Paris, July 4, 2022 – Unit-T, a Belgian subsidiary of Solutions 30 group, partners with Deepomatic to develop an innovative quality control system based on artificial intelligence, a premiere in Belgium, to support technicians during the installation of smart electricity and gas meters. As one of the contractors currently deploying smart meters in Flanders for the utility grid company Fluvius, a front-runner in the region’s energy transition, Unit-T demonstrates its leadership in implementing AI in field services.
As the European Commission has established a directive to accelerate the deployment of smart meters, the Flemish Government set out the ambition that all classic meters in Flanders should be replaced by digital energy meters by 1st July 2029. That is why back in 2020, Fluvius engaged Unit-T as one of its contractors to replace millions of analog meters. The latter then identified 2 areas of improvement for its smart meter installations: making its operations documentation more precise and moving away from manual quality controls. To guarantee the highest quality standards, Unit-T wanted to have a hybrid approach combining humans and machines, enabling the technician to auto-control his own work with the help of AI applied to field pictures. In partnering with Deepomatic, they did just that.
Technicians use the Unit-T FSM app (Smartfix), which embeds Deepomatic’s First Time Right Automation solution, to take photos of the smart meter in order to verify that it is correctly installed. The AI algorithm is then able to check over 25 visual tasks of various nature on the photos: verifying the presence of elements (actual gas or electricity meter, EAN sticker, seals, etc.), as well as reading data and verifying their validity (EAN number, serial number, etc.). Deepomatic’s solution performs the analysis in real time and provides direct feedback to the technician, who can correct what was flagged as invalid or retake better photos if necessary. As a result, both operators on the field and back-office teams using Deepomatic’s solution have reported higher quality operations and a shrunk in the feedback loop while implementing a more AI-driven approach to improve performance.
“Using AI on pictures taken by technicians is a very efficient way to ensure the high-quality standards that Unit-T aims to achieve. The ability to trust in real-time AI-based checks with live feedback to the technician is a great evolution in quality management. I was surprised by the speed of the IT implementation and the high accuracy of the A.I. models that are currently in place. I truly believe that the partnership with Deepomatic offers a strategic added value for Unit-T and Solutions30 clients.” Ton Bosters, CEO of Unit-T
“Deepomatic is proud to accompany Unit-T, a future-facing company, in reaching new heights of operational quality. In the sector of field services, AI is becoming a key enabler of the energy transition. It helps companies be efficient in the installations and maintenance of new generation energy systems.”, Augustin Marty, CEO of Deepomatic
“Rolling out more than 6 million smart energy meters by 2029 is very challenging. As a utility company, we will never compromise on the security and quality of our meter installations. That’s why we invest heavily in the training and monitoring of technicians and quality control systems. And the new AI system of Unit-T provided by Deepomatic is a promising addition to the craftsmanship of the technicians servicing our customers.” Wim Den Roover, Director of Operations of Fluvius
About Unit-T
Unit-T is the partner of choice when it comes to implementing and supporting new technologies. Thanks to our 1,200 expert technicians, we are the front-runner in Belgium in the area of field services within our various disciplines. We work in multiple industries, from telecommunications, IT, security, and energy to smart buildings and cash register systems. We have the technicians, the training, and the specializations to help you keep your technology running smoothly. Unit-T is part of the Solutions30 group, a European leader in field services with 15,000 technicians and more than 75,000 service calls daily.
About Deepomatic
Deepomatic is a pioneer in the field of First Time Right Automation. Our AI-based computer vision platform is designed for companies operating critical infrastructures who strive to apply their quality standard at scale and increase their operations' First Time Right rate.
Our platform automates quality control by analyzing photos taken by field workers and providing them instant feedback on the conformity of their jobs. It guarantees the conformity of the data documenting daily field jobs and allows us to follow the state of the infrastructure over time to make informed decisions to operate and maintain it.
Deepomatic serves leading international clients in sectors such as telecommunications, energy, hospitality, and mobility. Nearly 20,000 field workers employed by Bouygues Telecom, Swisscom, CityFibre, Telefonica, Circet, and Unit-T use Deepomatic’s solution every day, highly improving their productivity and efficiency on site. Our platform analyzes close to 1 million operations every month.
About Fluvius
Fluvius is a Flemish utility company responsible for building, managing, and maintaining distribution grids for electricity, gas, sewerage, cable TV, district heating, and public lighting. The company manages over 7 million utility connections.
