Paris, July 4th, 2022 – Unit-T, Belgian subsidiary of Solutions 30 group, partnered 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 thereby demonstrates its leadership in the implementation of 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 analogue 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 human and machine: 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 Unit-T FSM app (Smartfix), which embeds Deepomatic’s Visual 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 of course 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 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 Operations of Fluvius
About Unit-T
Unit-T is the partner of choice when it comes to the implementation and support of 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, European leader in field services with 15,000 technicians and more than 75,000 service calls per day.
About Deepomatic
Deepomatic offers the leading AI-powered Visual Automation platform. It enables companies to get a complete, real-time and objective view over what happens during their numerous and repetitive everyday field operations. Leading field service companies in the telecom and energy sectors including Bouygues Telecom, CityFibre, Swisscom, or Solutions 30 use Deepomatic’s solution to improve quality of service and drive long-term infrastructure ROI.
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.
