CEO Monthly Issue 6 2018

20 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 6 2018 , Picarro advanced analytics technologypairswithutility service provider SouthernCross for newapproach to asset and riskmanagement. Southern Cross and Picarro Announce Partnership Picarro, the leading provider of intelligent leak detection software solutions, and Southern Cross, a leading provider of field services to utilities for over 70 years, are partnering to combine decades of industry field knowledge and the most advanced analytics technology to deliver data-driven asset management solutions that help meet evolving utility industry requirements. Together, the two companies see the opportunity to provide big data solutions to a much broader segment of the market, including small and midsize utilities. Southern Cross and Picarro realise that hundreds of utilities are focused on outsourcing leak management requirements, rather than performing these activities in-house. The combined Picarro and Southern Cross service model provides the best of both worlds, allowing these utilities to maintain their traditional leak survey model, while still achieving the technological benefits of a best- in-class solution. Rich Summers, President and CEO of Southern Cross, shares: “We are excited to provide all of our customers access to an industry-leading asset information solution. Picarro’s technology, combined with our seven decades of innovation and continuous improvement in field services, allows Southern Cross to deliver the ultimate outsourced solution for compliance surveys and distribution integrity management program (DIMP) planning. Picarro’s advanced technology and analytics will help Southern Cross change the way leak survey and asset management services are provided in the future. Our customers will benefit from increased information and visibility toward managing risk, resulting in a more effective method of delivering pipeline safety.” Peter Noland, Vice President of Sales and Marketing in the Energy division of Picarro, explains: “We share a vision with Southern Cross of a new and improved service delivery model to support a broader segment of the market, including small and midsize utilities. We believe that data-enabled asset management solutions can dramatically change the way utility customers approach leak detection and pipeline safety, regardless of their size. Our gas analysis technology, with parts-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity, is significantly more accurate than traditional leak detection equipment. Combined with advanced analytics, utilities are able to immediately understand those areas which present the highest risk and can also make much more confident decisions based on the real-time information we provide that augments their DIMP planning tools.” Picarro’s technology allows utilities to capture gas pipeline data at scale. This data, combined with powerful analytical tools, will help system operators leverage the information for improved responsiveness in meeting compliance and risk management obligations, while also helping support numerous asset management and capital prioritisation decisions. An outsourced solution integrated into the Southern Cross nationwide field service organisation and proven delivery model will allow all utilities, regardless of size, to realise the benefits of an advanced solution with fully data-enabled asset management that can be adopted in a value-driven, rapid, and efficient way.