From this Autumn, Scania will be extending the range of vehicle fleet management services it offers with the introduction of new hardware, software and a GPRS-based communication system. The Microsoft-based open-system architecture employed across the range enables its integration with existing office systems, the installation of third-party software and the same equipment to be used throughout a mixed fleet.
“By focusing on products and services which allow the widest possible integration, we are enabling operators to link their fleet management system seamlessly with their logistics and transport management systems,” comments Darrell Taylor, Marketing Manager, Fleet Management Services for Scania (Great Britain) Limited. “Furthermore, the services we provide can be tailored to meet individual customers’ needs to further help cut costs, boost profits and reduce administration.”
Scania Interactor
The Scania Interactor family of on-board computers is being extended through the addition of a new product, the Scania Interactor 300. With a 6.3″ colour touch-screen, Scania Interactor 300 supports a wide range of features including Scania Order Support, a new application available on all Scania Interactor products, which can be integrated with existing office systems to allow assignments to be sent to a vehicle directly from a company’s existing transport planning system.
Other services available with Scania Interactor 300 include messaging, vehicle positioning and tracking and driver tools such as a moving map display and optional voice navigation.
The Scania Interactor 600 has been extensively updated and now has an improved and faster processor, more memory and an upgraded operating system. Scania Interactor 600 is primarily intended for owner-drivers and as such supports additional features such as telephone, rear view camera and entertainment options including TV and a DVD player.
The third member of the Scania Interactor family is the Scania Interactor 500, which has been designed to meet the needs of specialist operators such as fire services. Scania Interactor 500 is of modular-construction, which gives additional flexibility and allows the system to be fitted in non-Scania vehicles.
The final item of hardware in the Scania Fleet Management Services portfolio is the Scania Communicator, an entry-level system offering a range of vehicle-management services including satellite navigation and on-board data capture for fleet operators.
GPRS-based communication system
In support of its Fleet Management Services programme, Scania is introducing a new GPRS-based communication concept to offer a faster and more economical means of communications than the current SMS text messaging system. GPRS communication is to be offered by Scania at a fixed cost throughout Europe. A further benefit of Scania GPRS is that it incorporates a firewall, thus making the system a reliable and secure means of communication.
