May/June 2004

Tropical plant specialist Deedman is one of the first companies to roll out the Sentinel Live vehicle tracking system from 2020 Fleet Management. The company has a team of 40 staff based throughout the country, and following trials of the Sentinel Live system, is fitting it in half the vehicles in its fleet.

According to director Butch Deedman: "Sentinel Live has enabled us to streamline our business. We can now plan our drivers' routes more efficiently, saving on fuel and cutting down on lost time."

He says he is expecting the benefits to filter down to the company's clients, "giving us an all-important competitive edge within our industry."

In the Sentinel system, vehicles are fitted with a small unit which enables them to be tracked in real time via the Internet. Unlike some rival systems, it allows users to track an unlimited number of vehicles concurrently. Communication is via GPRS, while location is provided by GPS.

 

In contrast to more standard products, the system is always bespoke for individual users. Options include navigational tools; live traffic information (provided by the RAC); stolen vehicle and load tracking; one- and two-way messaging; and reporting.

Deedman (www.deedman.co.uk) is based in Bolton, and has maintenance centres at Glasgow, Preston and London. There is also a retail Web site, www.plants4homes.co.uk.