Latest Microlise Trailer Tracking Module Increases Security of Your Trailers and Loads

Microlise have released version 3.0 of the Microlise Trailer Tracking and Telematics solution which can help to ensure the security of your trailers. Research within our prospective customer base has indicated an increase year on year of around 15% in the theft of vehicles / trailers or the goods in them. One prospective client even cited that they plan for one "trailer incident" per week !

Fleet operators are continually striving to improve vehicle & trailer utilisation and ensure appropriate levels of load security and staff safety whilst also continuing to be responsive in rapidly changing market places and supply chain environments. In many instances, operators do not have clear visibility of where all of their trailer assets are at any time and this can also lead to inefficient operation and increased cost.

Microlise provides an effective solution to these problems with the Microlise Trailer Tracking module version 3.0. The solution incorporates a Microlise Tracking Unit with battery back-up securely mounted to the trailer in a tamper and weather proof housing. When connected to the tactor unit it is powered through the suzi connector and reports real-time positional data back to the host system over GPRS. Once disconnected from the tractor, the units reverts to a hibernating state using battery power for at least 40 days and waking only at predetermined intervals to confirm its position to the host system. If disturbed, a vibration/motion sensor wakes the unit and it immediately transmits an alert and starts reporting its position at regular intervals. The unit can optionally be connected to door opening sensors, temperature monitoring sensors or any other serial device to activate an alert.


For further information please see Trailer Tracking


See www.microlise.com for further information on the range of Microlise Fleet & Distribution modules

Microlise Helps Tesco.com Gear Up for Fuel Saving Drive

Tesco.com has invested in software to optimise the fuel consumption of its fleet and improve driver performance in its 2,000 vehicles.

Rising fuel prices are a growing concern for the online arm of the supermarket giant, which estimates that its fuel bill will reach "significantly more" than £10m in 2008.

Tesco is hoping for a return on its investment in the multimillion-pound GPS-based management project within 12 months, by slashing its fuel spend by between 10 and 12 per cent.

"As Tesco's online business grew, effort was concentrated in areas such as driver recruitment. But fuel management was not an area it had examined closely as price was not such an issue" Tesco.com fleet manager Dino Papas told Computing.

"It became clear that we had to do something significantly better to manage fuel consumption, but if the savings were not deliverable I doubt the project would have gone ahead" said Papas.

"We had to scale back on some of the things we first intended to do, such as monitoring oil levels and vehicle performance, but preferred to focus on key features working first around fuel consumption."

The Microlise-supplied GPS/GPRS tracking computer connects to Tesco.com's data network, which transmits information such as mileage, fuel flow, speed and engine revs. The data, coupled with GPS tracking information, is transmitted in real time via GPRS and enables the firm to assess vehicle activity against delivery schedule as well as driving style and economy.

Armed with this data, the business can produce reports to assess fuel economy as well as safe driving measures.

The system is already fitted in a third of Tesco.com's 2,000-strong delivery fleet across the UK, with full implementation expected before the end of the summer.

"We could have rolled out the system sooner, but on its own the technology would have limited benefits because we still have to ensure drivers are professionally trained first. The system coupled with proper coaching will be a very powerful combination." said Papas.

Microlise Version 2.8 Delivers Enhanced Transport Management Solution

Microlise, the expert in delivering efficiency in distribution networks, has announced the latest innovation of its tracking and telematic solutions. The latest additions in version 2.8 of the Microlise Fleet and Distribution Portfolio has allowed the company to closely align two of its leading products, the Microlise Map Client and the Transport Management Centre, to give complete visibility and control over every aspect of the delivery process.

The solution helps to drive efficiencies and productivity by providing a comprehensive and powerful set of tools to effectively optimise and manage the utilisation of vehicles, drivers and their performance. The Map Client solution allows managers to instantly contextualise fleet activity against routes & schedules whilst enabling easy communication with mobile workers.

The Transport Management Centre allows available resource to be allocated for fixed, dynamic and imported plans automatically based upon location & availability, and then monitors the execution of these plans in real-time. Schedule, route and delivery exceptions can be managed in real-time, allowing users to automatically pre-notify customers of the vehicle's progress and allowing customer service teams to proactively update customers if there are likely to be any delays.

The alignment of these applications means transport managers can have complete access to the driver and job or delivery status, route information plus live playbacks and two-way messaging via one seamless interface.

Matt Hague, product director at Microlise said. "We are delighted to bring this to market. Our two solutions, Map Client and Transport Management Centre, have been making a real difference in the industry for some time now. However, our latest release takes the best features of each and aligns them - ensuring that the customer now has full visibility and control over all aspects of the process."

One of the areas to benefit from the Microlise Fleet and Distribution Portfolio is the urban home delivery sector. The enhanced solution will allow managers even more control and visibility over vehicles and drivers than ever before. The point to point routing engine, which provides accurate to the minute ETAs each time a vehicle reports in, allows for precise delivery advice to customers, as well as allowing improved reaction in the instance of a predicted late delivery.

However, it is not just customer service and economic benefits that companies will see after implementation. Microlise's solution has been further enhanced to aid in the customer's efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Microlise has offered FMS / CANbus and J-Bus Telematics solutions for some time. However, this latest solution suite includes a powerful set of driver and vehicle league tables which more readily than ever allows operations to provide focused debriefing and training for those drivers where opportunities to improve fuel consumption or safety exist.
With two major deployments already delivered this year, Microlise is helping its customers not only reduce their impact upon the environment, but also significantly reduce their fuel costs.

Hague concludes. "At Microlise we know that companies need more than just maps with dots on. We believe that our Fleet & Distribution Portfolio enables customers to have the full planning, management and execution package ensuring economic, environmental and customer service improvements throughout their distribution operation. We are committed to providing the very best solutions."

See www.microlise.com for further information

FREE 1/2 day Seminars Increasing Operational Performance in Transport & Mobile Logistics Operations

Microlise are running a series of FREE 1/2 day seminars in April at Selby Fork, Peterborough and Bristol.

The seminars are designed to help executives involved in supply chain, planning, operations, resource and asset management within the transport, logistics, installation, repair and maintenance market places to improve operational efficiency. increase customer satisfaction, reduce cost and beat the competition.

During the seminar we will explain and demonstrate how Microlise solutions for planning, vehicle tracking, telematics and electronic proof of delivery can dramatically improve the operational performance of your delivery organisation

- Increase operational efficiency (typically 20 - 25%)
- Eliminate the paperwork and back office re-keying overhead
- Optimise resource utilisation of vehicles, trailers and driversReduce fuel consumption (typically 10 - 15%)
- Reduce resources for customer queries with self help web based systems
- Automate the collection of regulatory data for WTD, drivers hours and vehicle roadworthiness
- Optimise the use and availability of returnable transport assets

Click here to register

Microlise Solution Simplifies Fleet Regulatory Compliance

FleetMan is a unique new solution from Microlise that effectively addresses the problem of ensuring the continuing regulatory compliance of fleets of heavy goods and other commercial vehicles. Available as a stand-alone or hosted web-based system, FleetMan manages all aspects of document storage and management. It covers legal certificates, test certificates for the vehicle and tail lift, servicing, repairs, inspections and leasing agreements. It also stores any other relevant documents as defined by the user.

In its basic form, Microlise FleetMan helps ensure the security of the fleet and conformity with all legal requirements as far as documentation is concerned. As documents become due for renewal, it generates automatic alerts and then continues to escalate these until renewal is carried out. Where desired, it can also provide VOSA with direct visibility of compliance.

Tighter legislation with tougher penalties and increasingly effective enforcement by VOSA place an ever-increasing administrative burden on operators and lessors of commercial vehicles. When connected to an in-vehicle Microlise Tracking Unit (MTU), FleetMan provides real-time telematic 'snapshots' to assist in monitoring and managing road-worthiness in compliance with VOSA requirements. Combining this information with daily driver inspections and regular six-weekly maintenance inspections helps to ensure full road-worthiness at all times, thereby maximising vehicle availability and optimising vehicle and driver safety.

To maximise its customers' return on investment, Microlise also offers complementary solutions
for real-time vehicle tracking and telematics, congestion avoidance, POD, mobile workforce task management, schedule adherence, satellite navigation, in-cab voice/text messaging and KPI reporting.

Microlise solutions offer feature-rich practical functionality that reduces the total cost of fleet ownership, improves productivity and enhances service levels. Key benefits include:

• increased driver operating efficiency (typically 20 - 25%)


• reduced administrative overhead (typically 25 - 30%)


• reduced fuel consumption (typically 10 - 15%)


• improved customer service


• reduced customer queries, and query lead time (typically by 80 - 90%)


• reduced vehicle maintenance costs


• improved road safety

FREE 1/2 day Seminars - Increasing Operational Performance in Transport & Mobile Logistics Operations

Microlise are running a series of FREE 1/2 day seminars in February at Nottingham, Runcorn and High Wycombe.The seminars are designed to help executives involved in supply chain, planning, operations, resource and asset management within the transport, logistics, installation, repair and maintenance market places to improve operational efficiency. increase customer satisfaction, reduce cost and beat the competition.

During the seminar we will explain and demonstrate how Microlise solutions for planning, vehicle tracking, telematics and electronic proof of delivery can dramatically improve the operational performance of your delivery organisation

• Increase operational efficiency (typically 20 - 25%)
  


• Eliminate the paperwork and back office re-keying overhead
  


• Optimise resource utilisation of vehicles, trailers and driversReduce fuel consumption (typically 10 - 15%)
  


• Reduce resources for customer queries with self help web based systems
  


• Automate the collection of regulatory data for WTD, drivers hours and vehicle roadworthiness
  


• Optimise the use and availability of returnable transport assets

Click here to register

Microlise Appoints Director of Customer Advocacy

Microlise is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Mitchell as Director of Customer Advocacy. In this newly created role, Jackie provides an interface between Microlise and its customers to both measure and optimise the ‘customer experience’. Jackie’s appointment underlines the Microlise commitment to delivering the highest quality customer service.

Jackie is well qualified for this new position having spent the past nine years in various roles at Microlise involving the delivery of projects to customers, ultimately as Operations Manager. Within the new role she will be totally focused on maintaining close contact with customers so as to measure their level of satisfaction and identify opportunities for Microlise to implement business and process changes that improve performance and enhance the customer experience.

Commenting on her appointment, Jackie said, “At Microlise, we want our customers to be so delighted with the solutions and services we provide that they actively recommend Microlise to others. To achieve this we are striving to provide a consistent customer experience of such distinction and value that it goes beyond simply delivering satisfaction. In addition to delighting our customers, we believe that this will translate into increased market share and help us to maximise customer retention. Ultimately, it is about making Microlise both easy and a pleasure to do business with”