Water professionals from across North America gathered in Toronto, Ontario, last week at the American Water Works Association’s annual ACE event for three days of education, networking, and discovery. Master Meter was proud to be among the participants.
During the event, our National Strategic Account Manager, Greg Land, had the opportunity to speak with Water Online for an upcoming episode of the recurring series Water Talk. During the discussion, Greg shared his insights on a range of topics, beginning with how metering in the water industry has evolved over recent years.
“I’ve been doing this for a little over 25 years,” Greg said, “and when I came up it was all mechanical [meters]. Now, more and more vendors…are coming out with ultrasonic water meters in residential and commercial.”
Greg noted that in the early days of ultrasonic, the water sector was somewhat resistant to the new technology — which is understandable in an industry that has a direct impact on public health. “There was familiarity with mechanical,” he explained. But things have changed; nowadays, water utilities are embracing ultrasonic technology and all the benefits that go with it. “We’re seeing more and more RFPs and specs coming out with customers wanting to move to ultrasonic,” he said. “That’s exciting for us because that’s what we do.”
As metering technology has advanced, the number of metering technology vendors has increased. Greg acknowledged that many companies are coming up with clever new ideas. But Master Meter stands out, he said, because we give customers the power to choose. “We don’t want to play in our sandbox only,” he said. “We use industry protocols with our products [so] we can integrate into somebody else’s system, or they can integrate into ours when it’s similar.”
It’s very important to Master Meter, he explained, that “we don’t confine ourselves just to what our offerings are. If [customers] want meters, we’re happy to provide meters. If they want radios, but somebody else’s meters, we’re happy to work with that as well. Whatever fits their need is what we want to be able to be for them.”
Another metering technology that’s gaining rapid acceptance is cellular Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). “And Master Meter is proud to say we’re there now,” Greg stated. The Allegro Cellular AMI system provides full communication between the utility and the customer, enabling on-demand reads and responsive alerts. In addition, Master Meter’s Harmony Encore Meter Data Management (MDM) platform empowers utilities to manage their water meter assets and analyze water system consumption demand while enabling water utility customers to take charge of their conservation efforts. And, in keeping with Master Meter’s philosophy on flexibility, it is compatible with nearly every AMI network on the market.
“We want you to feel that you have flexibility so you can choose what fits best for you,” Greg said, adding that with its track record of providing strong customer service, Master Meter is in a unique position to walk the technology journey with its customers. “Whether it’s systems or meters, we’re there to be a partner with them.”
Stay tuned for Greg’s full Water Talk interview in the coming weeks!
