July 19, 2001
today announced the creation of a limited partnership to develop
and operate a new company that will provide full-service customer
management solutions to utilities, municipalities and retail
energy companies across Canada.
The new company, CustomerWorks, will be a leading provider of
state-of-the-art utility customer management solutions. The
venture will support a complete set of business service offerings
covering the entire meter-to-cash process including meter reading,
billing, call centers, credit and collections, e-commerce, and
field work appointment scheduling.
Project work is already under way, and the new company will launch
initial operations on August 1, 2001. Full-scale operations are
scheduled for January 1, 2002.
CustomerWorks will initially provide services for more than 3.5
million customers of BC Gas Utility, Enbridge Consumers Gas,
Enbridge Services Inc. and Enbridge Gas New Brunswick. These
entities will contract with the new company for services for a
term of five years. The four existing Enbridge and one BC Gas
call centres will become key operating sites, and a technology
development centre will be based in Vancouver.
An estimated 775 Enbridge employees and 140 BC Gas employees will
be transferred to the new company, which will have a staff of
approximately 1,000 employees when it begins full operation
January 1, 2002.
"This venture demonstrates our desire to continuously improve our
operations and work with others to provide leading edge, low-cost
services to our customers," said Patrick D. Daniel, President &
Chief Executive Officer of Enbridge Inc. "It also demonstrates our
strategic commitment to leveraging information technologies to
continually improve our business practices. Our combined strengths
and the scale of the customer base provide a competitive advantage
in the customer information and management market."
John Reid, President and CEO of BC Gas Inc., said, "From the start
the company will be the largest provider of customer management
services to Canadian utilities. By providing the opportunity to
create greater operational efficiencies and deliver excellent
customer service, we believe CustomerWorks is set to become the
supplier of first choice in Canada and one of the most advanced
business service providers."
An executive team is being assembled, drawing from senior
management of both companies.
"The team of people coming together will bring a thorough
understanding of customer relationship management, connections
throughout the Canadian market, and strong technological
capability," said Dwight Willett, formerly Vice President,
Enbridge Commercial Services and the President and Chief Operating
Officer of CustomerWorks.
"We are in active discussions with other potential partners, and
we will work to identify additional customers that can benefit
from the investment, momentum and scale of the companies who have
already signed on."
About Enbridge
Enbridge Inc. is a leader in energy transportation, distribution
and services in North America and internationally. The company
operates the world's longest crude oil and liquids pipeline
system; owns and operates Canada's largest natural gas
distribution company, which provides gas to 1.5 million customers
in Ontario, Quebec and New York State; and is involved in natural
gas transmission. Enbridge also is involved in international
investments, the distribution of electricity, and retail energy
products and services. Enbridge common shares trade on the
Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada under the symbol "ENB" and on the
NASDAQ National Market in the U.S. under the symbol "ENBR."
Additional information is available at www.enbridge.com.
About BC Gas
BC Gas Inc. is a leading provider of energy and utility services
in western Canada through its two principal operating
subsidiaries, BC Gas Utility Ltd. and Trans Mountain Pipe Line
Company Ltd., and through a number of non-regulated related
businesses. BC Gas Utility is the largest distributor of natural
gas in British Columbia, serving 764,000 customers. BC Gas common
shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol
"BCG". Additional information is available at www.bcgas.com.