Operational Technology Solutions (OTS) was founded in 2012, as a professional services firm focussed on Operational Technology.
We have since grown and have also established a dedicated hardware and software capability developing the leading edge IoT sensors for Utilities.
Our people provide the project management and technical leadership you need to ensure your analytics, digital metering and real-time systems projects successfully deliver the required business outcomes on-time and on-budget.
Collectively, we have 400+ person years’ experience designing, implementing and managing multi- million-dollar, mission-critical projects for electricity, gas and water utilities.
Our delivery approach has allowed our customers to successfully deliver some of the industry’s largest and most successful real-time systems projects, including large scale DMS / OMS implementations and numerous +$100m Digital Metering implementations (including the world’s fastest AMI implementation – from contract to production rollout in six months).
Data Analytics
With the exponential increase in data collected by utilities it is vital to establish a platform and data model that can support petabytes of information, integrate diverse data sources and then use technologies such as machine learning to learn from and make predictions on data.
The use of these predictions to automate operations is needed to reduce ongoing operational expenditure and improve response times to issues. Examples of automation include:
- Using Digital Meter Voltages to make OLTC recommendations to SCADA
- Raising service orders based on asset condition (e.g. neutral issues)
Recent use cases that OTS have worked on include:
- Theft Detection
- Phase Balancing
- Brown out detection
- Neutral Line Integrity
- Real Time Voltage Control using Digital Metering data
- Detection of undocumented solar installations
- Identification of Battery Storage
Digital Metering
Operational Technology Solutions (OTS) has the real-world experience you need to successfully guide your digital metering project from conception to operational hand-over.
As Australia’s largest Digital Metering Systems Integrator, we can help you:
- Develop a strategy to deliver your digital metering vision, drawing on our extensive experience with digital metering technologies to ensure your vision can be realised, whilst mitigating the risks of project failure.
- Create a compelling business case to turn your digital metering strategy into a successful project that realises your business outcomes.
- Develop conceptual, logical and detailed physical architectures for your solution to guide the technical project.
- Validate the strategy and business case by planning, undertaking and evaluating end-to-end proof-of-concepts. Our experts can help you identify potential issues and challenges early in the project to help prevent otherwise unforeseen downstream cost-blowouts.
- Create outcome-based technical specifications for the metering, communications and IT systems that ensure the vendors deliver what you need and develop sound technical tender documentation that mitigates your risks and protects your best interests.
- Procure the right technology mix to deliver a cohesive end-to-end solution. Our experts align procurement outcomes with project and business outcomes, ensuring there are robust commercial contracts and technical specifications for your program delivery.
- We can help you evaluate vendor responses and select the right technology mix and project partners, providing the technical expertise you need for effective contract negotiations.
Digital Metering Project Delivery
OTS can provide the project management and technical leadership you need to successfully deliver your digital metering program.
Our people have deep specialist, technical skills and extensive experience implementing the broad spectrum of domains involved in these projects.
We can deploy subject-matter experts in:
- Project Management
- Technical Leadership
- Specialist Engineers and Developers
- Test Managers
- Testers
- Field Personnel for Proof of Concepts and Training Installation Personnel
Maintenance & Support
You can rely on OTS’ highly respected systems engineers to maintain and support and upgrade your MDMS, NMS and communications network post implementation. Our experienced personnel can be deployed to supplement your day-to-day operational support and maintenance teams, ensuring you can effectively manage workload peaks and troughs and cases of staffing shortfall.
Leverage your investment
Once your digital metering project is successfully deployed, we can help you further leverage this significant investment. OTS has:
- A unique capability to develop hardware, firmware and software that leverages your digital metering infrastructure.
- Extensive experience in integrating digital metering infrastructure with other business systems such as SCADA / DMS / OMS, GIS and SAP.
- Undertaken leading edge data analytics projects that utilise consumption and power quality information for use cases with material business benefits.
SCADA/DMS/OMS/GIS
OTS offers a unique combination of technical expertise and extensive industry experience in the design, implementation, upgrade and commissioning and of real time systems for utilities.
Collectively, our people boast more than 150 years’ experience leading multi-million dollar Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distribution Management (DMS), Outage Management (OMS) and Geographical Information (GIS) Systems projects.
Implementation
Our people have successfully implemented and integrated large-scale SCADA/DMS/OMS and GIS systems at numerous Utilities.
OTS can help you:
- Create a robust upgrade strategy and compelling business case to justify your program of work based on the achievement of specific business results.
- Provide exceptional project management to manage all aspects of your program, from tightly controlling the project budget and timelines to communications and resourcing. You can rely on us to effectively act as the client on your behalf, managing procurement, contracts and vendor relationships.
- Provide experienced technical subject-matter experts to undertake the required systems development, implementation and testing to the highest technical standards. Our people have extensive experience working with market-leading real time system and spatial technologies such as GE, Oracle, OSI Soft Schneider and others.
- Integrate your core business systems including AMI, Analytics, Asset Management, GIS, Mobility and SCADA/DMS/OMS.
Upgrades
Real time systems vendors are continually improving the capability of their products – and you need experienced people who know how to successfully deliver the functional and performance gains offered by these upgrades to your business.
Our people have provided project and technical leadership for numerous multi-million dollar real-time system upgrade projects over the last decade.
You can rely on their deep domain knowledge and proven experience to successfully design and deliver your upgrade program of work.
Commissioning
Utilities have an on-going program of capital works projects, including the development of new assets and refurbishment of old, that need to be incorporated within your existing operational systems for on-going monitoring and control. OTS has a pool of experienced engineers that can be deployed to efficiently commission these assets.
Maintenance & Support
OTS’ highly experienced and respected systems engineers can also be reliably deployed to supplement your day-to-day operations maintenance and support teams, ensuring you can effectively manage workload peaks and troughs and cases of staffing shortfall.