Driving growth andscalability: Axpo’s billingsystem transformation

Axpo Iberia, part of Axpo Group, Switzerland’s leading renewable energy producer, decided to upgrade its on-premise billing system to a scalable, cloud-based solution to further its digital transformation and journey towards a more sustainable model.

The new application had to meet several specific requirements, such as being able to calculate all the products from the wholesale client catalog, provide support, and promote the expected growth in their client portfolio.

To achieve this, NTT DATA developed a powerful engine for calculation hosted on AWS, which allows for all the necessary calculations for settling the wholesale portfolio in a short time, reducing errors, and allowing for quick adaptation to changes established by regulatory bodies.

This new system has significantly streamlined the billing process and, thanks to its adaptability, scalability, and efficiency, AXPO is considering implementing it in other areas of the company. The success of this project opens the doors for its application in many other industries.

The client

AXPO is a leading name in the energy sector, embodying innovation and sustainable energy solutions at its core. As Switzerland’s most significant producer of renewable energy, the client holds a strong international presence in energy trading and marketing of solar and wind power. Their operations extend over 30 countries across Europe, North America, and Asia, necessitating cutting-edge technology to meet the evolving energy needs of their vast customer base.

With over 6,000 employees, AXPO thrives on collective expertise and a shared passion for fostering impactful change through innovative energy solutions. Their commitment to enabling a sustainable future is deeply rooted in their operations, paving the way for consistent growth and development.

As AXPO expanded their operations, their on-premise billing system became incapable of supporting their need for scalability and handling disruptions smoothly. As part of the wholesale customer portfolio growth, new billing requirements arose that demanded a major transformation in their platform.

The challenge

With growth and expansion comes the need for scalable and robust systems. The client was operating on an on-premise billing system, which had become outdated and wasn’t capable of providing the scalability that a growing business of this magnitude needs. Furthermore, the on-premise system lacked the ability to handle disruptions seamlessly, making the transition to a more advanced solution inevitable.

Additionally, as AXPO’s client base expanded, especially among their wholesale clients, a new set of billing requirements emerged. These were essential to efficiently and accurately handle the entire product portfolio they offered to their wholesale segment. Consequently, the client sought a billing solution that harnessed the capabilities of AWS and cloud technology, ensuring both scalability and agility to address the expanding needs of the area and adapt to new regulatory demands. To address these challenges, the client enlisted the expertise of NTT DATA to devise a contemporary, scalable solution that could replace their existing platform and effectively service their growing customer base.

In October 2020, while the project was underway, a regulatory shift introduced further complexity, necessitating a new method for calculating portions of the settlements. In the face of this unforeseen regulatory change, NTT DATA showcased exceptional adaptability. The team adeptly navigated this challenge and successfully adjusted to the new regulation, placing AXPO among the pioneers in compliance with the new directive. This demonstrated their capacity to swiftly adapt to rapidly evolving scenarios.

The unwavering commitment displayed by the team in confronting these challenges head-on played a pivotal role in the project’s uninterrupted progress, despite legislative changes. This commitment has solidified the promise of delivering a transformative solution for the client’s billing requirements, thus enabling a more sustainable future.

The solution

In response to Axpo Iberia’s sophisticated needs, NTT DATA designed a customized platform employing the robust capabilities of Amazon Web Services Lambda for hosting and DocumentDB for database management. The client made the strategic decision to transition technologically to Amazon Web Services, aligning with its ongoing shift from an on-premise, in-house developed solution to a more scalable and agile cloud-based infrastructure.

The solution designed by NTT DATA centralizes the calculation of settlements for the company’s top gas clients. It does so through a unique platform that caters to different types of products and is adapted to allow scalability, which represents a much-needed improvement in the billing process. The error rate, a notable issue with the old system, was minimized, making the billing process more accurate and efficient.

A critical attribute of the new platform is its agility and adaptability in response to regulatory changes. This was distinctly demonstrated during a substantial regulatory shift in October 2020, where the platform showcased its resilience and flexibility. The system’s configurability ensures that any future legislative changes can be swiftly integrated, a capability that was absent in the former system, which required considerable revamping to accommodate changes.

The solution currently provides data for a third party to issue invoices to the client, ensuring a smooth and seamless billing process. As a result, the client benefits from a faster, more accurate, and adaptable billing process that aligns with its growth and diversifying client portfolio.

Presently, NTT DATA is dedicated to the ongoing maintenance and evolution of the solution. Its modularity ensures it is readily adaptable to any forthcoming regulatory shifts. The solution’s agility, coupled with the sustained maintenance and constant evolution by NTT DATA, offers Axpo Iberia a scalable, future-proof billing solution.

The results

The solution deployed by NTT DATA has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from Axpo. The day-to-day operations have been significantly streamlined, making the solution a valuable asset to the company. Both users and business managers have expressed great satisfaction with the product’s performance and capabilities.

The effectiveness of the newly deployed solution has led to its consideration for wider application within the organization. The solution has brought significant relief to the sales team by absorbing their administrative and control tasks, thus allowing them to devote their entire focus to sales. Even though the implementation is fairly recent, the potential and versatility of this custom-designed solution are already being recognized. This has sparked thoughts of extending its benefits to other departments, showcasing its adaptability to fulfill the unique needs of different sectors of the client’s business.

In essence, the deployed product has not only fulfilled its intended objectives but has also shown the capacity to extend its benefits across different areas of the business. The successful outcome is a testament to the collaborative efforts between the team and Axpo Iberia, and their shared commitment to innovative, effective, and scalable energy solutions.

NTT DATA was chosen for this project mainly due to its functional knowledge of the gas market, both nationally and internationally, where they have a very significant presence. Very extensive technical knowledge both at development level and as regards the infrastructure we use. An AWS solution and a stable core team to develop the tool, guiding our business on its journey.

Ángel Matia
CIO of Axpo Iberia

Next steps

The settlement calculation solution created for AXPO, with its advanced technology, scalability, and adaptability to regulatory changes, has enormous potential to be applied in various industries. Key features of the solution include seamless AWS and Cloud technology integration, allowing scalability and efficient data handling, essential for businesses with large customer bases and intricate billing operations.

The solution not only promotes process automation, a fundamental requirement in various industries, but also has the ability to quickly adapt to regulatory changes and minimize errors, thereby increasing operational efficiency. The multitude of advantages this solution offers is suitable for a wide array of companies and industries. This was demonstrated by its notably successful implementation for Axpo Iberia, which spurred the development of an even more exhaustive solution. With the completion of this project, the solution is set to evolve into a marketable product, offering the potential to bring significant benefits to other businesses in the market.

The successful transition from an on-premise system for wholesale to a cloud-based platform inclusive of retail demonstrates how this solution could benefit other industries undergoing similar shifts or moving to Cloud technologies.

Why NTT DATA

NTT DATA was selected for this project based on their all-encompassing abilities and deep-seated expertise. Their intricate knowledge of the energy industry, coupled with a solid grasp of the technology field, allowed them to marshal multidisciplinary teams adept at handling expansive projects. Their capabilities were instrumental in navigating the complexities of this project and driving it to success.

Their extensive range of skills and supplementary expertise in various domains, including consultancy, digitization, automation, data management, and system integration, further strengthened their position. Additionally, NTT DATA’s vast network of partners such as AWS bolsters their ability to collaborate with other tech providers, thereby assuring that they offer holistic services to their clients.

NTT DATA’s existing relationship with Axpo Iberia was another factor in their selection. The existing trust-based relationship with Axpo Iberia, formed through previous collaborations, was an added advantage that facilitated better understanding and smoother communication throughout the project. Their joint history and understanding of Axpo Iberia’s business requirements further solidified the partnership, ultimately contributing to the project’s success.