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Scandinavian utility companies join forces with IFS to develop new industry solution

February 06, 2008

IFS, the global enterprise applications company, is launching a new industry solution for utilities. The solution has been developed in partnership with three of Scandinavia’s largest utility companies and is built on 25 years of collaboration between IFS and the utility sector. Among the benefits are increased use of mobile technology, improved document management capabilities and reduced cost
of ownership.

The development program, ENKAM (Energikameratene), consists of the three utility companies: Statnett, Hafslund and Energiselskapet Buskerud. In the program, they worked closely with IFS to refine the ERP software deployed across the three companies and develop new, industry-specific functionality.

The power market has been competitive in Norway since 1991. For the past few years, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have shared a common Nordic power exchange (NordPool). As a result users are able to choose a power supplier based on price. This means the focus in Scandinavia has shifted from traditional power generation, transmission and distribution to market orientation and customer
relationship management.

The new industry solution for utilities addresses the changing business environment coming from these changes.

“The program has resulted in a solution that supports the needs of the utility sector,” Dag Akselsen, Director of Projects & Development at Hafslund said. “We have been working very closely to develop an application that meets the business needs, in an industry that has changed considerably over recent years. IFS has proven to be responsive and flexible to these changes. This is the most important reason why we have participated in the program and invested in the new industry solution.”

“As a business, Hafslund is heavily dependent on projects. Maintenance routines, repairs and the construction of new infrastructure are all project-centric. The range of components available in IFS Applications supports this way of working, and allows us to integrate quickly and easily with contractors, suppliers and customers,” Akselsen said.

“By working closely with the three big Scandinavian utility companies, IFS has been able to develop and package a utility solution that is built on a deep understanding of the industry’s needs,” Anders Wilhelmsson, Global Industry Director, Utilities and Telecoms at IFS said. “The experience we have from 25 years of working with the Scandinavian energy market, which was the first to deregulate, is the basis of this new industry solution. It ensures utilities across the world can benefit from a set of applications that have rich industry functionality, state of the art technology and can be implemented quickly.”

“Deregulation is a global trend, and it puts a different set of demands on the companies’ business processes. Focus on business applications that enable flexibility, agility and that include deep industry specific functionality as standard are just what this industry needs,” Anders Wilhelmsson said.

IFS prioritizes the energy and utilities industry and has more than 140 customers involved in power generation, transmission and distribution and water and sewage. These include the world’s largest hydropower plant, Three Gorges (P. R. China), nuclear power plants plants OKG (Sweden), PBMR (South Africa) and Qinshan (P. R. China), grid operators such as Svenska Kraftnät (Sweden), Statnett (Norway) and TenneT (The Netherlands) as well as distributors such as Vattenfall (Sweden), Hafslund (Norway) Fortum (Sweden), and Energiselskapet Buskerud (Norway). Reliable and safe Asset management and workforce management are critical processes in the energy and utility industry, to which IFS has provided solutions for more than 20 years.

Executive quote

“By working closely with the three big Scandinavian utility companies, IFS has been able to develop and package a utility solution that is built on a deep understanding of the industry’s needs,” Anders Wilhelmsson, Global Industry Director, Utilities and Telecoms at IFS said. “The experience we have from 25 years of working with the Scandinavian energy market, which was the first to deregulate, is the basis of this new industry solution. It ensures utilities across the world can benefit from a set of applications that have rich industry functionality, state of the art technology and can be implemented quickly.”

“Deregulation is a global trend, and it puts a different set of demands on the companies’ business processes. Focus on business applications that enable flexibility, agility and that include deep industry specific functionality as standard are just what this industry needs,” Anders Wilhelmsson said.

Customer quote

“The program has resulted in a solution that supports the needs of the utility sector,” Dag Akselsen, Director of Projects & Development at Hafslund said. “We have been working very closely to develop an application that meets the business needs, in an industry that has changed considerably over recent years. IFS has proven to be responsive and flexible to these changes. This is the most important reason why we have participated in the program and invested in the new industry solution.”

“As a business, Hafslund is heavily dependent on projects. Maintenance routines, repairs and the construction of new infrastructure are all project-centric. The range of components available in IFS Applications supports this way of working, and allows us to integrate quickly and easily with contractors, suppliers and customers,” Akselsen said.

About the company

IFS (OMX STO: IFS), the global enterprise applications company, provides solutions which enable organizations to respond quickly to market changes - allowing resources to be used in a more agile way to achieve better business performance and competitive advantage.
IFS was founded in 1983 and now has 2,600 employees worldwide. IFS has pioneered component-based ERP software with IFS Applications, now in its seventh generation. IFS’ component architecture provides solutions that are easier to implement, run and upgrade. IFS Applications is available in 54 countries in 22 languages.

IFS has over 600,000 users across seven key vertical sectors: aerospace & defense; automotive; high-tech; industrial manufacturing; process industries; construction, service & facilities management and utilities & telecom. IFS Applications provides extended ERP functionality including customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), product lifecycle management (PLM), corporate performance management (CPM), enterprise asset management (EAM) and maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities.

More details can be found at www.ifsworld.com.

About Hafslund ASA

Hafslund is a Norwegian company listed on Oslo Børs and is one of the largest listed utility companies in the Nordic area.
In Norway, Hafslund is the largest distribution network owner, the largest power sales provider, and a significant producer of renewable energy. Hafslund also plays a major role in the security sales to the retail market, and is one of the largest owners within the solar energy company REC.
Hafslund had 1,400 employees and an operating revenue of MNOK 21,695 in 2006.

Contact details

Rachel Hodgson / James Mossman, LEWIS PR
Phone: +44 (0)207 802 2626
E-mail: rachelh@lewispr.com / jamesm@lewispr.com

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