Black Hills Selects Ventyx Enterprise Asset Management Solution as "Utility of the Future" Component

ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventyx, an ABB company, today announced it has signed a new license agreement with diversified energy company Black Hills Corporation (NYSE: BKH) to deploy Ventyx's leading enterprise asset management (EAM) solution, Ventyx Asset Suite, across the utility's transmission and distribution (T&D) operations. Black Hills is replacing its myriad existing systems with Asset Suite to modernize and optimize its T&D operations as part of a broad "Utility of the Future" initiative.

"Black Hills is upgrading systems and processes across our operations to fulfill our commitment to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy in a manner that protects the environment, improves customer service and adds value for our shareholders," said Ivan Vancas, VP of Operations Services at Black Hills. "Optimizing our sizable T&D operations, which have grown significantly through acquisition in recent years, is vital to our Utility of the Future initiative. We need business partners who share our vision, understand our unique challenges and offer innovative, scalable solutions that can be expanded as we continue to grow. We feel that Ventyx will be a great partner in this endeavor."

Black Hills will roll out Asset Suite in a phased approach across its gas and electric utility operations serving 777,000 customers in seven states. Standardizing on a single asset management system will enable Black Hills to optimize asset management processes companywide and leverage economies of scale. Black Hills' goal is to provide a full, clear view of the company's vast T&D asset infrastructure and the workforce maintaining it – thereby helping to reduce downtime, extending the operational life of the assets and minimizing the total cost of ownership.

"As the world's leading provider of enterprise asset management solutions for T&D utilities¹, Ventyx understands the demands on these companies to manage widely dispersed assets, and often aging infrastructure, amid continually changing safety and environmental regulations – all while working to improve customer satisfaction," said Ventyx EVP Global Sales Daryl Rolley. "Visionary energy companies like Black Hills invest in the technology needed to overcome these challenges today and prepare for the demands of tomorrow. We are proud that Black Hills selected Ventyx Asset Suite as a vital component of their Utility of the Future initiative."

About Black Hills Corporation
Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) is a growth-oriented, vertically-integrated energy company with a tradition of exemplary service and a vision to be the energy partner of choice. Based in Rapid City, S.D., the company serves 777,000 natural gas and electric utility customers in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. The company generates wholesale electricity and produces natural gas, oil and coal. Black Hills Corp.'s 1,948 employees partner to produce results that are improving life with energy. More information is available at www.blackhillscorp.com. 

About Ventyx
Ventyx, an ABB company, is a world-leading supplier of Industrial Enterprise Software for essential industries such as energy, mining and public infrastructure. Ventyx solutions bridge the gap between information technologies (IT) and operational technologies (OT), enabling clients to make faster, better-informed decisions in both daily operations and long-term planning strategies. Some of the world's largest organizations rely on Ventyx solutions to minimize risk, enhance operational and financial performance, and execute the right strategies for the future. For more details, see www.ventyx.com.

¹ Based on revenue and market share, according to ARC Advisory Group's Enterprise Asset Management and Field Service Management Global Market Research Study, 2014.

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