A Corporate Solution:
MERALCO
The partnership
between CIS and its customers is best exemplified by the
work CIS has been doing for several decades for Manila
Electric Company (Meralco), the leading electric
distribution utility in the Philippines. The depth and
breadth of CIS’ contribution was acknowledged as a key
contributor to citations received by MERALCO, including
the 1992 Management Award for Information Technology
from the World Executive’s Digest.
GLOBAL
EXCELLENCE. CIS and MERALCO have been crossing
bridges together for the past TWENTY-SEVEN years. It is
a partnership founded on trust, uncompromising integrity
and a common desire to achieve global excellence. In
1995, MERALCO launched the MERALCO Transformation
Project, responding to the changing global business
climate. That same year, CIS accepted the challenge of
working side-by-side with other vendors to accomplish
this ambitious re-engineering effort. CIS played a vital role in
this endeavour
through its highly-experienced consultants and by sharing its expertise in the areas of Project Management,
Business Analysis and System Design particularly for the Customer
Management System, Distribution Management System, and the
Materials Management System. Even after the MERALCO Transformation Project, CIS continues to provide strong support in MERALCO’s customer
management functions.
INCREASING OPERATIONAL
EFFICIENCIES. CIS has deployed information
systems in every area of operation: personnel
management, materials management, financial management,
electric construction and facilities, legal tracking,
stock ownership, fleet management, etc. CIS pioneered
the use of the latest information technologies to meet
the demands of Meralco’s customers, which number close
to four million. To support its business strategies,
Meralco requires integration of various product
technologies into business solutions. The ROVER 2000, an
enhanced version of the handheld computing device which
was developed by CIS in 1985, is being used to increase
meter reading accuracy and reader mobility, thereby
shortening the meter-reading process. Everyday, the
Customer Management and Meter Reading systems read over
100,000 meters, process and print the equivalent
statements of accounts, yielding a two-day billing
cycle, one of the shortest in the ASEAN region. Even
after MERALCO has outsourced the meter reading function,
CIS continues to provide technical assistance to
MERALCO’s meter reading partners. Power distribution is
another function supported by CIS application systems,
such as the Streetlights Information System, Transformer
Inventory System and Transformer Load Monitoring System,
creating an invisible yet effective interaction among
concerned parties to deliver outstanding results. Other
systems track maintenance requirements of transformers,
electric poles, and a fleet of over 1,200 vehicles as
well as thousands of tools and equipment.
UNPARALLELED CUSTOMER
SERVICE. During all this time, CIS has actively
maintained the level of excellence that meets MERALCO’s
own standards and expectations. The Payment Collection
Service was borne out of a desire to help MERALCO
optimize the use of its branch offices as customer
centers rather than as payment collection points. It not
only made collecting bills more efficient but also
offered MERALCO customers a more convenient payment
option as well. MERALCO was able to expand its
collection reach thru the more than 700 collection
centers vice the 45 branch collection points that they
had replaced.
EXCEPTIONAL EMPLOYEE
CARE. MERALCO is known for its distinct and
uncommon concern for employees. In this light, several
application systems were developed, implemented and are
being maintained by CIS to ensure that the MERALCO
employees’ welfare is properly managed. These include
the Executive Payroll, Personnel Management System, and
Executive Performance Evaluation Plan among others. The
SAP-HR Implementation was launched in July 2000 to
integrate all HR modules, from employee application to
employee retirement, into one system. CIS was part of a
2-team consortium that went on an extensive training
program to prepare for this assignment. The CIS team
successfully customized the SAP package to fit the needs
of MERALCO. Several modules presently handled by CIS
include Personnel Administration, Recruitment, Personnel
Development, Workflow, Payroll, Time Management and
Employee Relations and Safety. From consultancy to
business process documentation, CIS personnel were
on-hand to ensure the success of the system’s
implementation. These tools enable Human Resource
administration to become more effective, in terms of
accuracy, speed and manageability.
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