The absence of mechanical parts in Kamstrup’s static smart meters results in low total cost of ownership, and, eventually, high profits

Based on its recent analysis of the smart water meter industry, Frost & Sullivan recognises Kamstrup with the 2017 South Africa Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Value Leadership. The accuracy and broad range of Kamstrup’s smart water metering solutions are attracting significant interest from municipalities, utilities, and environmental agencies in South Africa. The company has continuously nurtured and enhanced the value of its products to offer customers advanced solutions for a low total cost of ownership.

“Kamstrup’s smart water metering solutions combine the newest ultrasonic technology with remote reading, advanced pressure, and leakage surveillance to allow utilities to control their water distribution systems in previously impossible ways,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Nikhil Deshbhratar.

“The improved solution helps users monitor temperature, pressure, water quality, and water loss in the distribution network. The superior data quality, consistency, and remote system configuration capability go a long way in helping utilities make real-time decisions and optimise operations.”

 Additionally, the most outstanding feature of Kamstrup’s meters’ is their ability to retrieve data with the help of drive-by, walk-by or fixed infrastructure technology. The technology neither relies on end users to read the meter, nor requires them to send the consumption data. When utilities need to collect meter data, they merely have to drive near the meter’s location. The data is automatically collected and transferred to the meter data management system.

The data collected from Kamstrup’s systems are more comprehensive than the data from any other type of meter. It contains information about leaks and bursts, as well as the highest water flow rates, enabling customers to understand their water consumption levels and patterns and prepare for the future.

“Kamstrup’s two modular, multi-communication smart water meters—the MULTICAL® 21 and flowIQ® 3100—are aimed at the residential and industrial segments, respectively. They are static water meters and do not have any moving or mechanical parts, which translates to lower maintenance and total costs of ownership,” noted Nikhil Deshbhratar. “They use ultrasonic signals to calculate the time difference between the upstream and downstream movement of signals, which is then used for calculating volume and flow rate.”

Kamstrup’s meters maintain high precision throughout their lifetimes, even if the flowrate falls. Furthermore, its meters were tested and approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) in 2013, resulting in huge boost to saleability.

Overall, Frost & Sullivan is excited to recognise Kamstrup’s industry-leading focus on enriching customer experience and ensuring high returns on investment from its products in the smart water meter industry.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products.

The award recognises the company's inordinate focus on augmenting the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to greater customer retention, and ultimately, customer base expansion.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.