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Crystal Collections, the UK’s premier responsible debt servicing company to the motor and asset finance industry, has improved driver safety with in-depth feedback provided by Masternaut’s intelligent telematics system. By improving the understanding of its fleet of recovery vehicles and trucks, Crystal Collections has made a 20% saving on fuel expenditure.

Masternaut’s telematics solution has enabled Crystal Collections’ drivers to use the software’s powerful routing capabilities to find the quickest way to a job. Likewise, fleet managers have a real-time view of the fleet at any time and can dispatch the closest driver to a job, whilst managing client expectations by giving them up to date information on when drivers will arrive.

In understanding how its fleet is driving on an ongoing basis, Crystal Collections has managed to reduce instances of idling, speeding and aggressive handling.

These aspects contributed to Crystal Collection being recognised for its social impact, with the company winning the Wales Responsible Small Business of the Year Award in 2013.

Business Development Director at Crystal Collections, Rhys Hellen, said Masternaut has helped fleet managers achieve their goal of ensuring drivers’ hours and conditions are monitored accurately in accordance with health and safety legislation, and to better understand and improve driver behaviour to create a safer working environment for staff and other road users.

[quote]“With excellent customer service and social responsibility at the heart of our offering, it was vital for us to have a solution that can help us provide better feedback to customers and improve driver safety,”

“With excellent customer service and social responsibility at the heart of our offering, it was vital for us to have a solution that can help us provide better feedback to customers and improve driver safety,” said Mr Hellen.

 

“The reports and data provided by Masternaut has provided us with the means to monitor and improve driver behaviour, whilst simultaneously reducing the amount spent on fuel. The solution has helped us to go the extra mile for our clients, with our customer service team able to give detailed feedback to our clients. Having this level of detail to provide our clients has really helped us to improve satisfaction.”

Martin Hiscox, CEO of Masternaut, added “Crystal Collections’ is a great example of how telematics can be used for much more than vehicle tracking. The company has used telematics to create a safer experience for drivers and other road users, with the end result being a drop in fuel use. We’re delighted to have been able to help them achieve this and to have contributed in helping Crystal Collections to win a prestigious award in the process for its social impact.”

 

The team at service management specialist software provider Tesseract are in for a busy October as they take to the road to showcase their software on both sides of the Atlantic this October.

If you’re in the US you can find them at the MD Expo – Orlando. This event showcases the very latest products and technology in the medical equipment industry.

With a solid reputation for attracting a senior audience, the show runs from the 1st - 3rd October 2014 at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida.

Tesseract, who were the first company to ever develop a cloud based service management solution will be showcasing the latest iteration of their software, Service Centre 5 to the events delegates, having established themselves as a leading player in this sector by working with companies such as Toshiba Medical for many years.

Back in the UK the Tesseract team will also be attending another important event within the medical sector the Healthcare Estates Conference, Exhibition & Dinner which runs from the 7th - 8th October 2014 at Manchester Central Convention Complex.

This is a unique event that brings together the highly prestigious IHEEM Annual Conference, Awards Dinner as well as the UK’s largest trade exhibition for the sector, for which of course enterprise mobility solutions can mean not just impacts on companies bottom line, but can be the difference between life and death itself.

Finally the team will be attending the Ceda Catering Equipment Technical Conference 8th October 2014, Staverton Park Hotel, Daventry, Northants.
This year’s conference will include headline speakers and interactive workshops and will be of great interest to both the general management and the service management of both distributors and suppliers to the catering industry.

 

Ford Motor Company and Telogis launched "Ford Telematics powered by Telogis" yesterday, providing actionable information from Ford commercial vehicles that helps customers reduce fuel costs up to 20 percent^*, reduce their environmental impact and increase driver safety.

Since 2011, Telogis has been the exclusive technology provider to power Ford Crew Chief in North America, the industry’s most comprehensive and scalable telematics solution for commercial customers. The European expansion of the Telogis-Ford partnership leverages the success of Crew Chief and will meet the demand from current and new Ford customers for visibility into day-to-day operations including vehicle/driver location, vehicle and driver performance and exclusive Ford vehicle diagnostics.

“Ford of Europe is delivering on customer demand for visibility, cost savings and safety with Ford Telematics powered by Telogis,” said Bill Frykman, manager, business and product development at Ford Motor Company. “Telogis is our trusted partner, and the success we’ve had with Ford customers in North America made them the only choice for Ford’s European platform offering.”

Making its debut at the 2014 IAA Hannover Commercial Vehicle Show, Ford Telematics powered by Telogis will be available to fleet customers as a dealer-installed option in selected European markets, offered through Ford’s network of specialist Transit Centers, and is warrantied and serviceable at Ford dealerships throughout Europe.

“The launch of Ford Telematics powered by Telogis in Europe is an extension of what has become the industry-standard in OEM telematics in North America,” said Greg Dziewit, vice president, OEM business at Telogis. “Making this offering available to Ford’s European customers will help them run more efficient, cost-effective and safer fleets and transform the way they do business.”

Based on the real-time data, the Ford Telematics powered by Telogis software platform delivers a comprehensive range of actionable business information that enables fleet managers to operate their vehicles in the most efficient way and to help ensure drivers are following safe and economical driving practices.

“Ford Telematics is another example of Ford facilitating the delivery of smart technology to help our customers enjoy the highest quality, safest and most sustainable operation of commercial vehicles available today,” said Steve Barrow, commercial vehicles service operations manager, Ford of Europe.

Demonstrations and more information about the Ford Telematics powered by Telogis offering can be by visiting the Ford stand, Hall 13, No. C54 at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show which opens later this week in Hannover, Germany.

 

Xplore Technologies Corp manufacturer of ultra and fully-rugged tablets, announced earlier this month that they have received an additional order for approximately 1,500 RangerX Pro fully-rugged Android tablets that will be used by a major U.S. telecommunications provider’s field technicians in its construction division.

“We believe that the RangerX Pro fully-rugged Android tablet is the best Android solution in the market today. It is the perfect solution for our customers’ technicians in the field” said Mark Holleran, president and chief operating officer for Xplore Technologies. “This order is a follow on order from an existing telecommunication’s customer and we are pleased to see this key relationship expanding.”

The telecommunications provider selected the fully-rugged RangerX Pro because it increases mobility for its field technicians with battery life of up to 10 hours to maximize time in the field, boosting productivity.

“This order reaffirms Xplore’s decision to expand its product line of ultra-rugged tablets to include fully-rugged products,” said Philip S. Sassower, chairman and chief executive officer for Xplore Technologies. “The RangerX Pro was chosen for its fully-rugged IP65 rating, and at 2.2 pounds field service workers have a versatile device built with Xplore’s proven rugged performance.”

The thin and light RangerX Pro, purchased by the telecommunications company, has optional integrated HDMI-In and Gigabit Ethernet ports enabling the technicians to replace multiple devices previously required to perform daily tasks.

The next session of the Service Community has been announced and will be held in Manchester on the 1st of October. 

Following on from the fantastic success of the last meeting which was dedicated to the memory of founder Steve Downton this event sees yet another fantastic line up of service specialists from across the a broad spectrum of industries speaking.

Sessions include: 

• Professor  Tim Baines, Aston Business School discussing: ‘Challenges faced by UK Manufacturers as they adopt Servitisation as a Growth Strategy’

• John Pritchard, MAC Solutions, discussing “Remote Servicing & Internet of Things – Principles”

• Martin Gilday, Elekta, discussing “Reactive & Proactive Remote Service – Case Study”

• Martin Hotass, Siemens, discussing “Resource Planning for the Future.  Attracting people to the Service Industry”

Event Details:

Date: 1^st October

Time: 1pm – 5pm

Location: Sir William Siemens House, Princess Road, Manchester, M20 2UR

The event is free to attend for all service professionals but please register your attendance in advance by emailing theservicecommunity@gmail.com.

 

The team at Telogis have certainly been busy over the summer with major partnerships with Volvo, Hino and Ford all announced…

Telogis & Hino Trucks

Hino Trucks have recently announced a partnership with Telogis to exclusively release Hino INSIGHT. The platform is a next-generation solution hailed to be a fully comprehensive, web-based location and telematics solution built specifically for the medium-duty commercial truck market.

Hino INSIGHT 2.0 has been developed as part of Hino’s ongoing strategy of building an offering that gives their customers a much improved total cost of ownership (TCO), including better vehicle uptime and user experiences.

Launched within the last few months Hino INSIGHT 2.0 will be standard fit on 2015MY Hino 195h and 195h-DC hybrid models, and as an option on the 195 and 195-DC models and the full conventional truck product lineup.

Commenting on the collaboration Glenn Ellis, Vice President, Marketing, Dealer Operations and Product Planning for Hino Trucks said:

“This next-generation technology brings new functionality, a refined user interface and a robust platform to support the needs of our largest fleet customer or an individual owner-operator,” said Glenn Ellis, Vice President, Marketing, Dealer Operations and Product Planning for Hino Trucks. “Telogis’ significant investments in R&D and product innovation plus its experience in the OEM environment make them the standard for excellence in the connected services industry.”

Telogis & Volvo Trucks

Indeed Telogis are fast becoming a part of the furniture in the road haulage industry, with Telogis now also bringing built-in compliance, telematics and navigation services to Volvo Trucks customers in North America.

Volvo customers are able to access Telogis’ services via smartphones and tablets by leveraging Volvo’s integrated connected vehicle hardware, standard on new Volvo-powered Volvo trucks.

It is also available for the existing 60,000 Volvo trucks already equipped with the connected vehicle hardware, making the Telogis platform ideal for all-Volvo or mixed fleets.

In commercial trucking’s evolving legislative and regulatory landscape, Telogis’ offerings for Volvo Trucks help drivers and back office teams manage FMCSA compliance and keep drivers safer by delivering electronic log tools and routing information that is specifically designed commercial drivers.

“We’re pleased to collaborate with Telogis to deliver tremendous value to motor carriers seeking flexibility and the robust information needed to fine-tune their operations,” said Göran Nyberg, president, Volvo Trucks North American Sales & Marketing.

“Leveraging the connectivity of our vehicles to facilitate fleet management services represents a breakthrough for fleet managers, who are no longer captive to hardware. As part of our long-term strategic focus, we’ll look toward further integration of our vehicles with best-in-class fleet management solutions.”

“With increasingly complex compliance regulations and the need to more effectively manage safety, productivity and costs – telematics, compliance and navigation software are no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it’s now a ‘have to have,’” said Susan Heystee, executive vice president, worldwide sales at Telogis.

“The ability to easily access mission-critical tools and information from the Telogis platform will transform the way Volvo Trucks’ customers do business.”

Telogis & Ford Crew Cheif

Moving from trucks to vans we also find Telogis once again appearing in one of the largest launches of the year.

This time its in partnership with Ford Motor Company and their launch of the all-new 2015 Ford Transit line of vans – perhaps one of the the company’s largest, most significant commercial vehicle launch in their history.

Telogis is the exclusive technology provider behind Ford Crew Chief, the market-leading, light-duty commercial telematics solution that comes factory-fit in Ford’s lineup of 2015 Transit vans as well as its complete line of commercial light-duty trucks. Ford Crew Chief powered by Telogis again aims to home in on the growing awareness that telematics solutions can help fleet managers and commercial vehicle owners reduce costs, improve driver safety and optimise operations.

“The 2015 Ford Transit, America’s newest Built Ford Tough van, will no doubt become an essential part of any commercial fleet, and with Ford Crew Chief powered by Telogis added in, customers receive a whole new level of visibility into their daily operations,” said Bill Frykman, manager, business and product development at Ford Motor Company.

“Ford Crew Chief, another example of Transit’s smart features, complements the Transit line by helping customers save money through fuel management, and more effective route and work planning; keep their drivers safer by understanding and coaching driver behavior; and improving overall operations by getting a big-picture view of maintenance, location and productivity.” 

A recent report into the telematics sector undertaken by Juniper Research has identified that in-vehicle apps is anticipated to reach almost 270 million within the next four five years. This represents an increase of more than five fold on last year’s figures.

The findings are revealed in the report Connected Cars: Consumer & Commercial Telematics and Infotainment 2014-2018, which also indicates that the dramatic growth in the market will be driven solutions such as Apple’s CarPlay, which will raise awareness of and introduce the concept of in-vehicle apps to the general populace.

The report also suggests that app integration will become simpler as more standardised approaches such as MirrorLink become adopted by Original Equipment Manufacturers.

Report Author Anthony Cox commented “By 2018 most new vehicles will come with integrated apps as standard, after-market app integration will also be commonplace, as head-unit manufacturers launch increasingly sophisticated devices”.

However, Cox also noted that as with smartphone apps, only a small proportion of in-vehicle apps will create revenues for their creators, despite the fact that many will enhance the driving experience.

Given that a number of high profile companies already have such as NavMan, Garmin and TomTom already have a strong presence in driving related smart phone apps, the market may be harder for smaller developers to break through as well.

Meanwhile Google have also ramped up their efforts in the in-vehicle app space with the announcement of their new voice based system Android Auto which will connect Android smartphones to the existing display of compatible cars

In a similar move to Apple’s CarPlay, Google has opted for a USB plug & play option rather than hardwiring their OS to every available car. With both OEM and After Market Manufactures seeming to be moving toward dual integration across iOS and Android it seems that it will be easier to avoid being tied into any particular ecosystem when it comes to this growing market of in-vehicle apps.

 

Google put much of their focus on safety with Android Auto trying to move the driver away from any physical use of their smartphone whilst on the road, claiming to make full use of the latest voice recognition algorithms.

However, there are still doubts around Google’s voice recognition, which lags far behind Apple’s powerful Siri system. Google Voice must improve vastly if it is to sit at the heart of a hands free system positioned as a big safety feature.

With in-vehicle apps now coming into the main stream the connected vehicle is becoming very much no longer a thing of the future but something that is practically in the hear and now and vehicle manufacturers are gearing their models to house the systems now.

Audi have committed to implementing Android Auto in some of their 2015 models and both Volvo and Mercedes have also confirmed that they will be supporting both Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto.

Whilst in-vehicle technology is often a little behind other standard electronics devices due to a more rigorous testing process than other standalone devices. To be fair you’d expect your car to last a lot longer than your mobile phone so the standards for in-vehicle technology are a lot higher.

However, it does seem that finally the motor industry has become smart about technology and whilst we have seen many benefits come from telematics in professional fleet management, the further adoption of in-vehicle apps will only serve to both reduce costs and drive development forward.

 

One of the worlds leading companies in specialised fleet management payment cards FleetCor have significantly increased their role in the European fleet management sector by acquiring one of Europe’s leading telematics providers Masternaut.

The acquisition, which was made in partnership with growth equity firm Summit Partners, will open up huge cross sales opportunities across both customer bases with Masternaut rapidly becoming an acknowledged leader in the telematics industry across the whole of the Europe, whilst FleetCor themselves already have an enviable footprint amongst European companies who operate a fleet via the proliferation of their fuel cards.

Masternaut’s rise to prominence has been both swift (the company is less than 20 years old) and impressive with the organisation now boasting over 300,000 vehicles and people connected to the their SaaS based solution. More than 15,000 users interact every hour with the systems, and over 50 million data transactions are processed into 20,000 reports on a daily basis.

One such customer, Irish gourmet sandwich provider Deli-Lites Ireland, recently announced that they have been able to increase delivery performance by 14% after bringing on board the telematics provider. Fleet managers for the Irish firm are now able to gain a far more accurate picture of the performance of their vehicles including the amount of fuel used, MPG, and run times.

The impact has been impressive, with co-ordination challenges minimised and impressive fuel savings of 10% already being witnessed alongside Deli- Lites Ireland now having the ability to accurately measure the temperature of vehicles remotely, something, which is of course a huge factor for any food delivery company.

A further benefit to Deli-Lites Ireland is being felt in their HR division where they have implemented a driver-training plan to further improve driver performance.

This is a route that many other companies need to follow according to research from Masternaut themselves. 70% of companies surveyed admitted that their employers do not offer any such training. This is despite the fact that in the UK legislation is now in place to ensure that driver standards are being constantly monitored and improved.

In fact the same survey revealed 40% of British drivers were unaware of the legislation and remain in the dark on how their employers intend to monitor and improve their standards.

When we consider that a fifth of respondents also stated that they have had an accident whilst driving for work and that when asked who would be liable for such an accident, 80% said it would be their responsibility, while 20% thought an accident would be their employer’s, the need to build better understanding of such driver improvement programs and increase participation becomes even greater.

Martin Hiscox, CEO and chairman of Masternaut, commented,

“Driving for work is recognised as one of the most dangerous occupations and these findings clearly demonstrate a vital need for employers to educate staff on safe driving practices. There is a clear need for this to happen and the technology, the tool-kits for training, monitoring and improving driver behaviour all exist. The insurance industry is spending £2.2bn in claims annually, processing over 792,000 claims for commercial fleet insurance. This is the tip of the iceberg when you consider on-costs, downtime and the cost to businesses that self-insure.”

“It raises a bigger issue for employers about not having visibility of their mobile workforce, so they can ensure they are safe and can put steps in place to spot problems and deal with them. The Telematics industry is making huge steps to help the commercial fleet but even now we are surprised that so few employers are offering their staff the chance to take driver training, to ensure they’re kept safe whilst on the road and helping them be safer and more efficient.”

With such savings at stake and governments across Europe clamping down on poor driver behaviour, FleetCor’s move to firmly become an active part of the telematics industry through their acquisition of Masternaut couldn’t be better timed.

This was certainly echoed in FleetCor Chairman and CEO Ron Clarke’s comments at the time the merger was announced.

“We are delighted to team up with Summit Partners in acquiring Masternaut. In a short period of time, Masternaut has developed the best-in-class telematics product and a pan-European footprint. We at FleetCor have valuable fleet customer and partner relationships in Europe. Combination of the two would allow us to deliver more value to our clients, differentiate our product offerings, and ultimately grow our businesses.”

 

Lets be honest its no longer a question of if our companies’ go mobile it is now a case of when… and if you want to stay in touch with your competition the when really must be now.

There has been an incredible quantum leap forward within the last few years in Enterprise Mobility and it is changing the way we work, how we drive our customer experience, our business processes and even our core strategies.

In response to this massive sea change McDonald Butler Associates have brought together some of the leading figures within Enterprise Mobility Management for an exceptional one day event to be held in London on the 18^th of September.

The event titled “The Mobility of Things” is intended to bring clear insight to those business leaders facing the challenge of how to make the transformational step into business in the twenty first century and to lay down the key groundwork for establishing a heightened competitive advantage. The event is designed to provide you with the tools you need to harness the unprecedented and continuous change that mobility is bringing to the business environment.

 

In the next three years the role of IT leaders within business will become absolutely critical, and it all begins here.

McDonald Butler have brought together some of the biggest companies in Enterprise Mobility and the event will feature key presentations and panel discussions from senior mobility experts from a range of varying organisations including:

• John Delaney, Associate Vice President, European Mobility at IDC
• Greg Nugent. Director of Brand, Marketing and Culture for the London Olympics and Paralympics
• Simon Meredith, CIO IBM Global Technology Services, IBM
• John Spencer, Director of Systems Engineering, Citrix Systems
• Kris Oldland, Editor, Field Service News.

Hosted in The Brewery, a stunning Grade II listed building that once formed the heart of Whitbread’s 19^th Century beer making empire in the City area of London, there is a packed full day agenda which runs from registration and refreshments at 8.00am through to a networking drinks reception closing at 7pm.

Agenda highlights include:

The Critical Path to Enterprise Mobility Maturity – How Ready is Your Organisation?

John Delaney, Associate Vice President, European Mobility at IDC

Mobility is no longer a “nice to have” but a critical business requirement for most enterprises. However, the complexity of mobility, the rapid pace of technology advances, and particularly additional budget and dedicated resources required are all contributing to a mixed approach in the adoption and development of mobility strategies across Europe.

John Delaney, European Mobility at IDC will present the latest findings from the extensive 2014 IDC Mobility Maturity Model survey which provides a peer-to-peer framework of the stages, critical measures, outcomes and actions required for organisations to effectively leverage mobility to drive competitive advantage, and transform engagement with customers, employees and business partners. He will reveal how industry leaders from across Europe are using the model to benchmark their own progress, uncover maturity gaps and build a more tailored roadmap to fast-track success. John will also be discussing today’s employee imperative, and explaining why he feels 4G will be a big the “game-changer” for enterprise mobility in 2015 and beyond.

Insight and Lessons from London 2012 Olympics: The Power of a Mobile Enabled Customer Experience

Greg Nugent, former Director of Brand, Marketing and Culture for the London Olympics and Paralympics

Greg Nugent draws on his experience as Director of Brand, Marketing and Culture for the London Olympics and Paralympics to show why a holistic mobile-centric approach to the customer journey is essential for success. With remarkable stories from behind the scenes of the most ambitious and connected Games ever, Greg will reveal why mobile strategies that are part of an integrated customer experience strategy deliver superior results.

He’ll also look at the dramatic changes in mobile customer experiences in the two years since the Games, the businesses that inspire him today, and why the most satisfying (and profitable) customer journeys have mobile built in, not bolted on

Business In Motion – Transform your Organisation into A Profitable Mobile Enterprise 

Piero A. Chiodo, Director, Mobility Services Center of Competency IBM Global Technology Services

Creating a mobile strategy is the easy part. More challenging is developing one that is enables your organisation to drive new revenue streams and a return on engagement and investment. Piero will explain how mobility technology is evolving from simple productivity tools to an integrated portfolio of key drivers for business transformation and profitability. He will explore how enterprises that define and implement their own mobility services strategy will gain a significant competitive advantage.

The agenda also includes case studies on companies who have already enabled their mobile workforce, a number of interactive panel debates and breakout session with 3 dedicated streams focussing on working in a connected world, Strategy, Risk and Governance and Building the Business Case.

 

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Remaining spaces for this event are still available although they are limited. If you wish to attend then you can register for this event for free by clicking this link.

 

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You can also find out more about this event in our dedicated page in the Field Service News Directory where you will find further information as well as case studies, white papers and video from some of the companies speaking.