HERNDON, Va., Sept. 27, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the city of Corpus Christi, Texas to provide an automated meter reading (AMR) system for the city's water and gas meters for a more effective and accurate process for gathering utility data.
Northrop Grumman's Information Technology (IT) sector will replace more than half the city's 146,000 water and gas meters and deploy Hexagram's STAR(r) Fixed-Network AMR System throughout the city. Meters will be connected to STAR System Meter Transmission Units (MTUs) and will transmit daily readings via radio frequency through the city's Wi-Fi network to the customer information and billing system.
"The new automated meter reading system is a cost-effective technology solution for the City of Corpus Christi, and will replace its previous manual meter reading operations," said Joe Delaney, vice president, Commercial IT Services, Northrop Grumman IT. "City customer service personnel will have meter information readily available from the STAR System, and will be notified immediately of meter problems, which benefits the municipal residents."
"Northrop Grumman's technology capabilities coupled with Hexagram's advanced fixed-network AMR system will meet the needs of Corpus Christi residents and give city personnel the ability to operate the fully-automated systems," said Leonard Scott, municipal information systems business unit manager, City of Corpus Christi.
The contract is valued at $16.7 million over three years.
Northrop Grumman IT's teammates on the project are Hexagram, Cleveland, Ohio, which will provide the transmitter and collector hardware; and National Metering Services, Kearny, N.J., which will perform field meter replacements and installation services.
Northrop Grumman Information Technology, headquartered in Herndon, Va., is a trusted IT leader and premier provider of advanced IT solutions, engineering and business services for government and commercial clients. The company's technological leadership spans such areas as homeland security solutions, secure wireless, cyber and physical assurance, IT and network infrastructure, managed services, knowledge management, modeling and simulation, and geospatial intelligence solutions.