Sweden's Telematics Leaders Make Impact at Telematics Update Detroit 2003
DETROIT--April 28, 2003--Sweden, long recognized as a leader in automotive safety and home to one of the world's largest telematics clusters, will have two of the country's most prominent companies and a leading telematics organization exhibiting at Telematics Update Detroit 2003 being held in Detroit at the Cobo Center on April 29 and 30. Closely linked with leading U.S. and global automotive manufacturers, Sony Ericsson, Volvo and the Telematics Valley organization will provide highlights of their sophisticated vision for the future of the industry and demonstrations of their advanced technologies.
"Sweden's Telematics Valley region has attracted top companies from around the world for its innovation, leadership, and competence in telematics and wireless communications," stated Erik Enroth, executive director of Invest in Sweden Agency, U.S. "Our mature market and sophisticated wireless infrastructure provides companies with the opportunity to run pilot programs and test new solutions in a 'real world' environment. This can make a big difference in solving existing questions for the future of the industry."
Volvo Panel Speaker and Telematics Valley Workshop
| -- | Keynote Panel Discussion: "Battle of the Brands -- how strong is a car brand today? And can you use telematics to leverage a car's profile?" -- with panel speaker Klas-Eino Klaesson, manager product development, Volvo North America, on Tuesday, April 29 at 11:30 a.m. in room W1-52. |
| -- | Telematics Valley Workshop: "Identifying and Reducing Costs for Integration and Verification" -- presented by Tomas Gabinus, executive director of Telematics Valley, on Wednesday, April 30 at 3 p.m. in room W1-51. |
Sweden's Telematics History and Strong Cluster Environment
Although the actual term telematics is relatively new to the vehicle industry, the Goteborg region has been a leader in developing and growing technological opportunities in mobile data for vehicles for more than two decades. Telematics Valley, a geographical region bordered by the cities of Boras, Goteborg, Trollhattan, and Uddevalla was established to promote Western Sweden as the center of the telematics industry.
New $400M Telematics Science Park
Nearing 50 percent completion, the Lindholmen Science Park will soon become the heart of the Telematics Valley region, focusing on stimulating growth of high-tech, knowledge-intensive, research-based companies. The park is built on the premise of cooperation between universities, trade and industry, and the community. With plans to employ more than 20,000 people, the park is positioning and profiling itself in the fields of telematics, mobile Internet, and modern media by offering a distinctive atmosphere of creativity, dynamism, expertise, and culture. The primary players in the park include: Volvo Car Corp., Business Region Goteborg, Ericsson, and Chalmers University of Technology, which was recently chosen to design and execute the Global Active and Passive Safety course for General Motors engineers, which began in January 2003.
Telematics Valley -- the Organization
Founded in 2001, the Telematics Valley organization was created to support collaboration and communication between leaders in the telematics community to promote and facilitate in the development of telematics solutions for the entire vehicle industry. Currently consisting of more than 60 member companies and 11 partner organizations, the organization has experienced an increase in membership of 100 percent within its first year. The organization will be hosting Europe's largest telematics conference, Telematics Systems 2003, this coming June 4 and 5 in Goteborg, Sweden. This pan-European event will bring leading telematics executives from across Europe together for two days of debate, knowledge sharing and networking. For more information, visit www.telematicsvalley.org.
Current Prominent Member Companies Include:
-- AutoLiv Electronics
-- Combitech Systems
-- DaimlerChrysler
-- Ericsson
-- Flextronics/Bluelabs
-- Gatespace
-- Hewlett Packard
-- IBM
-- Mecel AB
-- Microbind
-- Mitsubishi Electric
-- Motorola
-- SAAB/GM
-- Telelogic
-- Telia
-- Vodafone
-- Volvo Cars/Ford
-- Volvo Trucks
-- Wireless Car
About Invest in Sweden Agency
Invest in Sweden Agency was established by the Swedish government to help attract and facilitate foreign direct investment in Sweden -- Europe's leading IT cluster and a world leader in wireless and mobile Internet. Sweden provides a strong industrial base, sophisticated multinational customers, active utilization of information technology in both the public and private sectors, an advanced infrastructure, and a highly skilled workforce.
ISA assists companies interested in locating manufacturing sites, research and development facilities, sales offices, and customer interaction centers in Sweden by providing free site selection information and other business-related services. ISA is headquartered in Stockholm, with offices in New York, London, and Tokyo, a branch office in Los Angeles, and representatives in major European, North American, and Asian cities. For more information, visit the agency's Web site at www.isa.se or call the LA office at 310/204-6790 or the NY office at 212/702-8780. Questions can be sent via e-mail to isa@usa.isa.se.