Mueller Systems

Mueller Systems
Industry Utility metering
Predecessor
  • Arkion Systems
  • Hawes and Hersey Co.
  • Hersey Meter Co.
  • Hersey-Sparling Meter Co.
Founded 1859 (1859)
Headquarters Cleveland, North Carolina, United States
Key people
  • Hassan Ali (vice president and general manager of Mueller Systems)
  • Greg Hyland (chairman and CEO of Mueller Water Products)
  • Greg Rogowski (president of Mueller Co.)
Products
  • Mi.Net
  • Mi.Hydrant
  • Hot Rod
Parent Mueller Water Products, Inc.
Website www.muellersystems.com

Mueller Systems is a manufacturer and distributor of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and automatic meter reading (AMR) technology, as well as residential, commercial and fire-line meters and related products. It is a subsidiary of Mueller Water Products.[1] Founded as Hawes and Hersey Company in 1859, Mueller Systems is the oldest manufacturer of water meters in the United States.[2]

History

Mueller Systems was founded in 1859 as Hawes and Hersey Company in Boston, Massachusetts and was a manufacturer of bolts, rotary pumps, and other machinery.[3][4] In 1885, the company received a patent on the rotary displacement meter and began manufacturing water meters under the name Hersey Meter Company, offering its first rotary and disc meters for sale in 1886.[3][4][5]

In 1959, Hersey Meters merged with Sparling Meter Company and began operating as Hersey-Sparling Meter Company.[2] The company operated under this name until 1988, when it was placed under the Mueller Water Products subsidiary, Mueller Co. and re-assumed the name Hersey Meters.[4][6] Following the Mueller Water Products' acquisition of Arkion Systems in 2009, Hersey was combined with Arkion and began operating as Mueller Systems in 2010, to reflect the broader range of utility management products offered by the combined entity.[4][5][6] However, Hersey Meters remains Mueller Systems' brand for water meters.[7]

Products

mobileRDM™

mobileRDM™ is Mueller Systems’ simple handheld application that enables water utilities to remotely connect or disconnect water services from the safety of their vehicles using 2-way radio communication. A field-friendly Android handheld device that is waterproof, dust-proof, snow-proof, drop-proof, and has a long-lasting battery life. It does not require using advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or automated meter reading (AMR) but can be used on any existing system. Using the mobileRDM application, workers can push a button to receive status information, read the meter, connect or disconnect service and run diagnostics.

Mi.Net

Mi.Net—Mueller Infrastructure Network for Utilities— is an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) that automates meter reading and utility billing. It also creates a single data network of meters, distribution sites and control devices using two-way communication.[8] Mi.Net's master data management software, Mi.Host, collects usage data from local data collection modules called Mi.Hubs, which receive usage data via radio frequency transmissions from the Mi.Node transceivers that are attached to each metering unit. Mi.Host then relays the usage data to the local utility department via GPRS or another backhaul method.[8]

The Mi.Net system also includes a web-based portal for consumers to use to monitor their usage, configure alerts and set conservation and budget goals.[8]

Mi.Echo

Mi.Echo is a remote leak detection and monitoring system that combines technologies from Mi.Net and Echologics' LeakFinderRT acoustic leak detection system. Mi.Echo is a two-way AMI that allows utilities to more easily discover and pinpoint infrastructure leaks, prioritize upgrades and repairs, and reduce non-revenue water.[9]

Hot Rod AMR

Hot Rod is an automatic meter reading system that allows for drive-by meter data collection.[10] Meters outfitted with the Hot Rod Radio Transmitter Unit broadcast to the Street Machine Mobile Data Collector, a device which interfaces with the Microsoft Windows-based EZ Reader software that collects meter reads and meter alarms (such as leak, reverse flow, no flow, and tamper alarms) as a meter reader drives along a given route.[10][11]

HbMag

HbMag is an electromagnetic flowmeter for water systems that can endure water pressure, flow and reliability. The meter received third-party certification from Factory Mutual (FM) Approval, a global program that tests and certifies property loss prevention products that meets its stringent standards.[12]

MegaNet

MegaNet is a high-powered, long-range, fixed-network advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. Features include[13] full 2 watts radio transmission, field replaceable lithium battery pack, FCC licensed frequency, instant installation verification, automatically transmits critical alerts, back flow detection, leak detection (extreme or residual), universal MTU, multi-port configurations and Digital Pulse configuration.

Solid State Registers

Combining time-tested engineering and leading-edge solid state technologies, Mueller Systems’ Solid State Registers (SSR) are the industry’s most advanced composite register technology for positive displacement water meters. With friction-free operation and up to 10 digits of visual resolution, SSR registers are fully compatible with Mueller’s automated meter reading (AMR) system and its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). SSR’s exceptional accuracy and readability enhance utilities’ ability to increase operating efficiencies and revenues, while mitigating losses and non-revenue water.

Installation Case Studies / News

Mueller Systems Joins LoRa(TM) Alliance

The LoRa Alliance is an open, non-profit association of telecom and other providers that are accelerating the adoption of IoT by delivering related products and services now. The Alliance's mission is to standardize Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) being deployed around the world to enable Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M), and smart city and industrial applications. Developing standards will allow service providers to offer interoperable products and services in an open network, and to share both knowledge and best practices. "By leveraging the Internet of Things, municipalities can transform their water systems into open communications systems enabling them to improve the service they offer their customers and increase the connectivity of all city services," said Hassan Ali, vice president and general manager of Mueller Systems.[14]

Asheville, NC

The Water Department for the City of Asheville, North Carolina, leverages smart meters from Mueller Systems to improve its water infrastructure.[15]

Chillicothe, Missouri

Chillicothe Municipal Utilities (CMU) in Chillicothe, Missouri implemented the Mi.Net AMI system as part of its initiative to replace over 4,000 water and electricity meters in its system, with the goals of improving customer service, automating meter reading and billing, and preparing to meet future service demands.[16] The Mi.Net AMI system has improved conservation of both water and electricity by providing both CMU and customers with a nearly real-time monitoring capability of usage, which improves consumer awareness of consumption and more immediate notice of potential water leaks and electricity outages to the utility provider.[16] CMU's system upgrade also increased its revenues by reducing the lag time between the beginning of meter reading and the issuance of bills from 15 days to three.[17]

Davie County, North Carolina

Davie County installed the Hot Rod AMR system to reduce the time and expense of discovering water leaks. The automated system saved the county in meter-reading time and resulted in increased revenues. About half of Davie County's customers have converted to the Hot Rod system, and it will be completely deployed throughout the county by 2015.[18]

Frankfort, New York

A 2009 Community Development Block Grant funded a meter replacement program in the village of Frankfort, New York. The $500,000 grant covered the replacement of all water and electric meters in the service area, and the upgrade instituted Mueller Systems' AMI system.[19] According to Frankfort Mayor Frank Moracco, the AMI system reduced the number of man-hours required to collect meter reads without eliminating any jobs.[19] The project was awarded first place in the public works category of the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials' 24th annual Local Government Achievement Award Program.[19]

Hudson Oaks, Texas

The city council approved a pilot program in February 2013, which includes the installation and implementation of Mueller's advanced meter-reading systems for the Red Eagle neighborhood. The pilot program will test 50 meters from the start.[20][21]

Kannapolis, NC

The City of Kannapolis, North Carolina will upgrade[22] its water system with Mueller Systems' advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network. Mueller Systems is a provider of innovative water infrastructure products and services and technologically advanced metering systems for water and electric systems. In addition to the Mi.Net System, the City is scheduled to install approximately 18,000 Mueller Systems water meters throughout the City by the end of 2014. A portion of the residential meters will be Mueller Systems' 420 Remote Disconnect Meter (RDM), a fully integrated remote disconnect meter designed to enable the City to remotely manage water services through the Mi.Net System. The City will also offer its constituents tools to manage their water consumption by implementing Mi.Data™, Mueller Systems' consumer portal that provides information about water usage and improved communication between households and the City.

Maumee, Ohio

To replace its old metering system, the city of Maumee installed the Mi.Net two-way advanced metering infrastructure network for operational efficiencies.[23] The network links the meters, distribution sites and control devices into one data center that will help the water department automate meter readings, identify abnormally high water usage that may indicate water leaks and provide insight for customers regarding their water bills or usage.[23] The city's water customers can monitor their household's water usage and bills using an online portal and set goals to conserve water or save money on future bills, receiving alerts if consumption exceeds their goals.[23] The city is replacing all current compound water meters with HbMag, which will integrate it with the Mi.Net system to monitor the amount of water going in and out of the city.[23] The water department is expected to deploy 6,500 meters in 2013.[24]

South Mesa, California

South Mesa Water Co. (SMWC) provides water service to about 3,000 customers in Calimesa and Yucaipa, California.[25] The desert-based utility has struggled for years to minimize and reduce consumption, implementing higher rates on customers who used more than 3,500 cubic feet of water every two months.[25] However, this system increased the amount of time spent reading meters and processing bills—it took two meter readers six days every month to read every meter in the system.[10][25] When the state of California mandated that all water systems reduce usage by 20 percent in 2009, SMWC implemented an initiative to replace its existing metering system with Mueller Systems' Hot Rod AMR System.[25] The amount of time spent collecting meter reads was reduced from six days to four hours, and consumption within SMWC's service area dropped by 22 percent, largely due to the AMR system's real-time monitoring that can detect leaks earlier and provide more detailed usage data to both SMWC and its customers.[10][25]

Weatherford, Oklahoma

The city of Weatherford, Oklahoma replaced all 5,500 water meters in its service area and implemented the Mi.Net AMI system in order to upgrade and automate its meter-reading and billing processes. The two-way AMI system is hosted and supported by Mueller and helps the city monitor, manage and streamline the meter-reading process.[26] Weatherford also used Mi.Hydrants to overcome transmission problems caused by steel meter boxes and large distances between some meters. The improved leak detection, consumer information, and billing accuracy afforded by the upgrade of the city's metering system resulted in better conservation and fewer consumer complaints about usage and billing.[27] Water & Wastes Digest named the "Weatherford Customer Service & Efficiency Improvement Project" as one of its top projects for 2012.[28]

West Virginia American Water

In October 2014, West Virginia American Water announced that they would install the Mi.Echo remote leak detection system along a 10-mile stretch of the Kanawha Valley River. Upon its completion, this will be the largest deployment of the Mi.Echo system to date, and will include the cities of Charleston and South Charleston, Kanawha City, and Dunbar, West Virginia.[29]

Yonkers, NY

Mayor Mike Spano announced the City of Yonkers is partnering with Mueller Systems to overhaul its aging water meter infrastructure and improve the level of service provided to residents.[30] The project includes implementation of Mueller System's MegaNet(TM) System—a high-powered, long-range, fixed-network, advanced metering infrastructure ( AMI) system. The communication system is capable of delivering long-range results with a reliable communication infrastructure. The MegaNet(TM) technology has been in existence for 25 years and has nearly two million transmitters installed in more than 80 countries.[31] In addition, the City is scheduled to install approximately 30,000 Mueller Systems water meters throughout the City by the end of 2014. The City will also offer its customers tools to manage their water consumption by implementing Mi.Data(TM), Mueller Systems' consumer portal. This consumer portal provides utility customers with access to information about their water usage, enhancing service levels and communication between the City and its water consumers.

References

  1. ↑ "SIPCO and Mueller Systems Sign First Major EWM(TM) Patent License Agreement for the Water Industry" (Press release). Mueller Water Products, Inc. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  2. 1 2 "Hersey, Sparling Meter Announce Merger Plan". Chicago Tribune. 1959-09-08.
  3. 1 2 "Hersey Water Meter, Hersey Meters". Water Meter Guide. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Company History". Mueller Co. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  5. 1 2 "History of Innovation". Mueller Systems. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  6. 1 2 "Hersey Meters Becomes Part of Mueller Systems". Water & Wastes Digest. 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  7. ↑ "About Us". Mueller Systems. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  8. 1 2 3 Thomas, Matt (2012-07-31). "Weatherford, Oklahoma Improves Customer Service & Efficiency with Advanced Metering Infrastructure". Utility Intelligence & Infrastructure. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  9. ↑ "Mi.Echo". Mueller Systems. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Meter Replacement Program, Other Moves, Reduce Utility's Water Consumption 22%" (PDF). Water Waste Processing. April 2012.
  11. ↑ "AMR-Hot Rod". Mueller Systems. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  12. ↑ "Mueller Systems’ Magnetic Flowmeter Receives FM Approval". Water and Wastes Digest. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  13. ↑ http://www.muellersystems.com/docs/pdf2/AWWA%20MegaNet%20Data%20Sheetfinal.pdf
  14. ↑ http://ir.muellerwaterproducts.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=917207
  15. ↑ http://www.muellersystems.com/news/VIDEO-Smart-Meters-help-Asheville-NC-improve-water-infrastructure.html
  16. 1 2 Ali, Hassan (2011-09-01). "Utility Improves Customer Service, Operational Efficiencies". Utility Products. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  17. ↑ Case Study.pdf "Chillicothe Municipal Utilities Improves Customer Service, Operational Efficiencies with the Mi.Net System" Check |url= value (help) (PDF). Mueller Systems. August 2011. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  18. ↑ "Meter-reading system to cut time, expense in finding leaks". Triad Business Journal. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  19. 1 2 3 Kellett, Linda (2011-06-21). "Frankfort receives award for ‘smart’ meters". Little Falls Times. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  20. ↑ "New water meters coming to Red Eagle residents". Weatherford Democrat. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  21. ↑ "Automated meter-reading program OK’d". Weatherford Star-Telegram. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  22. ↑ http://www.muellersystems.com/news/Kannapolis,-NC-Selects-Mueller-Systems.html
  23. 1 2 3 4 "AMI network automates city water system". World Water. 2013-03-01.
  24. ↑ "Maumee installs two-way electronic water meters". Toledo Free Press. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 Witham, Trude (September–October 2012). "100 Years of Excellence". Water System Operator. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  26. ↑ "A Reliable Network". Water and Wastes Digest. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  27. ↑ Thomas, Matt (2012-07-31). "Weatherford, Oklahoma Improves Customer Service & Efficiency with Advanced Metering Infrastructure". Utility Intelligence & Infrastructure. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  28. ↑ Simeonova, Neda. "2012 WWD Top Project Winners Announced". Water & Wastes Digest. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  29. ↑ "Mueller Systems Selected by West Virginia American Water for Continuous Leak Detection Monitoring". Reuters. 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
  30. ↑ http://www.muellersystems.com/news/Yonkers,New_York_Selects_Mueller_Systems.html
  31. ↑ Mueller Systems#MegaNet
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