Fujitsu is ramping up its response to issues with a crucial IT system used by Airtricity in the Republic of Ireland. Sources say these problems, particularly with the billing application developed for SSE Airtricity, have raised serious concerns among Fujitsu’s leaders.
This situation is part of an initiative called Project Ivy, which was launched following the Post Office Horizon scandal. The goal of this project is to fix critical software bugs and enhance the testing and governance of Fujitsu’s systems. According to insiders, these issues had to be escalated quickly to prevent real harm to customers.
Fujitsu is currently reviewing its software for potential flaws as a direct response to the scandal. Paul Patterson, Fujitsu’s CEO in Europe, mentioned in a recent statement that the company is working on system and technology remediation under the Rebuilding Trust Programme.
Despite several requests for comment, Fujitsu has chosen not to address the specific concerns related to its application. Airtricity, however, claims that all other services using the all-island billing system, which includes systems supplied by Hansen, are functioning without issues that materially affect customers.
The source made it clear that while the billing application interacts with Hansen’s system, it operates independently, processing essential data before it gets passed on for billing. The issue has now been escalated to Fujitsu’s headquarters in Japan.
When asked if Fujitsu is tackling these problems, Airtricity stated that queries about Fujitsu’s operations should be directed to them, but Fujitsu remained tight-lipped, citing customer confidentiality.
In March 2024, Fujitsu made the tough choice to halt new business in its Republic of Ireland operations after assessing performance and the market, transferring the contract with SSE Airtricity to its UK branch. An internal email expressed regret over the decision, indicating that Fujitsu would now focus solely on fulfilling existing commitments in Ireland.
Fujitsu and Airtricity have a longstanding partnership, with Fujitsu instrumental in Airtricity’s operations across both Northern Ireland and the Republic. They developed a Customer Information System (CIS), streamlined billing, and managed IT supplier integration.
In December 2023, a senior Airtricity employee acknowledged Fujitsu’s contributions, presenting them with a Certificate of Excellence on behalf of the company’s business and IT support teams.
However, concerns about Fujitsu linger, highlighted by Centrica’s decision not to award a £45 million contract due to worries over reputational risks stemming from the Post Office scandal.
Last year, SSE Airtricity faced issues during a CRM software migration that affected customers in Northern Ireland. While this was linked to SSE’s Project Genesis, which aimed to upgrade core systems, reports indicated unrelated problems for residents. Notably, elderly and vulnerable customers received gas bills despite not having gas boilers.
Airtricity assures that the issues in Northern Ireland have been resolved. A spokesperson explained that a phased approach was taken for the CRM system migration, with disruption minimized. Even so, some customers faced temporary service problems as the new systems were established, which have since been addressed.