Vehicle tracking company Isotrak is set to launch a unique fleet management system that will allow users to share data with multiple customers and suppliers, increasing the potential for load swapping.
Based on its active transport management system (ATMS), the technology differs from the current platform in that it allows a company to link with all its users, creating a community for information sharing.
Craig Sears-Black,
Isotrak sales and marketing director, says: "It's been the Holy Grail for many years, but what's been lacking is the ability to interface between all the different systems, which made it impractical to operate. Everything has been on a one-to-one basis – individual supplier and customer sharing data together.
"One company will now be able to share data with 20 customers. It has massive industry potential to improve a company's productivity by reducing empty running and increasing vehicle fill."
ATMS, which is already used by supermarket chains Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco for their store distribution fleet operations, uses a combination of satellite tracking, vehicle telematics and powerful servers to monitor and improve fleet productivity. However, Sears-Black is realistic about the introduction of the new technology and its ability to further progress an operation's performance.
"The capability is there, but progress will be in incremental percentage improvements
over the months and years to come, however, it can amount to huge savings for a large operation."
He adds that the idea for this technology was driven by the industry. "The market demand is there. Everybody you speak to says the concept is the right thing: we're just responding to that demand."
The new technology will be available within the first half of 2009.
Reed Business Information Limited.©2009
