Responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the 1.7 million gas meters and installations in Consumers Energy Company, including keeping abreast of new technologies and determining the economic benefits to the company. Helping the field personnel with any problems pertaining to accurate metering and regulation, and the installation, inspection and care of those installations. Direct supervision of the field Electronic Technicians and backup supervision for the shop of 21 Union employees. Design, purchase and maintaining all shop equipment to meet or exceed all accuracy and production requirements.

Highlights:

Introduced electronic Sonic Metering to residential and commercial customers. Worked with the manufacture to take a metering product used in Europe and Americanize the unit to be acceptable to our standards. This involved developing and writing new algorithms for the meter’s software to improve the accuracy and testing of the meters. Field tested units and made improvements to allow for extra safety and operational checks. Aid Local and State police in the investigation of gas fires and explosions. Test and evaluate gas metering equipment for tampering or failure analysis. Provide expert testimony and information to Local and State Police, State Fire Marshall, Michigan Public Service Commission and The National Transportation Safety Board. At the request of Customers and the Public Service Commission, Provide meter testing and explain the documented accuracy traceability of the testing equipment to the National Bureau of Standards. Developed and wrote computer database spreadsheets to monitor the shop inventory for scheduling of weekly production, monthly deliveries, annual purchasing and budgeting. Designed and directed the industry's first gas load study utilizing gas electronic volume correctors. In 9 months developed the equipment hardware and software specifications, tested prototypes and field installed 500 locations. Analyzed malfunctions for corrective actions and monitored data gathering, resulting in the study being completed on time, under budget, at twice the accuracy level anticipated. Many of the concepts have become industry standards. Instrumental in promoting the advantages of moving from mechanical gas correctors to electronic volume correctors. This netted the company $1,750,000 / year. Conceptualized and designed a test fixture for the 800 and 1000 sized meters, improving the throughput of a new sonic nozzle prover by 50%. Initiated the use of, and developed and wrote the computer programs for field inspections of gas correcting instruments, reducing the annual inspection time by 600 hours and vastly reducing the error rate. Developed the specifications for and originated the industry's first electronic differential pressure gauge. Initiated the use of super compressibility factors for all elevated pressure customers, resulting in a net annual revenue gain of $500,000. Formed and chaired a committee to reduce the read to bill time of the large industrial transportation customers by 10 days. Assisted in reducing the monthly financial close by four days. Chaired a committee to aid in the design and testing of a new residential gas meter that is a substantial cost savings over the current model. Developed a program and trained CES people on the selection of meters, regulators and over pressure protection for fixed factor installations. Studied and presented recommendations to streamline and reduce the gas meter routine program. Some of the recommendations that are currently being adopted, would have reduced the 2000 routine program category I meters by 4000 meters and the category II by 200 meters. Another change will more efficiently process the routine meters through the shop by delaying the testing of the unneeded meters until the next year, saving up to 5000 routines ($250,000)a year. Instrumental in making Consumers Energy the first utility in the Nation to purchase 100% electronic temperature compensated rotary meters. This will increase the accuracy of registration on the low end, and properly correct the billing to reflect up to a 4% increase. Developed a new dry leak tester for RM & Metris meters that increased production by 50%.

Companies I like:

Gas Utility Meter shop, Gas explosion or fire investigations for Insurance or legal ferms

P&L responsibilities
Presentation
Technology Solutions
Leadership

• Gas Metering
• Gas Regulation
• Gas Fire Investigation
• Gas Explosion

Implimented new metering technologies that increased the accuracy and improved the bottom line. Designed and had manufactured meter testing equipment that inproved production by 50%.