| Thu 5 Aug 2004, 16:21 | | DigiCore wins its largest ever overseas fleet deal |
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DigiCore wins its largest ever overseas fleet management GPS/ GPRS contract
DIGICORE HOLDINGS LIMITED
Registration number: 1998/012601/06
Share Code: DGC
ISIN Number: ZAE000016945
(`Digicore`)
DigiCore wins its largest ever overseas fleet management GPS/ GPRS contract
CENTURION - JSE Securities Exchange listed fleet management and tracking
specialists, DigiCore Holdings Ltd (`Digicore`), today announced it has clinched
a R12 million contract to fit tracking systems on the fleet of UK water service
provider, Thames Water.
According to Ndaba Ntsele, chairman of DigiCore, this breakthrough order bears
testament to South African companies` versatility and technological capability
to deliver leading engineering, technology, software and service solutions
throughout the world. DigiCore is now represented in four continents of the
world.
Thames Water is the largest water and wastewater services company in the UK,
serving 8 million customers in London and across the Thames Valley. Thames Water
issued a tender late last year for fleet management tracking systems to improve
their service levels and in an effort to lower operating costs. From a very
substantial international field, DigiCore`s C-track technology won the contract.
Carl Leadbeater, Thames Waters` operations manager, said: `Until now, we have
been able to monitor separate teams rather than our whole workforce - so this
new technology will be a big step forward.
`As well as reducing fuel consumption, it will in many cases help us to reach
locations quicker, with obvious benefits for customer service.`
The project will reduce the time it takes staff to get to the scene of bursts,
leaks and other water-related work. In addition it will feature an alarm button
allowing staff to call for help in an emergency.
The new tracking solution should be installed by September 2004, and will for
the first time permit a single member of staff to view and track the position of
all vehicles on an electronic map.
During the initial phase Thames Water is installing the C-track system in over
1,000 of its vehicles. In addition, the project is likely to extend to the
installation of C-track within the various subcontractors` fleets servicing
Thames Water.
Nick Vlok, CEO of DigiCore Holdings added, `We are delighted to be working with
Thames Water and with their choice of our C-track vehicle location technology.
The agreement is the biggest in the UK water industry, and the largest of any
business sector in Europe utilising the Vodafone GPRS infrastructure for data
transmission.
`The capabilities of our system far exceed the simple location of vehicles. The
true power of the C-track resides in its ability to produce comprehensive
information about vehicle movements, which can be employed to drive down costs
and improve operational efficiencies,` explained Vlok.
The C-track system uses satellite technology to show the whereabouts of each
fleet vehicle to within a few meters, making it possible to send the nearest
driver to any given location. Information is presented on the operator`s PC in
real-time on scalable digital maps, down to street level. Detailed management
reports and graphs showing individual vehicle movements and performance can be
produced for verification and / or analysis.
Ntsele, who heads up private equity firm Pamodzi Investment Holdings, is
optimistic that DigiCore`s sustained investment in industry-beating technology
will ensure that the company grows its market leadership here, as well as
overseas. Pamodzi owns 26% of DigiCore Holdings` publicly traded stock.
`Having embraced Black Empowerment five years ago, DigiCore has grown from
strength to strength in the South African market. As a truly multi-racial
business, it serves as a motivation to all elements of its community that,
together, we can break into all world markets, developing our businesses and
generating a continuous body of technically skilled workers back home,` Ntsele
concludes.
The company recently announced that it expects to report substantially higher
earnings for its financial year ended 30 June 2004. This however, does not
include the Thames Water transaction, as revenue generated by the deal will be
recorded in the 2005 year.
For further details please contact:
Mr Nick Vlok
CEO
DIGICORE HOLDINGS LTD
Tel: 012-665-7300
Fax: 012-665-5376
www.digicore.com
Date: 05/08/2004 03:31:03 PM Produced by the JSE SENS Department
