South African prepayment electricity meter specialist, Conlog, has celebrated 50-years in business. During the last five decades, the Durban-based business, which today is part of Schneider Electric, has founded groundbreaking technology, and made notable advancements in both the leadership position it holds within prepaid solutions and the systems its deploys to service the needs of utilities around the globe.
“Since the inception of the South African prepayment industry in the late 1980s, Conlog has been at the forefront of innovative solutions that meet the needs of utilities across the world. In fact, the majority of our revenue comes from outside South Africa’s borders,” says Conlog GM Dudley Miller.
Established in 1965 as an electronics design company, Conlog specialises in providing prepayment solutions for the delivery of electricity services. Its broad product offering encompasses prepayment meters, vending, revenue management, maintenance, support and consultation, as well as a dedicated and accredited training facility for all aspects of prepayment.
“This comprehensive and holistic approach enables customers to reap the full benefit of their investment and ensures sustained success, into the future,” Miller says.
He highlights that, at present, Conlog has the world’s largest installed base of prepaid meters, spanning more than 20 countries on four continents.
“Furthermore, over 70 utilities worldwide utilise our solutions and consider the company their preferred prepayment provider. With systems that are available in English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Portuguese, our products have been able to reach millions,” Miller adds.
The Conlog factory, which is located at head office, employs mainly women, and its engineering department boasts many experts in their relevant fields, including project management, embedded software engineering, hardware design, validation, mechanical engineering, systems engineering and research and development.
“Conlog engineers are well equipped with the knowledge and experience required to develop products that constantly outperform the rest,” Miller point out.
Many industry first have been developed by Conlog’s dedicated team at this site, including the standard for the secure transfer of credit, Standard Transfer Specification (STS), an IEC standard (62055-41); the industry’s standard wallbase for electricity meters; the common vending system and the first commercial scratch-card solution for prepayment.
“We strive for excellence in all areas of our business and are proud of the fact that our meters are manufactured to the highest quality of standards. Our focus now is on smart meters, and we are especially excited to witness the value proposition that they will offer society, especially in terms of greater individual electricity empowerment and energy management,” says Miller.
At its half-century birthday celebration, the company also acknowledged employee Dave Doorsamy, who celebrated 46 years of service with the company. “The experience and knowledge I have acquired over the years make me extremely proud to be part of the Conlog family. Working in the purchasing department has allowed me to work with people both within and outside of Conlog, bringing new challenges, growth and learning opportunities every day,” he says.
Doorsamy adds that his wife, Nellie, recently retired from working at Conlog, and that his two sons used to accompany him to work on Saturdays and school holidays.
