SPECTRUM UTILITY MANAGEMENT

SPE CTRU M U T I LI T Y M A N A G EM EN T

Seeking a smart city solution for Africa’s infrastructural needs www.solarspectrum.co.za

S P E C T R U M

U T I L I T Y

M A N A G E M E N T

LO C A L LY D E V E LO P E D PRODUCTS FOR

Truly Smart African Cities By optimising energy, water and even broadband efficiencies, SUM strives to define the future of smart cities in Africa Writer: Emily Jarvis Project Manager: Tom Cullum

outh Africa is a country where rapid urbanisation and the merging of first and third world lifestyles meet, which places significant pressure on the supply of utilities such as power, water and other growing infrastructural needs such as broadband, which are increasingly important components in everyday life. Subsequently, this places emphasis on finding the most intelligent ways to manage and distribute these utilities to the public and private sectors.

This is where the concept of smart cities comes in.

2

Companies such as DMB Holdings’ subsidiary SUM (Spectrum Utility Management) seek to create an economically viable and sustainable environment in not just South Africa, but with the eventual plan of aiding the entire continent in smart city solutions that will reduce energy and water wastage.

Today, SUM adds a string to DMB Holdings’ bow as it manufactures devices that make infrastructure behave in a smarter way. With roots back to 1989, DMB Holdings has progressed from a software

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

Dewald Pretorius, Managing Director of DMB Holdings.

Spectrum Utility Management (SUM) is a key subsidiary of the holding company

E

N

E

R

G

Y

development house with an extensive background in ICT infrastructure, expanding into consulting and then into a fully fledged utility management via its subsidiary SUM, which was created in 2010.

“The provision of technology has evolved so much since the 1980s and the SUM business reflects this change via the creation of dynamic smart cities, which bring together all the technological societal changes from the past three and a half decades; we created the company to look at ways we could integrate everything in one place,” explains Dewald Pretorius, Managing Director of DMB Holdings.

Smart solutions

As a proudly African company that develops solutions for African utilities, Pretorius says that SUM has a primary focus on developing smart city solutions for South Africa’s public sector. By working alongside the country’s various municipalities and gated communities nationally, SUM provides energy efficiency through anything from locally manufactured public lighting, measuring and managing both electricity and water, to broadband deployment; managing each project throughout its lifetime.

“Our vision is to become the

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

3

S P E C T R U M

U T I L I T Y

leading company and brand which deploys and establishes progressive dynamic cities on the African continent,” says Pretorius.

Accompanying its latest innovations, SUM has invested 65 million rand in R&D in order to stay ahead of the industry curve. “We are always evolving and we want to pass this improvement and cost saving onto the African people. Integration is important to our business. By removing any chance of duplicating energy data, this reduces all-round costs, making a ‘smarter’ solution to energy efficiency,” says Pretorius.

Through the innovative automated meter infrastructure, SUM is able to determine losses on any network electronically and provide guidance on a smarter use of electricity and water.

Furthermore, the company promises to manage its products through their life and complement this with a maintenance service. “Our broadband solution integrates itself nicely into this model; we consider it as a utility.

The cabling for broadband is fixed to the high mast infrastructure and smart streetlight solutions already in place, which is a logical use of space,” says Pretorius.

Integrated systems

It is one thing to have smart solutions, but another to effectively manage it. That is why SUM is also heavily

M A N A G E M E N T

UKWABELANA ELECTRICAL

U AS A HOLDING COMPANY DMB actively supports its seven subsidiaries, which service various industries across Africa including: Market Demand: financial company that focusses on evaluating fixed asset audits, providing a conditional assessment IZinga Valuers: real estate company that focusses on property valuations for the municipal and private sectors Confirm Direct: public and private debt collection Involve: chartered accountancy company that focusses on financial audits in both the public and private sectors Express Broadband Technologies: delivery of broadband infrastructure to underdeveloped areas Inovat: focusses on human capital development in South Africa’s public and private sectors SUM (Spectrum Utility Management): a subsidiary designed to assist municipalities and utility companies in their management of lighting, energy, water and broadband in order to establish a SMART city

4

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

kwabelana Electrical CC was established in 2008, and we are able to offer comprehensive service with qualified electricians, specialising in LV and HV cable jointing; from 11kv to 22kv, XLPE and PECTC aluminium and copper cables, as well as reticulation of streetlights and high mast operations and repairs throughout the Eastern Cape area.

We also specialise in the installation and commissioning of substations and switchgears.

Our transparent management style of choosing to be open, honest and proactive with our clients has resulted in a level of service and expertise which is difficult for our competitors to match. Through more than 30 years combined experience, Ukwabelana Electrical management strongly believes in combining technology and the use of strong on site management, giving our clients the benefit of “management presence” at all times.

T 083 953 7611 071 678 7678 F 086 733 1351 E ukshare@hotmail.co.za

Specialising in

domestic, industrial and commercial LV and HV cable jointing.

Ukwabelana Electrical CC provides the following services: > Installation of Mini Substations > Installation of Switch Apparatus > Commissioning of all Substations > PECTC Insulated Lead Cables > XLPE Cables > (ABC) and Overhead Lines > Optic Fibre Cables > Streetlight (LED) > Solar panels

UKWABELANA ELECTRICAL

Email: ukshare@hotmail.co.za Fax 2 Email: 086 733 1351 Mrs JL Share – 083 953 7611 Mr D Share – 071 678 7678

S P E C T R U M

U T I L I T Y

M A N A G E M E N T

i-CHAiN i-Chain Asset Management Having specialised in fixed asset management for 15 years, i-Chain have consistently proven to be leaders in providing asset management solutions to meet all public and private sector requirements. These include verifications, reconciliations, fair market valuations and all other best practice regulations for assets.

involved in data integrity management, offering both pre-paid and post-paid solutions on all its utility management options. “This is what makes us unique. We manage all utilities in one integrated system called a network operating sensor,” he adds.

As a result of a clear strategic plan in terms of individual municipality infrastructural needs, SUM picked up the award for one of the Best Energy Efficient Projects in the World (EDF Pulse award 2014) for its work in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth.

The company also fared well in the Eskom eta 2014 Awards, coming as runner up in the residential category.

With the continent as a whole in

Africa is an attractive market for smart technologies; it encapsulates both a first and third world environment. Our versatile offering means that we can offer something for both ends of this scale

6

WHAT IS A SMART CITY? A smart city uses digital technologies to integrate cost saving energy solutions and modern technologies such as broadband into the environment via alterations to a city’s infrastructure. The idea is motivated by green ‘clean energy’ targets around the world and various governments are dedicating funds to transform major cities with smart technologies. According to Frost & Sullivan, the key aspects that define a smart city are: smart governance, smart energy, smart building, smart mobility, smart infrastructure, smart technology, smart healthcare and the smart citizen.

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

Effective asset management means knowing what assets you own, where they are, their worth, what they are costing you, their life spans and history, and who is responsible for them. i-Chain can assist with all of this whilst maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.

T 011 807 0683 E sales@ichain.co.za

www.ichain.co.za

the limelight as a hive of economic activity, SUM is examining the opportunities available on a wider scale. “We have interest in our offering from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Uganda and Ghana. All African economies can benefit from our services as the world becomes more energy conscious; we are deeply invested in the technology and sustainable solutions.

“Africa is an attractive market for smart technologies; it encapsulates both a first and third world environment. Our versatile offering means that we can offer something for both ends of this scale,” says Pretorius.

In native South Africa, the company is deploying broadband to some of the most underdeveloped township areas of the country while at the same time deploying LED technology that offers energy savings in excess of 65 percent.

SUM remotely monitors and manages the energy consumption every hour. This remotely controlled

E

N

E

system uses the 40 metre high mast to deploy communication over a 500 metre radius. As a result, the existing high mast has three uses; lighting, electricity and water meter management, all remotely monitored and measured.

R

G

Y

Innovat training academy

KEY BUSINESS PARTNERS KMW Based in South Korea, KMW is a strategic partner to SUM and fully understands the design concepts provided by SUM for the manufacture and timely delivery of energy efficient lighting.

“It’s all about synergy between our company and KMW; they supply us with the technology and we manage the product,” comments Pretorius.

Envirolight Envirolight is the local South African distributor of the Giga Tera range of LED lighting products manufactured by KMW and is also a local manufacturer of energy efficient lighting products.

DMB Holdings ensure that SUM employees are trained in key life skills that enable them to progress internally; this is enforced by one of its seven subsidiaries dedicated to training, known as Inovat. “Our attractive training is designed to compete on the world stage.

Moreover, everything we sell comes with its own training policies which are backed by economic development initiatives. We partner with local companies in order to be able to support our products and ensure they are fitted to a professional standard, no matter the location,” says Pretorius.

Under the watchful eye of DMB Holdings and through the installation of its integrated utility management solutions, SUM strives to substantially improve the service delivery of energy, water and broadband in order to make a difference to the lives of African people.

WWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

7

DMB HOLDINGS Block 7, Ground Floor, Boardwalk Office Park, Eros Street Faerie Glen, Pretoria 0043, South Africa Tel: +27 12 991 3122 Cell: +27 83 250 7821 Fax: +27 Â 12 991 0836 E-mail: dewald@sutility.co.za

www.solarspectrum.co.za