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Coming up on a year as a Telematics technology provider, vehicle manufacturer International Truck & Engine Corp., announced recently that the company is being recognized with Frost & Sullivan’s 2006 Industry Innovation and Advancement of the Year Award in its medium/heavy-duty truck original equipment market. International is being recognized for its Aware Vehicle Intelligence product, a GPS technology-based system that tracks vehicle locations and uses in-vehicle monitors to relay vehicle functions and conditions back to fleet managers, owners and service teams.
The award will be given at a ceremony during the 2006 Excellence in Automotive & Transportation Awards Banquet in La Jolla, Calif., on Feb. 8. The Industry Innovation & Advancement of the Year Award is given annually to a leading company in the automotive industry in recognition of its commitment to introducing new technologies to the market and driving the industry forward.
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“International Truck & Engine is pleased to accept this award from the industry experts at Frost & Sullivan,” says Dan Lindberg, vice president and general manager of Aware Vehicle Intelligence at International. “Our extensive research, engineering and coordination with our customers have led to the development of a solution that will help businesses in various vocations streamline their vehicle operations.”
International is the first truck and bus manufacturer to offer a comprehensive telematics solution for its complete product line of buses, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Rich Glasmann, marketing manager for Aware Vehicle Intelligence at International says the Aware technology was introduced in April 2005 through the company’s parts organization and became a factory-installed option in June. “When it comes down to it, many companies can provide the GPS piece of this type of solution, but only a true truck, bus and engine OEM can provide the maintenance, diagnostic and fault-code reporting like International can,” Glasmann tells Lawn & Landscape.
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In addition to creating an edge over the competition, Glasmann says International developed Aware for a few reasons. “We wanted to provide an OEM business solution for our customers and not just a third-party solution that might be here today, gone tomorrow,” he says. “We strive to provide our customers with the best tools possible for their business. First we provided them with a great truck or bus and an engine, and now we provide them with a business solution to run their businesses efficiently. Aware also benefits our company as well. The data accumulated through Aware will help us with our product design, predicting component failure, warranty costs, etc., so we can build and provide the best trucks, buses and engines in the industry. It ends up being a win-win situation.”
In addition to the factory-installed option, International’s Aware system is available as an aftermarket product that can be retrofitted to International and also competitive vehicles. The Aware hardware currently has a list price of $850 along with a subscription price of $31 per month for online access to vehicle information.
International says the GPS-based vehicle positioning system helps fleet managers locate vehicles anywhere within the continental U.S., allowing the remote monitoring of route and stops the vehicle makes. This assists with planning logistics for a more fuel-efficient route. A “geo-fence” feature also alerts fleet managers with an automatic e-mail or text message if a vehicle enters or leaves a pre-designated region. In emergency situations on the vehicle, drivers can immediately communicate with the fleet operations control center by pressing a “driver alert switch” – an on-board alarm button to alert fleet operations to a potential issue with the vehicle or concern with security a driver may be experiencing.
Additionally, the Aware Vehicle Intelligence solution helps streamlining vehicle maintenance. The system monitors key vehicle parameters like fuel usage, battery voltage, engine hours and even accessory equipment to provide comprehensive, easily organized reports for maintenance teams to improve fleet efficiency and uptime. Fault code monitoring also helps fleet managers react to issues as they happen.
"This innovative product signifies the end-user-focused product planning of International and showcases the company's focus on offering maximum value for money to its customers," said Sandeep Kar, analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "The company does so by offering commercial vehicle systems that can result in significant improvements in the productivity and performance of vehicles, the key considerations for any commercial vehicle buyer."
For more information about International Truck & Engine Corp. and Aware Vehicle Intelligence, visit www.internationaldelivers.com.