WORLDWIDE MARKET RESEARCH REPORT - CISE

EC/IST FP6 Project No 026920
Work Package: 6
Type of document: Report
Date: 20.12.2007
File name: OP_WP6_D37_V1.0.doc Version: 1.0
Title: Worldwide Market Research Report 153 / 356
5.3.5.1.4 The market of the AMR
In Eastern Europe there are a lot of companies offering AMR products. One of the most
important is the Unikom-Ug, headquartered in Odessa (Ukraine).
[E12] The Unikom-Ug is a subsidiary of ANB International of USA. They handle most of
ANB's metering business. Unikom-Ug is one of the largest and oldest companies in Ukraine
(Ukraine was a scientific center of the USSR, with much of research in aeronautics, military
and other applications done there).
Unikom-Ug is mostly engaged in defense industry. They also completed a number of
projects in industrial automation, notably in the power sector.
The products of Unikom-Ug are very competitively priced. Large development expenditures
led to a highly integrated design with relatively low manufacturing cost.
The company offers the full range of metering solutions, from basic electronic meters, simply
a replacement for the mechanical ones (their price is even lower than that of mechanical) to
the most complexes solutions.
The electronic meters have many advantage: first, they are highly reliable, with no accuracy
drift during the lifetime. They are well protected against tampering, like energy flow reversal,
phase-neutral swap, neutral disconnection or opening of the meter. Next, they offer some
additional features, like maximum demand measuring and reading from optical port. Also,
there are many upgrade options, notably to multi-tariff, whether time-of-use or slab tariff, and
to power line carrier (PLC) automated meter reading (AMR) or other networks.
The PLC AMR warrants more description. According to Unikom-Ug, this is the most effective
way to cut utilities' losses. AMR boards are installed in mechanical or electronic meters and
read the rotating disk or pulse indicator, accordingly. Load profile data is then continuously
sent through the power cable to the receiver, which is a small device installed at transformer
or substation. From there the data is transferred to the central office through telephone line
or GSM. Thus, the utility office can read any meter, simply sitting in his office. No more the
customer has to pay by assessed reading and, of course, now he cannot bribe the inspector
to change the reading. Most importantly, utility gets not only the month-end reading, but also
continuous stream of load data.