NEXIQ Technologies' eTechnician Selected by Transmission Manufacturer ZF Meritor
MANCHESTER, N.H.--Oct. 29, 2001--NEXIQ Technologies (OTCBB: NEXQ) today announced that ZF Meritor LLC, a leading manufacturer of transmissions to vehicle OEMs, has selected NEXIQ Technologies' eTechnician(TM) telematics system for use with all its automated manual transmissions, including FreedomLine(TM) and SureShift(TM).
As a result of the agreement, eTechnician will be compatible with ZF Meritor's FreedomLine and SureShift transmissions. eTechnician will be available to fleets as an optional vehicle component or as an aftermarket add-on.
"OEM component suppliers are searching for solutions that provide real-time access to diagnostic information to increase vehicle uptime and lower warranty costs," stated John R. Allard, chairman and CEO of NEXIQ Technologies. "The selection of eTechnician by ZF Meritor clearly demonstrates the market desire for wireless vehicle connectivity systems for commercial vehicles and underscores NEXIQ Technologies commitment to providing the next-generation of diagnostics and telematics services to commercial vehicle suppliers."
Providing technical support to the service technicians responsible for responding to, diagnosing and repairing fault alerts is a critical business requirement for any OEM component supplier. It is the ultimate goal to keep commercial vehicles up and running at all times. ZF Meritor plans to deploy eTechnician to provide technical support and remote diagnostic capabilities to dealers or its field technicians.
"eTechnican is a perfect partner for our FreedomLine and SureShift transmissions," said Rick Martello, president, ZF Meritor. "It shows how innovative technology can be brought to the commercial vehicle market and also provide bottom-line value to our customers. Further remote diagnostics for our transmissions allows us to meet our goals of ensuring that our customers' trucks are always on the road and running at peak performance."
eTechnician is a real-time, remote, wireless command and control solution delivered through an Application Service Provider (ASP), enabling the remote monitoring, diagnosis and reprogramming of commercial vehicles, regardless of location. It unites, for the first time, the service bay, vehicles and fleet operations and continuously monitors up to 600 data points on a vehicle, allowing for the easy management of fleet operations, maintenance and location tracking.
eTechnician will be available to customers in February 2002.
About ZF Meritor and ArvinMeritor
The global ZF Group, the world's largest independent specialist for driveline and chassis technology, is headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany. It employs more than 37,000 people worldwide and operates over 60 facilities in 17 countries. In 2000, the ZF Group posted sales of $6 billion. With sales of $1.2 billion in 1999 and sales of $1.8 billion in 2000, the ZF Group in North America expects annual sales of over $2 billion by the year 2002. ZF Group North American Operations is headquartered in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, and operates 14 production locations.
ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier $7.0 billion global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and related aftermarkets. In addition, ArvinMeritor is a leader in coil coating applications, including those for the transportation, appliance, construction and furniture industries. The company is headquartered in Troy, Mich., and employs 36,000 people at more than 150 manufacturing facilities in 26 countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the company's Web site at: www.arvinmeritor.com.
About NEXIQ Technologies
NEXIQ Technologies (OTCBB: NEXQ) is focused on advanced diagnostic and telematics solutions that provide seamless information and operations management capabilities to the commercial and automotive vehicle industry. NEXIQ Technologies is headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire with significant operations in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and Coralville, Iowa. (www.nexiq.com)