Delivering smarter metering technology AEM

DELIVERInG sMaRTER METERInG TECHnoLoGy

AEM is a global leader in the development and manufacture of smart metering devices for domestic electricity and gas meter measuring systems. Philip Yorke spoke to Bogdan Baciu, the company’s head of marketing, about its advanced ultrasonic meter technology, growing product portfolio and plans for further global expansion.

AEM was founded in Romania in 1970 as a national manufacturer of electrical energy meters and measuring systems. Today it is a fully privatised company and a global leader in the development and manufacture of a wide range of measuring devices for private customers. AEM offers state-of-the-art products for the metering of electric energy and gas.

AEM is a clear technology leader in its field and continues to invest heavily in new technology in order to stay ahead of the competition. During the last few years it has invested over €50 million in infrastructure and the latest fully automated robotic production lines. AEM is also one of the few companies that can claim to be a 100 per cent fully-integrated manufacturing company, with all its innovative products developed and designed in-house at its extensive R&D facilities in Romania.

Today more than 8 per cent of turnover is dedicated to research and in 2015 the company employed over 1500 people and recorded sales of more than €73 million.

Smarter solutions driving sales

All of AEM’s advanced metering products provide ‘smart solutions’ for the measurement of electricity and gas consumption for domestic users. From meters and equipment to gas meters, AEM is able to cover every aspect of design, testing and production. Furthermore, the company offers its customers free smart electronic reading devices as well as special software for its volume converters.

Baciu said, “Our ultrasonic technology uses a unique ultrasonic sensor from Panasonic and this means it is possible for the utility

to measure gas usage digitally without the need to employ meter readers. Our products also feature a long-life lithium battery, which has a minimum lifespan of 16 years and requires no maintenance throughout its lifetime. Recent investments in new production lines have doubled our capacity. We are fully integrated and even our plastic mouldings are made in-house so we are able to optimise quality control and offer flexibility in all aspects of our supply chain.

“In addition to being the major supplier in our domestic market, we are also expanding in western Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Recently we sold 250,000 classic gas meters to Egypt and have just confirmed a major contract with Italy as well as with several other western European countries. Our success is not based on our superior technology alone, and while money can buy the latest equipment, you cannot buy the highly skilled workforce that takes many years to train and accumulate. We believe our employees are our main asset.”

Baciu added, “Last year over 50 per cent of our products were exported and many went to both traditional and new markets such as India, Hungary, France, Turkey, Italy and Austria. Our strategy is to continue to penetrate new global markets and to this end we participate in many international trade fairs in order to help us achieve our goals.”

landmark contract

In the coming months, AEM will continue to invest in new production lines to satisfy the demands of the Italian and wider European markets, as well those now coming from non-traditional markets.

Italy’s main gas distributor, 2i Rete Gas, already has over 480,000 AEM smart gas meters installed, and AEM has also secured two further tender agreements that will add a further 100,000 gas meter units to other contracts. Italy is committed to the installation of more than 12 million smart gas meters by 2018.

The latest compact ultrasonic meters can be installed in different Italian regions and do not have moving mechanical parts, which in turn guarantees greater measurement durability and overall reliability.

With the new ultrasonic technology, the problem of pressure drops is eradicated as it allows the meter to respond in a precise and accurate way with each variation of the gas flow.

The latest AEM smart meter is designed for installation in all environmental conditions and is able to function perfectly in a temperature range of between -25C to +55C. The lithium powered battery technology also allows for the remote transmission of measurement data for a period of 16 years or more through point-to-multipoint up to 169MHz.

Meters supplied to 2i Rete Gas are fully integrated into a system dedicated to the management of network concentrators allowing it to communicate with data concentrators supplied by Ericsson. This in turn enables gas distribution companies to reduce the number of concentrators required and also keeps operational and maintenance costs low. n

For further details of AEM’s latest innovative products and services, visit: www.aem.ro