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South Africa's expertise in making world-beating Fleet Management and vehicle tracking systems is appreciated around the world and several locally-based companies are securing contracts with high profile fleets in other countries, putting to work their leading-edge technologies. Their success consistently inspires new entrants into this thriving market as well, writes Paul Collings. 

DigiCore has consolidated its global leadership position by consistently expanding its footprint in regions beyond our borders and now helps manage fleets in 21 countries. The organisation's suite of products is constantly evolving to meet the specific requirements of a diverse range of transport applications. 
 

DigiCore's Bruce Richards addresses a roomful of fleet operators, explaining the latest additions to the DigiCore offering.

New releases
A trailer tracking unit with a long-life (over 7 days) inbuilt backup battery is now available with C-track Assist. The unit meets demand for a 'stand-alone black box' that can be fitted to trailers to assist in the fight against the increasing occurrence of trailer hijacking and theft in order to steal valuable cargo.

DigiCore has also recently released additions to its Fleet Management solution 'C-track Solo'. Software updates include a vehicle maintenance module with license renewal reminders. "Reminders of vehicle maintenance and licencing will now show on the status report of each vehicle as well as flagging any overdue work on vehicles," says DigiCore marketing director, Bruce Richards. "The upgrades assist in managing drivers more effectively in terms of licensing applicable to the different vehicles that they drive."

New routing, workflow and fuel reporting functionality also boost DigiCore's C-track Solo FM system. "Routes can be pre-defined in one of two ways - either timed route monitoring or fixed route monitoring. Timed routing means a vehicle has to reach waypoints within a specific time, no matter which route. Fixed routing manages vehicles following an assigned route where any deviation is reported," adds Richards. "C-track Solo integrates with the fuel reporting system on some heavy commercial vehicles to report real-time fuel usage/consumption as well as interfacing with various workflow instruments to ensure better customer service, despatching of relevant service vehicles, quicker invoicing after a job is done, monitoring of service staff to gauge work efficiency and productivity to enhance bottom line profit."

New GPS entrant
Vehicle tracking technologies use satellite, cellular and radio frequency communications platforms to transmit data to and from the vehicle. Cellular communication platforms use the GSM network of land-based antennas to transmit information. This platform is effective in areas with good coverage but becomes problematic when vehicles enter poorly covered areas or travel cross-border where networks change hands and costly 'roaming rights' need to be purchased to ensure communication between truck and base continues uninterrupted.
 

Tracking tools - DigiCore's hardware now includes a compact trailer-tracking unit (left)

Powered by IT, is a new entrant into the local vehicle tracking market offering what Bertram Richards, sales and marketing director of Powered by IT describes as, "A new solution that will eliminate these problems; a software solution that works in conjunction with the SpaceChecker Satellite Tracking Device. This device uses a geostationary satellite network that has a broad coverage area, including the whole of Africa."
 

Via satellite - A Powered by IT diagram explains the flow of data between truck, satellite, network operator and base station.

Richards states that Powered by IT offers GPS tracking solutions for truck tractors, trailers and containers: "For smaller vehicles, the installation can be done inside the cabin of a truck or van. This option includes geofencing and doors open/closed indicators. The SC-200 trailer pack is perfectly suited for installation on various types of trailers and reefers. With a rechargeable battery and low power consumption it can operate autonomously for at least one month. The SC-200 Trailer Pack makes it possible not only to track and trace your vehicle, but also to monitor parameters such as temperature, doors opening, the trailer being (un-)tethered, etc. This will not only improve your fleet management, it will also increase security and prevent loss of cargo. Features include positioning, travel distance logging, geofencing, tether/un-tether, ABS/EBS, doors opened/closed, temperature."
The Container Pack can be installed on various types of containers (tank/reefer/dry), says Richards, regardless of whether these containers are powered or not to monitor and manage positioning, geo-fencing, temperature and pressure: "if they reach very high temperatures or travel from South-Africa to Moscow, the SC-200 Container Pack follows their track and lets you know when things might go wrong. Companies have the opportunity to run and control the system on their own LAN in their control rooms. The option of accessing the system remotely via the web will also greatly increase the ability for managers to have access to their vehicles at any time and from anywhere around the world," he says.

Securing justice
Despite being a native of the Netherlands, Pieter Smits has made his name as a pioneer of customised Fleet Management Systems on South African soil. His company, Global Track (aka Global Supply Chain Services) has a diverse client base that includes not only long-haul cross-border trucks, but fishing boats and elephants. Globaltrack's operations are multinational, tracking assets as far afield as Central Africa, South America and the Middle East. Smits and his team of developers recently won a tender to supply the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in the Hague with a vehicle and personnel tracking system and 'high-security emergency management procedure' workflow system.
"The ICC tries war criminals from strife-torn regions like Eastern Europe (Slobodan Milosevic, for example) and Central Africa. The court has over 1800 employees and some 180 vehicles working in Europe and Africa, moving personnel in high-risk situations and environments," he says. "The tender issued by the ICC required a system that could protect both people and vehicles as well as ensure that the correct procedures are followed by ICC and United Nations personnel are followed in the event of an incident."
 

Furthering the ends of justice - Global Track's Pieter Smits

With over six years' experience servicing African truck fleets, Global Track was well equipped to develop a cutomised solution for the ICC. "We train people from Europe and Africa to use the system effectively. Our local experience is invaluable in educating European users how to work in Africa. Getting them to understand the Third World way of working is a challenge, to say the least," he says.
The tracking/workflow solution is web-based, explains Smits, allowing secure access from remote regions to the ICC 'Virtual Private network' (VPN) in the Hague. "All vehicles are tracked via GPS and personnel are equipped with remote panic buttons to allow for movement around the vehicle. In the event of an emergency, the alarm is triggered and the workflow system sets off a pre-defined flow of procedures that ensure UN protocols are adhered to and threat to life and property is minimised," Smits concludes.