April/May 2007

Truck manufacturers are not renowned for collaboration with third-party suppliers, preferring to keep everything in-house.

So the announcement that MAN ERF (UK) is to sell the Microlise Fleet and Distribution and RFID suites of products might seem something of a surprise.

At second glance however, it makes good sense. By incorporating the Microlise fleet and distribution software in its telematics packages, MAN ERF has improved its services to customers who sign up for its telematics packages, and ranks it alongside fellow truck manufacturers Scania and Volvo who already offer such 'soft' fleet management services.

For operators, of course, fleet management services are not 'soft' at all, but are key aspects of their operation - just as important as the vehicle and driver telemetry data that truck makers have always been good at providing.

 

The Microlise applications complement those already offered by MAN ERF, which are designed to help operators maximise their return on investment and reduce the total cost of ownership of their vehicle fleet. The solutions will be delivered as managed Web services hosted on MAN ERF dedicated servers. Users will be able to gain access to the system using a simple, password-protected Web browser interface.

'For a major supplier of leased heavy goods vehicle fleets, it is no longer enough merely to supply horsepower and wheels,' comments David Midgley, general manager telematics for MAN ERF. 'We must be able to offer a complete solution to the business needs of our clients in their fleet operations.'

For Microlise's business development director Bob Harbey, the agreement offers access to those customers the company would not necessarily get the opportunity to talk to. 'Fleet management is a fragmented sector, with a big divide between smaller and larger fleets. There's no reason that smaller and medium-sized fleets with fewer internal resources should not benefit from the vehicle optimisation that is possible with our scheduling and route analysis software. MAN ERF will be able to offer the real business benefit of this through their Web-based services.

The Fleet & Distribution applications suite is designed to help manage goods in transit and the assets used to transport them - vehicles and drivers. Delivery and service fleets can benefit through various modules, including optimised scheduling and planning, schedule adherence monitoring, maximising use of assets, reducing fuel consumption and improving driver performance, and can generate accurate real-time proof of delivery and collection data. By reselling Microlise's RFID solution, MAN can ensure its vehicles are at the forefront of a growing trend in supply chain developments for automatic ID.

Midgley concedes that RFID is something for the future, but it seems to be on the agenda. 'The ability to integrate RFID auto ID technology within the solutions will ensure we can deliver leading edge and future-proof mobile technology for our customers,' he says.