Ford Motor Company Take home the Award for Best Telematics Service & Application for Commercial Vehicles for Crew Chief
Posted on 11. Jun, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners, Product
This award was looking to reward the best Telematics Service Provider for commercial vehicles management at this years Telematics Update Event. The Crew Chief telematics application, devloped in partnership with Microlise, was submitted for the award, and was shortlisted back in May. The winners were announced at the Henry Ford Rouge Factory in Dearborn, Detroit on the 7th of June. In winning in the award, the Crew Chief Application demonstrated a high standard of customer service, rapid application development and faultless integration and deployment. Below, Nizam Uddin, the Microlise Project Manager on the Ford Crew Chief Project (Left), Bill Frykman, Business Development Manager for Ford Work Solutions with the award (Center), with Steve Walsh, head of Microlise’s USA operation(Right).
Microlise’s Driver Performance system monitors France’s top drivers at the Charade Circuit event
Posted on 10. Jun, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners, Product
MAN Camions & Bus SAS in France are currently hosting 350 of their top customers at the Charade Circuit in Clemont-Ferrand, France. They are using the Microlise Driver Performance Monitoring Telematics System to evaluate the driving styles of France’s top truck drivers in 5 MAN TGX demonstration vehicles. Microlise’s senior French Business Analyst is at Charade assisting the event and demonstrating the systems capabilities and features, while the Business Analysts in the UK are monitoring the progress of the drivers in realtime. See below for our lastest map view of the event.
Microlise selected as Telematics Awards 2010 Finalist for Ford Crew Chief™ offering
Posted on 04. May, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners, Product
Every year the Telematics Awards recognises and celebrates the key companies that are driving the industry forward and pushing the boundaries in GPS technology.
Microlise have been selected as a finalist for the Industry Newcomer Award for their Crew Chief offering (part of the Ford Work Solutions products).
Organised by Telematics Update, the finalists for these awards stand out in an industry where innovation is expected as the norm, and companies clamor for publicity, platform and prestige.
“This is a crucial year for the industry as the recovery process has already begun, and, telematics players, now more than ever, need to come together to strategise for the next decade of telematics service provision,” says Precksha Saksena, managing director of Telematics Update. “The response has been terrific and Telematics Update would like to each and every company that put itself forward as each and every entry made the competition even more intense. This year’s winners will be celebrated as true leaders in a year that epitomises the strength of the telematics industry, as the industry will continue to pull together in order to innovate and maintain progression and momentum.”
During the past six months, hundreds of companies have nominated themselves or their partners and clients through the Telematics Awards website.
An independent panel of industry experts from the digital automotive, mobile and web industries have analysed the submissions and individually narrowed down each category.
UK Van telematics seminar a success
Posted on 01. Apr, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners, Product
The UK SMMT Telematics Seminar on 24 March proved a great success, with over 50 guests including operators, telematics providers, vehicle makers, civil servants and journalists. The event was designed to raise the profile for telematics and its potential to help van and truck operators save cash, fuel and emissions. Presentations were given by representatives from Ford Motor Company (US) and Tesco.com showing how the use of supplier Microlise’s telematics systems is already having positive and game changing effect on their businesses. TomTom WORK explained how they expected telematics to increase their ability to deliver efficiencies for van operators and a representative of Mediforce explained the important role TomTom plays in his firm’s private ambulance business.
etrac™ To Help Utilities Boost Fleet Efficiency & Improve Air Quality with Microlise
Posted on 23. Mar, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners, Product
ATLANTA – etrac™, a division of PS Energy Group, Inc., will help utility companies throughout North America continue to boost fleet productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the use of customized intelligent vehicle technologies now powered by Microlise.
This is just one of the latest etrac™ solutions offered by PS Energy Group to help customers manage their fixed and mobile assets, including their workforce and fleets. Microlise is an Independent Software Vendor supplying telematics to Ford Motor Company for its vehicles.
“This wireless solution takes the guesswork out of heavy fleet operations,” said Livia Whisenhunt, president and CEO of PS Energy Group, an energy and transportation solutions company. “We can automate the process for gathering data about mileage, speed, driver style, idling, fuel consumption, engine problems, tire pressure and more to improve fleet operations.”
For the past six months, a U.S. utility company has been testing a customized device attached to the computer of a fleet vehicle, which then transmits wireless data to an office computer. Results from the pilot project will help lead the way for other utility companies to burn less fuel and improve air quality.
“Real-time monitoring can help utility companies better serve their customers and improve fleet and driver performance, resulting in a reduction of the cost and environmental impact of fleet operations,” said Steven Walsh, vice president of U.S. operations for Microlise.
About PS Energy Group, Inc.
Founded in 1985, PS Energy Group, Inc. (www.psenergy.com) is a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company that offers business, industry and government a full range of energy and transportation solutions. As one of the nation’s top 35 diversity-owned businesses and the nation’s 4th largest Hispanic-owned energy company, PS Energy Group provides transportation fuels, emergency fueling and fleet management services, including etrac™, a telematics solution that helps improve productivity, profitability and the quality of the environment through better asset monitoring and vehicle tracking.
Media contacts:
Phyllis Weiss, PS Energy Group, Inc., +1(404) 873-6095, weiss@weiss-communications.com
Steven Walsh, Microlise America, +1(404) 889 2841, steven.walsh@microlise.com
Alexandra Robson, Microlise UK, +44(01773) 537478 alexandra.robson@microlise.com
Ford Motor Company & Tesco.com to speak at Van Telematics Seminar
Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders UK will run a half-day seminar on telematics’ role in cutting fuel use, costs and CO2 emissions for van operators. Van traffic is up by 40% over the last ten years and vans now account for about 13% of UK vehicle miles, so they make a big contribution to congestion and CO2 emissions.
“The aim is to start discussion and make people aware of the big savings in fuel use, emissions and cash that are available right now from the intelligent use of telematics,” said Robin Dickeson, manager, commercial vehicle affairs at the SMMT. “Telematics should offer savings of at least 10% within days, while we’ll have to wait longer for most other technologies to make the same difference.”
“Cutting fuel use and van mileages will be vital for those firms committed to cutting their environmental impact,” said Sharon Clancy, editor at M-Logistics, the UK’s leading magazine for telematics and vehicle tracking, who will lead the seminar. “This will also be vital for the UK government to meet its own targets on the environment and climate change.”
Richard Turner, leader of the Commission for Integrated Transport’s van group will deliver the keynote speech and there will be contributions from systems suppliers Microlise Ltd and their customers Ford Motor Company (US) and Tesco.com along with TomTom Work, which will explain how it uses telematics to cut the environmental impact of its home delivery fleet.
The seminar is on 24 March at SMMT’s London head office. It is free to SMMT members; non-members pay a nominal fee of £50 + VAT.
Ford work with Microlise to power Crew Chief, part of Ford’s award winning Work Solutions
Posted on 21. Jan, 2010 by Alex in Partners
In 2008, Ford – having searched the market for a suitable partner – selected Microlise’s Telematics software platform to form part of Ford’s Crew Chief solution. Crew Chief is Ford’s on-board fleet tracking, telematics and diagnostics system available on Ford F-150, F-Series Super Duty, E-Series vans and the new Transit Connect. The Ford F-Series is one of the biggest selling Pickup vehicles in the world – It is the first Automotive OEM installed Telematics product specifically for Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs).Crew Chief is one element of the Ford Work Solution offering. This comprises a collection of technologies created to provide Ford commercial truck and van customers with connectivity, flexibility and security to better manage their businesses. Ford Work Solutions delivers three other innovative features alongside Crew Chief:
Ford Crew Chief, powered by Microlise’s Web-based Telematics platform, provides dynamic Location and performance data which fleet owners can then use to more efficiently manage their vehicles, quickly dispatch workers to job sites, monitor driver performance for safe and economical driving. Vehicle location, engine performance & diagnostics are all captured via a Telematics unit located under the dashboard. Data is transmitted over-air via Sprint’s CDMA network, (Sprint are a US Telecommunications provider), to Microlise’s hosted Telematics web-solution. The Crew Chief application can be accessed from any internet connected computer, including the Ford Work Solutions in-dash computer. The Microlise software allows the user to understand what their fleet is doing in real-time via Microsoft’s Bing mapping data. The user can also monitor how the vehicle is being driven, both in terms of economy and safety via a simple colour coded table. Likewise, should an infringement occur, such as driving without seatbelts, idling or the airbags being deployed, the user will be alerted in real-time. Finally, the system provides users with real-time diagnostic information, such as engine hours, fluid levels, diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), and tyre pressures. Crew Chief uses this information to notify the user when scheduled maintenance is needed or when a fault occurs so it can be immediately addressed. Using state of the art Widget based web-client technology, Crew Chief can easily configured to meet individual users own information needs – giving them the right level of information in the format they need it in, when they need it. The system supports multiple languages. Delivering this real-time vehicle visibility and increased fleet efficiency results in numerous benefits for Ford customers, from significant cost reduction and lower emissions to increased safety and utilization. Microlise’s mission has always been to give fleet operators the highest degree of operational control in the most cost effective way and by working in partnership with Ford, Crew Chief now allows large and small fleet operators to leverage the same benefits. “Ford Work Solutions is just another example of how we listen to our truck customers and deliver features and technology to help them do their jobs easier and more efficiently,” said Bill Frykman, Business Development Manager for Ford Work Solutions. “We’ve been the leader in the segment for 32 years by delivering real-world solutions to our customers. For example, fleets using Crew Chief have experienced increases in fuel economy in excess of 20 percent.”
Since going to market, Ford Work Solutions has gained wide-spread recognition and numerous awards from a variety of industry experts. In October 2009 Ford Work Solutions won the Outstanding Feature Award at the Texas Truck Rodeo which took place in San Antonio on the Famous Knibbe Ranch trail. It was also awarded the number one spot in the top ten features for Half-Ton pickups for Pickuptrucks.com buying guide whose staff commented “Ford hasn’t forgotten commercial customers’ needs. The company is introducing a game-changing suite of work productivity applications.” More recently both Ford Work Solutions and SYNC ® (both Ford exclusive technologies) will be honored with international CES 2010 Innovations Design and Engineering Awards to be held in Las Vegas between the 7th and 10th of January 2010. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers, and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge consumer electronics products across 36 categories. “Microlise have invested a massive amount of time, money and effort in the Ford Crew Chief solution over the last two years – it has represented our largest single Product Development undertaking in recent times” says Steve Walsh, head of Microlise’s USA operation. He further stated, “we are pleased that all this hard work is now beginning to bear fruit, not only with Ford’s customers, who number in their hundreds of thousands, but, given our pedigree has been mainly in the Heavy Goods markets in UK & Europe, it has also provided us with a new platform to enter the Light Commercial Vehicle territory as well”
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On a practical note, Crew Chief comes with a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty when fitted at the factory, can be serviced at any Ford Dealership and has been put through the rigours of the Ford ‘Built Tough’ vehicle testing program.
