Gentrack takes Trustpower into AWS cloud with technology transformation in record time

Gentrack, the leading provider of software and services to the utilities industry, has successfully delivered a key strategic transformation project for Trustpower, New Zealand’s leading provider of bundled energy and telco products.   The Utility needed a safe pair of hands to enable its Commercial/Industrial (C&I) and Residential retail divisions to operate independently in anticipation of a potential sale of its residential business.  

This complex transformation project had to be delivered without impacting customer billing and services and maintain Trustpower’s ability to continue offering innovative products and services to their customers. 

Gentrack has been working with the Tauranga based energy retailer since 1992, providing industry leading technology to enable Trustpower to deliver great customer experiences, drive down cost to serve and build a loyal customer base through bundled home offers. The retailer has some of the lowest switching rates in the industry with over 50% of its customers now signed for Dual Fuel, Electricity Telco or Triple play bundles. 

Trustpower needed the system separation to be completed within a tight timeframe, to enable a smooth transition to a new owner of the residential business. Gentrack’s knowledge of the existing systems and business processes, as well as the NZ energy market, made it the best choice to partner with for success.  

Gentrack and Trustpower collaborated closely to deliver an accelerated and agile programme, to replicate the existing retail solution for deployment on AWS. Utilising Gentrack’s cloud environments for the data migration removed a significant transformation cost on Trustpower, and the shift to AWS has delivered a cloud platform on which further C&I innovation can be delivered. Key meter-to-cash capabilities and integrations were redeployed into the cloud with ongoing cloud-managed services and maintenance to be delivered by Gentrack’s cloud services team. Core C&I processes were also reconfigured for operations including those essential for ongoing market compliance. 

Trustpower’s Matt van Deventer, General Manager Technology and Delivery, said: 

“Gentrack has been our trusted partner for many years and has played a key role in enabling us to differentiate using our bundled offering. This project shows how, together with Gentrack, we can deliver complex business change at pace and as a result we now have the foundations in place for the next phase of our retail journey. Our teams worked in harmony to make this happen and Trustpower is delighted with what was achieved in such a short period of time.” 

Allan Sampson, General Manager NZ, Gentrack commented on the project:  

“Trustpower has a fantastic strategy for success; being a key supplier of essential services into households and businesses, with bundled products and services that enhance customer loyalty. The key to delivering this successful cloud transformation was the strong partnership approach adopted. By collaborating from start to finish, we were able to identify potential roadblocks and use our combined knowledge and delivery expertise to meet the tight testing, dress rehearsal and cutover milestones.  We’re incredibly proud we were able to successfully support Trustpower in delivering this critical technology transformation project that sets them up for even greater business success.”