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Kwik Fit has achieved accreditation to the Freight Transport Association’s Van Excellence scheme after introducing a series of safe driving initiatives capped by the installation of telematics devices in its entire 200-strong fleet of mobile vans.

Following telematics implementation in the fleet six months ago, Kwik Fit has recorded an 8% saving on fuel bills as a result of technicians adopting a smoother and safer style of driving when at the wheel of the Mobile units.

Additionally, average fuel economy across the Mobile fleet has increased from 22mpg to 25mpg - a 13% improvement partly as a result of safer driving, but also due a reduction in vehicle idling, which is also monitored.

The saving builds on improvements made in the preceding two years when economy increased from 17mpg to 22mpg after Kwik Fit started to publish fuel consumption data on a van-by-van basis following introduction of ‘track and trace’ vehicle technology.

Introduction of the Telogis telematics technology has initially focused on using data recorded by the in-vehicle systems to influence driver behaviour and reduce fleet operating costs.

Kwik Fit fleet operations director Simon Lucas said: “We have witnessed a dramatic reduction in speeding, harsh braking and acceleration by technicians who have improved their driving style as a consequence of being monitored.

More than 100 fleets are now “accredited operators” to Van Excellence and Mr Lucas said: “It demonstrates clearly Kwik Fit’s commitment to duty of care and corporate responsibility and highlights that our fleet of Mobile vans is professionally managed.”

In congratulating Kwik Fit on its accreditation, Mark Cartwright, head of vans at the Freight Transport Association, said: “Van Excellence represents what good looks like in terms of van operations. We are delighted to recognise the excellent compliance standard demonstrated by Kwik Fit’s mobile service and have therefore awarded it Van Excellence accreditation.”

Kwik Fit is among a host of high-profile businesses that have gained Van Excellence accreditation for their fleets since the initiative was launched in 2010.

Van Excellence was created in order to promote high standards of van operation and driving by accrediting operators against an industry code of good practice. Operators register their interest and receive details of the Van Excellence Code, then present themselves for audit when they are ready.

 

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Service management software provider ServicePower recently announced that a professional services company that provides global commercial and residential property services has successfully gone live with ServiceScheduling.

The technology platform, which was delivered on time and on budget, will enable the client to more easily fulfil highly competitive facilities management/service management Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for some of the world’s largest organisations, while at the same time improving both the productivity and control of operations in the field.

ServicePower’s patented scheduling and connected mobile platform enables the client, which has tens of thousands of employees, to optimally schedule field based resources, fully mobilise field based processes and monitor activities in real time, so that services are optimised and SLAs met. The first phase of the service management project went live for UK based field based resources, with subsequent phases planned for France, Brazil, and Mexico.

 

"The property management sector is highly competitive,” said Marne Martin, CEO of ServicePower.

 

"With our service management platform, field-based companies know they can build a ‘connected field organisation’. This means business processes are highly automated and visible across the service chain so that they can move faster and offer more favourable service level terms to clients than the competition.  Additionally, with ServicePower’s focus on investment in latest cloud, mobile, analytics and M2M technologies, they know that they can expect flexible, cutting edge technology.”

Recently named by Gartner as a Visionary in its 2014 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management, December 22, 2014 by William McNeill, Michael Maoz and Jason Wong, this latest deal demonstrates how ServicePower’s focus on technological innovation translates into real business benefits for companies operating in the service management sectors. For example, as M2M connected devices continue to penetrate the property sector, ServicePower’s M2M Connected Services and Smart Scheduling Broker service management technologies will allow the client to act proactively with a predictive response to pre-empt equipment failure at properties before they becomes a problem.

As it operates in a highly changeable sector, the configurable nature of ServicePower’s service management technology was deemed important to the client because it will be able to rapidly adjust the platform to internal and external change at minimal cost.

"The selection of SevicePower for another global organisation further underlines our increasing momentum,” continued Martin. “Companies increasingly understand the importance of technology to take their businesses to the next level; they also recognise that with our unique, connected and highly flexible technology, ServicePower is best positioned to support them today and in the future in this objective.”

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Enterprise technology expert, Keytree has developed an interactive tool for food charity Plan Zheroes, to help address food waste in the fight against UK food poverty.

Launched today, Plan Zheroes’ new platform acts as a social network where relationships are built between food businesses and charities to ensure communication is quick and simple and food reaches those in need, safely and conveniently.

When an organisation has surplus food to donate, they can now sign into a secure site, upload their information, and nearby charities will instantly receive a notification of the available food. Charities can then claim the food online, and a network of local volunteers and transporters can help transport the food where required.

The platform is designed in a highly scalable way to grow with the charity.  It offers a complex mapping feature and hosts communities within a website to help build relationships between food businesses, charities, local community groups and volunteers to speed up the process of regular food giving.

 

“The platform is fully responsive from desktop down to smartphone, with all functionality available across devices.  We decided to create a responsive web solution to keep ongoing costs for the charity down so maintenance is done across a single platform rather than a website,” said Ian Jones, Principal Consultant, Keytree.

 

“It also works on all devices through either an iOS or Android app. We are now considering working on a standalone app and the use of SMS functionality to enable those volunteers without smartphones to also take part in the process.”

Whilst 13 million people are living in poverty in the UK, 650,000 tonnes of perfectly good food is thrown away by food businesses. Plan Zheroes seeks to address this by inspiring food businesses to give their surplus food to those who need it so it will never go to waste.

Maria Ana Neves, Co-founder and CEO of Plan Zheroes said: “Keytree has included some unique and highly innovative functionality to address a very complicated collaboration structure. The user experience and user-centric design is ideal for those who will use the site. The team also unlocked valuable insights such as bringing volunteers and transporters into the map and transforming the new platform into a social network.”

“The launch of our new platform is the important next step on our journey to fight food poverty and the devastating effect it is having on people in the UK. It allows a better connection between local networks of businesses, charities, volunteers and transporters, making the process simpler, quicker and more intuitive. With Keytree’s offer of pro bono help we can now further expand the network to support even more people in need of food.”

The Plan Zheroes website can be found at www.planzheroes.org

Plan Zheroes currently works with a wide range of food businesses - including restaurants, catering companies, cafes, food shops, schools, supermarkets, hotels and food markets – all of which can now register on the Plan Zheroes website and forge links with charities and local community group. Plan Zheroes partners include Borough Market, Paul UK, Le Pain Quotidien, Gail’s bakery, the Langham Hotel, catering company Squid & Pear and Budgens. Charity partners include Red Cross UK, Look Ahead, the Marylebone Project, New Horizon and The Abbey Centre.

 

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Event Name:Enterprise Mobile Technology 2015
Date: 26 February, 2015
Registration: Click here to register

Overview: Hosted by Panasonic Toughbook & Toughpad the Enterprise Mobile Technology 2015 is a unique one day event bringing together leading executives and key decision makers, partners and suppliers from the mobile services industries.

The event is designed to provide a platform to discuss smarter technologies for a connected mobile workforce. You’ll hear from industry experts, explore new and emerging technologies and also have the opportunity to network with peers and colleagues.

From discussions about the tablet productivity revolution to connectivity in the field and transforming mobile operations, this is a must-attend event.

The day has a full itinerary planned with a number of key speakers including

• Kevin Tristram - General Manager, UK & Ireland Panasonic Computer Product Solutions
• David Rodger, Commercial Lead, Windows Business Group, Microsoft UK
• Lee Johnson - Director, Global Marketing, NetMotion
• Kris Oldland - Editor of Field Service News

With a mix of workshops, presentations and networking including a gala dinner with guest speaker Alan Hansen the day is set top be an excellent opportunity for all field service professionals and those who are responsible for the effective management of a mobile workforce.

 

"With terms such as the 'fourth paradigm', 'industry 4.0' and the 'golden age of information' being readily applied to the early decades of the twenty first century, it is in no doubt that we are currently in the middle of a perfect storm of innovation that is pushing both technology and industry beyond evolution and into revolution."

"Not only is this happening but it is happening faster and faster than ever before. So how will the field engineer of five years time differ from the engineer of today? This is what intend to explore in my presentation at Enterprise Mobile Technology 2015 and it will be great to hear how others at the event see the future also"

The event is being hosted at the Hilton at St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trent which is approximately 30 miles from Birmingham and trains from London St Pancras and Euston both run regular services to either Derby or Lichfield Trent Valley stations respectively which are close enough to get a taxi from. 

A limited number of tickets are still available and registration ends this week.

You can register for the event on this link

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Specialist time critical logistics provider Bespoke Distribution Aviation (BDA) has become a Regulated Agent for the screening of cargo, following a significant investment in new screening technology. 

The company has announced that its BDA NightExpress division has passed the stringent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Security Audit and is now able to process air cargo to meet all aviation security regulations. From its Coventry hub in the UK, BDA NightExpress is already screening its own outbound freight to its Ireland hub, as well as scanning inbound and outbound freight to its hubs in Frankfurt and Maastricht.

The move is part of a wider growth strategy for BDA which last year saw the company negotiate deals with such brands as Suzuki, Arvato STOK, GE Healthcare and Neways. The ability to screen outbound freight for Ireland, Netherlands and Germany is a particular boost considering recent growth in the Irish logistics market. As Irish consumers embrace ecommerce, spending €3.8m online every minute last year, the country currently offers strong potential for BDA in the etail, agricultural, medical and automotive markets that it serves.

Regulated Agent status has followed a six-figure investment by BDA in a cutting edge Rapiscan 632DV system for pallet and air cargo screening, which enables the company to perform its own dual-view X-ray screening of inbound and outbound cargo.

The machine, which has been designed for the inspection of pallet and break bulk cargo screening, utilises dual view technology to screen items. Coupled with the machine’s impressive image quality, this allows a high throughput of screened items.

BDA Managing Director Kevin Turner commented: “We have ambitious growth plans at BDA and becoming a Regulated Agent for cargo screening is a major step in the right direction for us. Not only does it enable us to become more self-sufficient as a company, but it also means that we can ensure the cargo we carry on our dedicated In-Night flights is both secure and protected.”

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Xplore Technologies a manufacturer of the most powerful, longest-lasting, ultra and fully-rugged tablets, recently announced Xplore xCapture Pro camera software for its Bobcat and XC6 Windows-based tablet PCs. The new camera software provides end users with photo editing, geo tagging and enhanced barcode scanning functionality. The addition of xCapture Pro as an integrated tool for the Bobcat and XC6 reduces the need for additional devices in the field and offers functionality to enhance the productivity of mobile workforces.

“We continue to listen to our customers and deliver the features and capabilities they’re looking for. Customers in vertical markets such as utilities, field service and insurance can take advantage of these enhanced features to improve productivity in the field,” said Mark Holleran, president and COO at Xplore Technologies. “Our new xCapture Pro camera software is another example of the innovative engineering and design that Xplore is bringing to its robust line of ultra and fully-rugged tablet PCs.”

Xplore xCapture Pro is an ideal enterprise solution for field service calls, asset management, inventory management or occasional scanning of barcodes. The software is also beneficial for users who may need to know the time and location for when and where a photo was taken, such as a field service technician or insurance adjustor who wants to document an event or condition. They can also use the software to simply edit a photo or make notes on the image.

Features and Benefits

· Photo Editing: Software provides users the ability to crop, flip, rotate or annotate images. Field workers who have experience taking photos with their cell phones and editing with the tools that are available in popular consumer apps, such as Instagram, can quickly apply those same skills to the xCapture Pro software, minimizing the need for training, increasing the quality of images and allowing for innovative uses in the field.

· Geotagging: Users can now take a single picture of an incident or site with all relevant information included, eliminating extra documentation. xCapture Pro utilizes the tablet’s GPS location data to embed coordinates with a time/date stamp on the lower left corner of a photo and display the image taken location on a map which can be instantly shared by email or upload.

· Barcode Scanning: Functionality traditionally only available as a peripheral or additional device costing hundreds of dollars. The new feature enables usage of the Bobcat or XC6 cameras as a barcode scanner for light scanning needs.

Xplore Technologies a manufacturer of powerful, longest-lasting, ultra and fully-rugged tablets, recently announced it has secured a $2 million (US) order for its XC6 DMSR ultra-rugged Windows tablets from a company providing infrastructure services to utility and telecommunication companies. This newest order expands on a relationship with the company that began in 2008, when Xplore technology was initially deployed.

“Our customer has a mobile workforce of more than 1,300 employees and having a ruggedized tablet solution to meet their needs in rugged field conditions is critical to their responsiveness and productivity,” said Philip S. Sassower, chairman and CEO of Xplore.

“Their team has been using Xplore tablets for many years and upgrading their mobile initiatives with the latest Xplore model, the XC6 DMSR ultra-rugged tablet, was based on the decision to continue to outfit their field technicians with cost-effective sunlight readable and weatherproof technology.”

 

The XC6 DMSR is the most rugged Windows® tablet on the market and is ideal for industrial and outdoor environments.

Powered by a 4th generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor, the high-performance rugged tablet features a direct sunlight readable display, as well as an innovative resistive, multi-touch interface to make running your toughest applications easier than ever--no matter how extreme the environment.

“We have a very positive and long standing relationship with this customer, and we are very excited they have decided to expand and upgrade their mobile technology infrastructure utilizing Xplore rugged tablets,” said Mark Holleran, president and COO.

“We are confident our XC6 DMSR will meet all their mobility needs with the industry’s leading processing power, ruggedization and security features they require for their expanding field workforce.”

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DA Systems, a market leader in the provision of mission critical sameday courier software, has announced a unique offer to support sameday couriers affected by the collapse of City Link.

It is giving any courier with evidence of previous employment by City Link the opportunity to use Express completely free of charge and start trading as an independent courier business. Express is a new, cloud based software solution designed to run every aspect of a sameday courier operation, from job pricing and scheduling, to delivery route planning, with real-time parcel tracking and proof of delivery notifications to customers.

DA Systems’ offer of free access to Express for ex-City Link workers is worth over £400 and available to any courier presenting evidence of former employment or self-employment with City Link and wishing to establish a micro courier business. In return, they will have the opportunity to use Express completely free, for the first two months.

 

Using ACI Express will allow a courier to have access to a single, centralised and integrated system that has been specially designed to meet the changing needs of the time sensitive courier industry.  As a cloud based solution, no upfront investment is required, the system is web-based and can be accessed by any connected device.

“The advent of courier networks and steady demand for e-commerce fulfillment means there has never been a better time to set up in businesses and take control of their future. Rather than working for a single delivery provider, it might be more prudent to spread the risk and become self-employed. With free access to Express, they have the opportunity to give it a try for two months.” says David Upton, CEO of DA Systems.

Latest estimates suggest the courier market is now worth £7bn annually, which can be well served by entrepreneurial independent couriers.

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Kony, Inc., a leading enterprise mobility company, yesterday announced the appointment of Jonathan Best as vice president of Europe and Africa.  As part of the company’s growth strategy, Best will focus on building Kony’s operations, channels, and sales presence across Europe and Africa.

The appointment of Best is part of the company’s aggressive growth strategy to deliver the highest level of value and service to its growing base of enterprise customers in EMEA who are focused on using mobility to drive customer loyalty, employee empowerment and business process improvement.  Many companies are using mobility as a catalyst for innovation for their businesses, especially with the explosive growth of mobile devices globally.

Best brings with him twenty years of sales leadership experience within the technology industry.  Most recently, Best was the head of innovation sales, and board director at SAP UKI, which included the mobility portfolio.  Prior to SAP, Best was vice president, Sales, Health Sciences, at Oracle, as well as managing director at Cordys UK, now OpenText.

In his earlier career, Best had a senior sales role at IBM, and then joined SAP, where having established a successful sales record, he was appointed chief operating officer in China, before being appointed vice president, strategy and operations in Japan.

[quote float ="left"]Best’s track record of building sales teams, his international pedigree and technology industry experience are second to none and we are thrilled to have him on board.

Blake Sallé, president, field operations, Kony, Inc, said: “Best’s track record of building sales teams, his international pedigree and technology industry experience are second to none and we are thrilled to have him on board.

 

Attracting someone of his calibre is a great endorsement of our strategy and ambition. Best’s knowledge and insight will be vital as we continue our ambitious plans to grow and market our innovative mobile solutions to our clients in the European region. Best has a keen understanding of the market and how we can better serve the unique enterprise mobility needs of our customers.”

Jonathan Best, vice president of Europe and Africa, Kony Inc, said:

“Kony has the enviable and well-deserved reputation as the leading enterprise mobility player.  Organisations understand the importance of mobility, but many are not equipped to take full advantage and to embrace its potential.

We have a tremendous opportunity to grow further and continue to diversify into new sectors, bringing our strong business values and service delivery to match the needs and demands of our clients across Europe.  Kony is in an excellent position to capitalise on the growth opportunities presented by the technology, and I am excited to be on board and part of the great team that will take the business to the next level.”

For two years in a row, Gartner has named Kony a Leader in its Magic Quadrant for Mobile Application Development Platforms. Kony provides industry-leading enterprise mobility solutions to help businesses compete in mobile time, by rapidly delivering multi-edge mobile apps across the broadest array of devices and systems today and in the future.

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