Indra to implement a major transformation project for EScom, the Malawi Electricity Company, for 8.4 million euros

Indra, one of the leading global consulting and technology companies, has won a contract for 8.4 million dollars from Millennium Challenge Account-Malawi to undertake a major project to transform Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), the utility responsible for the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power in Malawi. The project reaffirms Indra's leadership in the development of transformation and modernization projects for the African energy sector, where it services more than 15 major companies across the continent.

Thanks to this project, ESCOM will have all the systems it needs to operate its business in an integrated manner, allowing the different divisions to share up-to-date information about the grid, logistics, human resources, and financial statements.

The project to be implemented by Indra, will provide a global view of the business as well as improvements such as fewer energy losses, the technological modernization of the company, and more skills for staff.

Indra's experience in similar projects for other companies in the African energy sector have led to important benefits such as an average reduction of 20% in technical costs and 25% in commercial costs, which in many cases has amortized the initial investment in a record two to three years.

Furthermore, the duration of power outages has been reduced on average by 90% and energy losses by 50%, while other data reveal a reduction of more than 80% in the duration of the commercial cycle (meter reading, billing and collection) and of 60% in the request-to-delivery time.

The initiative is financed by Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. Government agency whose mission is to help eradicate global poverty by promoting sustainable economic programs across different sectors in various countries including Malawi. Millennium Challenge Account-Malawi is responsible for managing energy projects financed by the agency in Malawi.

Modernization of the business and corporate divisions

The project includes the supply and implementation of a management information system (E-MIS) to modernize all the business processes in the ESCOM transportation and distribution divisions. As part of this remit, InCMS, Indra's latest-generation solution for the end-to-end management of the commercial business of utilities, will be used for pre-payment and post-payment supplies, while the InGRID solution will be deployed to manage and operate the transportation and distribution networks.

Indra will also develop a new solution, integrated with InGRID, to manage the fleet of vehicles. This will facilitate real-time control over vehicles, the allocation of transportation costs to the brigades and work orders, and the management of fuel and maintenance costs. The energy business systems will be supplemented with the implementation of Indra's document management solution to automate the integration of documents generated in electronic format.

Furthermore, Indra will implement the Microsoft Dynamics AX system to manage the ESCOM corporate divisions (Finance, Logistics and Human Resources) and provide the company with the necessary infrastructure to roll out two portable data centers at its headquarters aimed at speeding up delivery of the project. Indra will also design a skills development, change management and knowledge transfer program to boost the transformation process.

A leader in the implementation of energy solutions in Africa

More than 18 million customers in Africa are managed with business solutions for utilities developed by the global consulting and technology company. The contract won with KPLC (Kenya Power and Lighting Company) in 1996 was Indra's first project to improve and transform the energy sector in Africa. Since then it has undertaken 15 major projects and has offices in several countries on the continent, including a center of excellence for energy in Nairobi where it maintains and develops solutions to address the challenges and opportunities in the energy and utilities sectors in the region.

Indra is an outstanding leader in the implementation of energy solutions for power companies in Africa, where it has been involved in some of the most important modernization processes of the last 20 years. The company's management systems for power companies help manage utilities in Kenya (KPLC, KenGen, NCWSC, Gulf Power, Gas Natural Fenosa), Zimbabwe (ZETDC), Zambia (ZESCO, Copperbelt), Ethiopia (EEU), Uganda (UMEME), and Cameroon (Eneo), among others.

Its latest projects include the upgrade of the commercial management systems for KPLC (Kenya) and the implementation of its proprietary support solutions for commercial and management processes in the distribution network of EDM (Electricidade de Moçambique), Mozambique's state-owned power company, and ECG (Electricity Company of Ghana), the country's largest energy distribution company.

Indra's energy solutions have been implemented in more than 140 electricity, water, oil and gas companies in more than 45 countries. Today, over 100 million customers worldwide are managed using the systems developed by the multinational consulting and technology firm.

About Indra

Indra is one of the main global consulting and technology companies and the technology partner for the key operations of its customers' businesses around the globe. It offers a comprehensive range of proprietary solutions and cutting-edge services with optimal technological capabilities, supported by a unique corporate culture of reliability, flexibility and adaptation to customer requirements. Indra is a world leader in the development of comprehensive technological solutions in fields such as Defense & Security, Transport & Traffic, Energy & Industry, Telecommunications & Media, Financial Services and Public Administrations & Healthcare. Its Minsait unit addresses the challenges posed by digital transformation. In 2015 the company posted revenues of 2.85 billion euros, employed 37,000 professionals, had a local presence in 46 countries, and delivered projects in more than 140 countries.