MiX TELEMATICS

Monday, 18 January 2010 07:45

CARBON FOOTPRINT REDUCTION AND COMPETITION FROM FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EXPECTED TO BE KEY TOPICS FOR TELEMATICS SOLUTIONS PROVIDER IN 2010

Johannesburg, South Africa, 18 January 2010 – While 2009 will go down in history as one of the most challenging years from an economic perspective, experts see a glimmer of hope on the horizon for 2010 - even if it is only a small one. The commercial vehicle and transport sector has been hit hard in particular, which has forced fleet owners to increase their focus even further on efficient management of their vehicles.

MiX Telematics, a global provider in fleet management and telematics solutions, expects this overall trend to continue. “We see the efficient usage of existing fleets, driven by cost savings, that can be achieved through the implementation of intelligent telematics, vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions,” says Brendan Horan General Manager Sales and Marketing for MiX Telematics Africa.

According to Horan the top five trends to look out for from a vehicle tracking and fleet management perspective for 2010 are:

1.   Reduction of carbon emissions – The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 was only one indicator of how huge the topic of Global Warming is. The pressure on commercial fleets continues to grow, and they have to prepare for more and stricter regulations all over the world.

2.   Mobile applications and ubiquitous access – The number of vehicle tracking and telematics solutions that are accessible via mobile platforms such as the iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Windows Mobile will increase remarkably. “The recently launched MiX Mobile application is a prime example of delivering relevant information and features to a user’s fingertips,” says Horan.

3.   Location based services (LBS) and personal tracking – Horan says the potential of LBS has not yet been fully recognised. However, it is been expected that 2010 is the tipping point for the use of LBS in enterprises, which will be an interesting development for the telematics industry. Through the success of LBS in the consumer market, personal tracking becomes more and more popular with end users.

4.   New systems and price pressure – Telematics technology has not only advanced dramatically but also become more common and affordable. Horan says this has two consequences. “Manufacturer and solutions providers will increasingly feel the price pressure in 2010 and secondly we will see a trend towards substitution of ‘traditional’ on-board computers which will be replaced by fancy mobile devices that can communicate with vehicles as effectively.”

5.   A new level of user experience – Applications like Microsoft’s Silverlight bring a new level of user experience to fleet owners who use web front-ends to manage their fleets. While in the past the user experience was restricted by browser limitations, the web is increasingly introducing new technologies that add an extra layer of user experiences that was never before available. “More sophisticated, faster applications put more control in the hands of users and will be a key differentiator between telematics services, says Horan.

Horan says that health and safety, and fuel savings will also remain two important key topics for the industry. On the health and safety side we have already seen a major crackdown on bus safety over the last quarter with many coaches being removed off the roads. Horan says to improve the safety of motor coaches, more in-depth driver training and on-board computers to ensure compliance will soon become a necessity.

On the issue of fuel savings, if the world economy continues to rebound, many experts expect the price of crude oil to head back towards USD 100 per barrel again. This will put additional pressure on fleet owners resulting in cost savings based on decreased fuel consumption to remain a big draw card.

“Many of these challenges facing the fleet owners are interconnected and can be addressed with sophisticated vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions as provided by MiX Telematics,” concludes Horan.

About MiX Telematics

Founded in 1995, MiX Telematics is a global provider of vehicle tracking and fleet management products and services to consumers and companies of all sizes in over 75 countries on six continents. The company’s commercial product range – formerly marketed under the VDO brand and sold by Siemens VDO for 10 years - helps fleet owners ensure driver and passenger safety, reduce fleet running and fuel costs, comply with selected industry regulations, and track and protect vehicles and drivers. Commercial customers include Parmalat, Schlumberger, Chevron, Greyhound, Spar, and Scania. MiX Telematics has offices in South Africa, the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, Dubai and work via an extensive global distribution network.

For more information, please visit www.mixtelematics.com

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