January 28, 2016

Accenture Helps FirstEnergy Identify More Than $450 Million in Cost Savings Over Three Years



Accenture Strategy engagement helps drive enhanced competitiveness


AKRON, OHIO; Jan. 28, 2016 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has helped FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE), a leading U.S. diversified energy company, develop its Cash Flow Improvement Program (CFIP) that is expected to help deliver $453 million in cost savings over the next three years.

The project, currently being implemented, was launched in April 2015 to capture both immediate and long-term savings to help drive competitiveness and improve the agility of operations. With the support of Accenture Strategy, FirstEnergy conducted a 12-week analysis of savings and operational improvements that focused on cost savings in supply chain, finance, customer care, transmission and distribution and power generation.

The CFIP program is an enterprise-wide effort to help improve cash flow through reduced expenses in both company operations and the generating fleet, with a particular focus on sub-critical fossil-fuel power plants and lower fossil fuel and fuel-related commodity expenses. Employee attrition across the company and a more selective hiring program also are helping drive cost savings.

The project identified more than 100 cost-reduction opportunities, with about 65 percent of the savings expected from lower operating expenses and 35 percent from lower capital expenditure and nuclear fuel expenditure improvements over a three-year period.

“Accenture is a key team member with FirstEnergy, and its recent work on our Cash Flow Improvement Process has been critical to the success of this project,” said Chuck Jones, president and CEO of FirstEnergy. “I set a very demanding schedule and financial targets, and the project exceeded the targets and was delivered on time.”

“Our support of FirstEnergy’s leadership team is helping the company overcome the impact of lower prices for natural gas and electricity,” said Jack Azagury, senior managing director for Accenture North American utilities practice. “FirstEnergy dedicated an outstanding and very senior team to this effort, which allowed our combined team to have a material impact on the company’s financials and competitiveness within a short period of time.”

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 373,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Strategy operates at the intersection of business and technology. We bring together our capabilities in business, technology, operations and function strategy to help our clients envision and execute industry-specific strategies that support enterprise wide transformation. Our focus on issues related to digital disruption, competitiveness, global operating models, talent and leadership help drive both efficiencies and growth. For more information, follow @AccentureStrat or visit www.accenture.com/strategy.

About FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy Corp. is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. Its generation subsidiaries currently control nearly 18,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro and other renewables. Its home page is www.firstenergycorp.com.

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Contacts:
Matthew McGuinness
Accenture
+ 1 917 282 7187
matthew.mcguinness@accenture.com