CERT Signs Telematics Deal With Unibeton Readymix for Fleet Management Solution

The Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Technology (CERT), the commercial arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology in United Arab Emirates, announced today that it has formally signed a agreement with Unibeton Readymix to have its flagship FALCON telematics devices installed in Unibeton's fleet of more than 350 concrete trucks throughout Dubai.

Unibeton Readymix is one of the top concrete mixing and delivery companies throughout all of Dubai. CERT and IBM (NYSE: IBM) are announcing today that the FALCON devices are now currently being installed in Unibeton vehicles in a pilot program, and full-scale deployment is slated for December of 2006.

FALCON is the first product to come out of a collaborative innovation agreement IBM and CERT announced in April, where engineers and designers from IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions, IBM Research and IBM Design Consulting Services would collaborate with engineers from CERT to build a state-of-the-art, real-time telematics device that would give users the ability to collect automotive data, improve road safety, better manage traffic and prevent accidents.

"CERT FALCON is a next-generation customized telematics solution that can offer a company like Unibeton knowledge to enable best practice to increase productivity, reduce risk, improve safety, streamline processes and reduce costs," said Dr. Tayeb Kamali, Vice-Chairman, CERT Telematics. "FALCON is geared towards fleet management, but can be applied to a host of disciplines to ensure that whatever a company needs to monitor or deliver -- people or product -- it arrives at the right place, right time, right condition."

In the case of Unibeton Readymix, the FALCON product will not only serve as a tracker for their fleet of trucks in terms of positioning and engine maintenance, but also allows for information about a time sensitive product like concrete to be monitored. Traffic in Dubai can be so difficult sometimes; trucks could be stranded in non-stationary traffic for over an hour. Unibeton can monitor its products to ensure on-time delivery, and FALCON will also be tied to the company's inventory system to issue immediate invoices and track sales.

The collaborative innovation relationship between CERT and IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions allows CERT to rethink and reinvent their R&D operations. The relationship give CERT access to an organization within IBM where they can leverage IBM technology, intellectual property, engineering expertise, microprocessor technologies, and process capabilities to drive innovation into their own core products and services. This in turn has helped CERT build an entirely new business division focused on not only telematics solutions, but allows for CERT to focus on becoming a knowledge organization and be contributors to the societal impact of life in Dubai.

"This marks a true milestone in our ongoing efforts to collaborate with CERT to advance technologies that will define and refine the kind of telematics devices that auto owners all over the world could eventually be using in one form or the other," said Raj Desai, Vice President, Vice President, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Travel & Transportation, IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions. "The possibilities to utilize this device in other regions are endless, and we're looking forward to continuing to work with CERT to help make their goal a reality."

Connected to the vehicle, the FALCON can be used for fleet management, trip compliance, vehicle tracking, speed control, and even audio messages. The FALCON device will receive and store vehicle data and will integrate a number of embedded technologies, including Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Global Positioning Systems (GPSs) and Bluetooth technologies.

The FALCON device uses multiple microprocessors based on IBM Power Architecture, plus a multitude of other sensors, to monitor the vehicle's speed, comparing it to the speed limit of the street. If the vehicle speed is higher than the speed limit allowed by the traffic department, the device can talk to the driver and issue a verbal warning.

The CERT - Unibeton Readymix announcement was made at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) in Dubai, one of the largest technology innovation exhibitions every year and the Gulf Region's largest annual gathering of technology and innovation companies. CERT will be showcasing the FALCON technology solution it collaborated with IBM on, at GITEX booth number B3-1.


For more information on CERT, please visit http://www.certonline.com.

For more information about Technology Collaboration Solutions, please visit http://www.ibm.com/technology.

For more information about Design Consulting Services, please visit http://www.ibm.com/technology/designconsulting.

IBM, Power Architecture are trademarks of IBM Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. See http://www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.