FORCE America Inc. Acquires PreCise™ MRM from Preco™ Electronics

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 14, 2009 – FORCE America Inc. announced today it has acquired PreCise™ Mobile Resource Management (MRM) from Preco™ Electronics, based in Boise, Idaho.  PreCise MRM is an innovative provider of fleet management and telematics technologies for mobile equipment markets.  The acquisition expands FORCE America’s ability to offer comprehensive solutions for a variety of Mobile Resource Management (MRM) applications and builds upon the highly successful DATA Commander™ product line.  Financial terms are not disclosed.
PreCise™ MRM provides products that track everything from the activity and status of your equipment’s accessories to the speed and location of your vehicles.  PreCise MRM products provide a unique combination of ruggedized, made in the USA, GPS hardware with leading-edge, software and services.   This combination is ideally suited for commercial equipment with more severe duty needs than consumer grade products.
“The addition of the PreCise™ MRM associates and products will enhance and expand FORCE America’s commitment to be the leader in developing and applying new technologies for the mobile markets that we serve,” says Steve Loeffler, President and CEO of FORCE America Inc.. “The technical capabilities that have been channeled in the MRM market will be integrated with the mobile equipment, power and control systems markets that the FORCE America Divisions are very knowledgeable of.”
“FORCE America has been an incredible partner for PreCise™ MRM for several years now,” says Jeff Warner, Product Manager for PreCise MRM. “This move intensifies FORCE’s focus on providing game changing technologies to their large customer base and expands the sales, marketing and R&D capabilities of PreCise in a way that we could not do organically. The entire PreCise MRM team and I are thrilled to be joining a company with the history and customer-driven focus of FORCE America.”
Preco Electronics will continue to market and sell their PreView™ Object Detection products from their location in Boise, Idaho.


About PreCise™ MRM
PreCise™ MRM provides fleet management solutions utilizing the latest in mobile and GPS technology to improve productivity and cost effectiveness to the on-off highway market.  The solution is a combination of rugged hardware and web-based software designed to dramatically improve the visibility and control over mobile resources.  From basic location and speed information to complex data coming from intelligent on-board devices, PreCise products capture, stores and transmits data to a user-friendly interface, viewable from anywhere in the world via a secure internet connection. For more information go to; www.precise.mrm.com.


About FORCE America Inc.
With over 50 years of experience, FORCE America Inc. manufactures and distributes products for mobile    on-off highway markets.  FORCE America has sixteen sales and service locations throughout the US and exclusive distribution in Canada.
FORCE America Divisions

FORCE America Distribution Sales

Manufactures and supplies mobile hydraulic systems and components.
VariTech Industries Inc.

Manufactures and supplies mobile liquid production and application systems for snow and ice, agriculture and dust-control markets.
PreCise MRM

Manufactures electronic fleet management hardware and software.

   

Customer Markets

Agricultural Equipment                     

OEM On-Off Highway and Agricultural Equipment

Lawn and Landscape Equipment              

Snow Removal Contractors   

Light, Medium and Heavy Duty Trucks       

Spreader Plow Trucks

For More Information
www.forceamerica.com

Contact: Steve Craig  

Email:   scraig@forceamerica.com

Phone: 952-707-1358

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With over 50 years of experience, FORCE America Inc. manufactures and distributes products for mobile on-off highway markets. 16 sales - service locations in US, distribution in Canada.
-FORCE America

-VariTech Industries Inc.

-PreCise MRM

New Dutch transit provider chooses HASTUS™ software for improved bus scheduling

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 13, 2009 – Qbuzz selected the HASTUS solution on the recommendation of newly hired senior schedulers with extensive experience using the software. The proposal outlined major functional and performance advantages of HASTUS, as well as exceptional optimization tools that suggested excellent return on investment soon after implementation of the GIRO software.
“This contract is an important gain for GIRO, particularly because the recommendation came from some of the best schedulers in the world who have used various systems and are well acquainted with the functionalities and performance capabilities of the HASTUS scheduling system,” said GIRO’s Alain Martinais, Director of Marketing for HASTUS. “We are very pleased with Qbuzz’s decision to implement our software solution, as it further demonstrates GIRO’s commitment to offering best-of-breed solutions.”
Qbuzz is the newest player on the Dutch transit market. It currently operates bus services in Friesland and Rotterdam and recently won an 8-year contract to operate additional bus services in the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen. The HASTUS purchase is viewed by Qbuzz management as an important strategic decision that will enable the company to become more profitable and competitive in the near future.

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About GIRO

GIRO Inc. is a leading provider of software solutions for public transit services including bus, tram, subway, trolley, and commuter rail transportation. The company’s HASTUS™ solution offers comprehensive applications and innovative tools for improved planning and scheduling, operations, rostering, analysis, and more. HASTUS combines advanced operations research optimization techniques with powerful data management tools that deliver tangible benefits for public transit associations and private operators around the world. For more information please visit our website at www.giro.ca.
About Qbuzz

Founded in 2008 by Rob van Holten and Leon Struijk, Qbuzz B.V. is the newest public transport company in the Netherlands. It operates bus services in the southeast of the province of Friesland and around Rotterdam and will begin operating additional bus services in Drenthe and Groningen in December 2009. The company is 49% owned by the Dutch railroads (NS).

Ahern and Associates’ Podcast Enlightens Viewers, Supports Transportation Industry

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 10, 2009 – Phoenix, AZ— Nowadays, free advice usually comes with a price. Not so, for astute individuals within the transportation industry who subscribe to the words of the Ahern Advisory podcast.   Produced weekly by Andy Ahern of Ahern and Associates, North America’s leading trucking and transportation management consulting firm, his weekly gems of knowledge aimed at improving the operations of trucking companies have gained quite a following.

For the most part, Ahern’s weekly podcast which can be found at www.Ahern-ltd.com, delves into the common subject matter that owners of trucking and logistics company’s must address throughout their daily operations.  Topics like sales and marketing, the economy, employees and Ahern and Associates’ exclusive partnership program for the trucking and logistics industry are discussed and distributed weekly.  Demonstrating that life is not just about business, Ahern often stresses the importance of caring for those less fortunate during his podcasts addressing the efforts of St. Mary’s Food Bank.

Ahern’s differentiated approach to marketing has provided him the opportunity to carve out a unique niche within the trucking industry and has positioned him as a topical expert. His efforts are reinforced by the strength of his staff and their unique skill sets derived from their years of experience as former presidents and CEO’s of various transportation companies.

Ahern’s podcasting efforts have also produced many accolades from colleagues inquiring as to why he volunteers such a wealth of information for free.  Andy Ahern explains:

“I’ve been fortunate enough over the last forty years to cultivate many strong standing relationships within the transportation industry; those relationships helped build my practice and have allowed me to raise four wonderful children—this is my way of giving back.”

About Ahern and Associates:

Ahern and Associates is North America’s leading trucking and transportation management consulting firm.  The skilled consultants at Ahern and Associates specialize in mergers and acquisitions of trucking and logistics companies as well as the restructuring and evaluation of existing carriers that seek to increase operating efficiency and improve profitability.  Since 1987, Ahern and Associates has aided hundreds of buyers in the acquisition of trucking and logistics companies throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as assisting many transportation and logistics companies in reducing their overall operating costs and increasing their profitability.  For more information, please call 602-242-1030 and ask for Andy Ahern or visit www.Ahern-Ltd.com .

XXX
Business contact:

A.W. Ahern

602-242-1030
Media contact:

Jason W. Jantzen

Red Spot Marketing

www.RedSpotMarketing.com

602-282-0202

Speed Humps in the UK have a bigger carbon footprint than the whole of Fiji!

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 06, 2009 – Speed-bump, road hump, speed ramp or sleeping policemen. Let’s face it by any name they are the bane of urban driving (unless of course you make your living selling replacement shock absorbers). They’re a hassle, damage cars and can cause urbanites to drive otherwise unnecessary 4×4s as they’re the only vehicles which shrug them off easily. Yes, average speeds are reduced, but so is your attention of what’s up ahead as you’re trying not to clout your exhaust on that unnecessary piece of road calming. Other complaints made against them are that they slow down emergency services (endangering lives), they are particularly unhealthy for people with back or neck pain and create noise for local residents.
But research by Clear, the carbon offset company, can add another one, that the CO2 impact of Speed Humps in the UK is greater than that of the whole of Fiji. Let us tell you how.
The AA (Automobile Association) did a bit of research on fuel consumption for cars at the Millbrook Proving Ground and found that a typical mid-size car running at a constant 30 mph did 58 mpg. However a car slowing down and speeding up for speed humps only did 31 mpg. Put that into carbon figures1 for a petrol car2 and you get 113 g/km of CO2 at a constant 30mph, or 211 g/km over speed humps. So a kilometer of road with speed humps creates an extra 0.1kg of CO2 for every single car that travels it.
The average road in the UK has 2.46 cars passing per minute throughout the day3, so for argument’s sake, a street typically has 1 car going each way down it every minute during the day and night. In a year, that means a single typical 1km stretch of speed-humped road with 10 speed humps4 creates an extra 103 tonnes of unnecessary CO2 per year or equivalent of taking 32 cars off the road5 .
Taking into account the UK’s estimated 100,0006 speed humps, then that’s a colossal 1.03 million tonnes of CO2 per year. That’s about the same as the total carbon footprint of the 830,000 residents of Fiji7, or almost twice that of Greenland. Ouch. And that doesn’t even consider the motorbikes / trucks and other vehicles that use the UK road network.
Release ends.


For further information please contact:
Ben Hedley

ben@ clear-offset.com


Notes for Editors
• Clear, the carbon offset company was the first company in the world to qualify for the UK Government’s Quality Assurance Scheme for Carbon Offsetting. It is the first government backed quality mark for carbon offsets in the world and sets the highest standards yet for the international carbon offsetting industry.  All their carbon offset products meet the criteria for a key aspect of the QAS – accuracy of carbon footprint measurement.  More details can be found on the QAS website at  http://offsetting.defra.gov.uk/  
• Clear is an innovative carbon offset company which provides free carbon calculation services for consumers and businesses. Clear’s research aims to show individuals and businesses the real carbon footprints of their actions, and help them to reduce them. It worked closely with the Government on the calculation standards for the QAS.  More information can be found at http://www.clear-offset.com.
• You can consol yourself that as a UK taxpayer, based on the estimate that 50 standard humps 5km of connecting residential streets costs about £150,000. So the UK speed hump population cost us £300 million pounds.
• Footnotes:
1. Clear research / UK Government conversion factors – DEFRA GHG Guidelines. (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/reporting/i ...)

2. A diesel car is slightly worse with 128 v 240 g/km – one litre of petrol produces 2.315kg of CO2, whereas 1 litre of diesel produces 2.630 kg of CO2. (source as 1)

3. 397,403 km / 246,988 miles of road in the UK (Ordnance Survey Mapping, 2006). There are about 32m cars in the UK (DfT 2003), which travel an average of 10,000 miles per annum (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders - http://www.smmt.co.uk/home.cfm ). Therefore an average stretch of road in the UK should have 2.46 cars / minute pass. 1 car per minute on an urban road is not an unreasonable estimate of a typical urban road.

4. Legal requirements that in a 20mph zone, speed humps may be no further than 100m apart. (Camden Council “Speed humps and traffic calming” - http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/transport-and-streets/traffic-management/speed-humps-and-traffic-calming.en .

5. DEFRA GHG Guidelines - Annex 6 - Passenger Transport Conversion Tables (as before). Unknown car 204.2g/km. Average mileage per annum in the UK – 10,000 from SMMT road transport assumptions (as before). Average unknown car produces 3.219 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

6. From the Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/is-this-the-end-of-the-road-for-the-speed-bump-567834.html )

7. 2004 figures – data collected in 2007 by the CDIAC for United Nations (http://cdiac.ornl.gov) .

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Clear is a carbon offset company on a mission - to provide the best carbon offsets available worldwide, and are the first to be approved by the new UK Government Quality Assurance Scheme

Chapman Freeborn charters first LAN Cargo Boeing 777 Freighter

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 06, 2009 – Chapman Freeborn Airchartering has successfully arranged the first ever charter on LAN Cargo's latest addition to their fleet - a new Boeing 777 Freighter only delivered to the Miami-based airline a few days prior to the flight.
The global aircraft charter specialist coordinated the movement of 18 tons of generator equipment from Toronto (YYZ) to Havana (HAV) for the inaugural flight, on behalf of Project Freight Forwarding company.
Representatives from Chapman Freeborn were present in Toronto to oversee the operation as cargo was loaded onto the aircraft for the first time ahead of a punctual departure.
The B777F aircraft is the only one of its type in the region, and represents the most modern, efficient, and capable twin-engine freighter in the world.
David Mejia, a cargo charter specialist at Chapman Freeborn, said:
"We are delighted to be the first company to successfully utilise this aircraft. It was a successful charter operation and performed exactly to schedule.
"This B777 Freighter is a valuable addition to the North American and Latin American market, and we expect it will be in high demand with our charter clients."
President & CEO, stated from his Calgary office that the level of commitment and fast response provided by Chapman Freeborn was outstanding and made the difference in achieving what was deemed initially as "not achievable".
Chapman Freeborn has 32 offices in 22 countries across five continents and coordinated more than 5,000 cargo and passenger aircraft charters last year.

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Chapman Freeborn is the world’s foremost air charter and aviation support company. Established in 1973, we are now in our fourth decade of providing air charter solutions for the movement of both passengers and cargo.

Independent pre-move surveys in Germany and Europe

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 04, 2009 – The world wide financial crises has affected the Moving Industry too. The number of world wide Moves decreases constantly and stronger competition for customers is taking place. Usually, when a cutomer orders a move a pre-move survey is done in order to deterimine the volume that needs to be shipped. Until now, moving companies had to ask local moving companies to do a pre-move survey whenever the customer was not living near an office of the own moving company. But stronger competition increases the fear of competing moving companies hooking the customers. Furthermore, more and more moving companies have to reduce their costs in order to withstand the financial crisis.
One solution to these usual problems of moving companies is the service of the company Consulting and Service "Christian Papenmeier -- Beratung & Service" with H.Q. in Frankfurt, Germany and offices near Chemnitz (Saxony) and Prague (Czech Republic). They offer independent pre-move surveys in Europe, especially Germany and Frankfurt Area. They are independent and act in the name of the ordering moving company. Therefore moving companies do not fear that their customers are hooked any more.
Furthermore, moving companies may use the service of Christian Papenmeier's company on a pay per pre-move survey basis using PayPal. So they might drastically cut their usual pre-move survey costs.
The result of a pre-move survey is a moving report including the number and volume of furniture to be moved and special characteristics of the loading location like single-track roads. Using the independet service of Christian Papenmeier these results are send 24 h after the survey via e-mail.
To make it easier for partners to contact them they have an international Webpage based in Unites States, too:
http://www.pre-move-survey.com/

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Involved in National and International Personnel and Office Moves, Quality checking's and management, International Relocation Services and Education projects at Universities and public and private academies. Specialized on pre-move surveys.

Luna Road’s solar road studs and solar cat eyes illuminate Costa Rica

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 02, 2009 – Luna Road, a company that specializes in the design, manufacture, supply and installation of the new high-tech solar powered road studs, illuminates the dangerous road leading up to the infamous Tunnel Zurqui in Costa Rica.
The Tunnel Zurqui, also known as “The Tunnel of Death” is one of the most dangerous roads in the entire country of Costa Rica. Many drivers frequently get into serious and fatal accidents on this winding, narrow and dark mountainous road.
Luna Road, in conjunction with the road authorities in Costa Rica, have installed Luna Road Lights on the dangerous roads and curves leading up to the treacherous Tunnel Zurqui in a bid to help increase road safety, and help reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities at this particular death trap.
The LR-200 Luna Road Light Series was the major model used on this particular project. Each LR-200 Luna Road Light Series was installed in the foundation of the road, creating a flushed finish effect.
Feedback from the Luna Road Light project at the Tunnel Zurqui has been extremely positive and successful so far. Many drivers who now approach this dangerous road at night are tremendously satisfied with the distance visibility delivered by the Luna Road Lights, which helps to alert and warn the drivers of the oncoming dangers that exist on the road ahead; helping to guide and protect the drivers safely along their way.
Luna Road will continue to work extremely hard with the authorities in deploying the Eco Friendly Luna Road Light Safety System, to help reduce the high number of human fatalities that stem from the growing global road vehicular accident epidemic.

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Luna Road LLC. specializes in the design, manufacture, supply and installation of the new high-tech “cat’s eyes”.
Unlike conventional retro-reflective road markers, Luna Road Lights contain Light Emitting Diodes, which illuminate the direction of the road, for miles in front of drivers.
Luna Road Lights removes the need for car headlights to reflect on conventional road markers in order to provide illumination.
Luna Road LLC. – “Lighting The Way”