace to the Gentrack system made by another Auckland company, Sanderson Computers.
Peace chief executive Brian Peace said he was disappointed with the turn of events, but did not see it as a vote of no confidence in his technology.
"They were corporate decisions made for reasons other than features, functions or support."
He said a deal was finalised last week by InSite, a company specialising in outsourcing services to utilities, to extend Peace's Energy billing system to cover the 220,000 Maryland customers of the Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco).
InSite is already using Energy to bill Pepco's Washington DC customers.
Last month Vancouver-based BC Gas decided to use Energy for all its 750,000 customers, after trialling it on 25,000.
Mr Peace said the continuous changes in the New Zealand industry meant his company was still in with a chance of building up a large customer base at home, including TransAlta.
