Astrata Group Is Awarded $1 Million Vehicle Tracking Contract in UK
Latest in a Series of Contract Victories Demonstrates Astrata's Revolutionary Telematic Tracking Systems' Superiority Over Competitors
HOUSTON, April 23 -- Astrata Group (BULLETIN BOARD: ATTG) said that it has been awarded a contract, valued at approximately $1 million from the United Kingdom's South West Highways Ltd. (SWH) for systems to track, manage and control the company's extensive fleet of cars, trucks, sweeping and maintenance vehicles throughout Southwest England.
The UK contract, which will run over a two-year period, is the latest in a series of contracts in which Astrata's telematic tracking and control system proved superior in tests against major competitors' systems, the company said.
In February, Astrata said it delivered special units for the Singapore police force to use in security for the IMF-World Bank meeting in that country. In addition, Astrata completed installation of more than 700 units in vehicles that carry hazardous materials for the Singapore Civil Defense Corp. The units are part of a system that both tracks the vehicles, and stops them if they stray from their assigned routes.
On April 10, the company announced that it received an order to manufacture, ship and service $93 million worth of its telematics products over a two-year period.
Commenting on the UK contract, Astrata's CEO Martin Euler said, "It is very gratifying for Astrata to be awarded such a high profile contract in the UK. We were particularly pleased because Astrata won this contract in competition with two other companies.
"We understand that our success resulted from the ease of use of our system, the comprehensive nature of the solutions we provide and the potential for SWH to expand its system use in the future to include additional solutions we provide."
The units for the UK company also include a driver tagging system that ensures only authorized employees can drive certain vehicles. The system sounds an alarm notifying the command center if a driver neglects to touch a tag to a plate to identify himself when starting the vehicle. Astrata has already installed the first thirty units. The complete installation is expected to take two years.
Astrata's GLP20 system, which SWH has chosen, also is suitable for a wider range of tracking and control applications for a multitude of local and long distance transport applications, including corporate vehicle fleets, armored trucks, trailer trucks. The system can also be used to track ships and boats with the tracking device installed in waterproof casings.
Astrata said its systems are based on its unrivaled technology, its Geo- Location Platform, the world's smallest and most technologically advanced fleet management and vehicle real-time tracking device. A key advantage of the GLP20 is its small size: It is easy to conceal and install and difficult to detect.
Moreover, its communication module is permanently active, which means it can receive commands at any time and is not therefore dependent on a vehicle's ignition. Its advanced design reduces communication costs and battery drain while achieving groundbreaking low power consumption. Its communications protocol allows it to use "least cost routing" of data transmission via multiple communication paths resulting in reduced communication costs.
The unit boasts a Dual-Band SMS/GPRS compatible GSM module and the latest 'high sensitive' GPS receiver. Connectivity to and from external sensors, such as an engine immobilizer, alarm button, buzzer, etc, is facilitated through the onboard digital and analog Input / Output (I/O) lines. A serial interface is also provided to permit data transfer between the unit and other in-vehicle terminal equipment, such as a trailer identification system or a mobile data terminal.
South West Highways Ltd. helps to protect, develop and enhance England's South West region infrastructure. Each year, millions of pounds Sterling are invested in the region's network of roads, bridges, schools, railways, buildings and coastal or flood defenses, with much of the work carried out by SWH.
About Astrata Group, Inc.
Astrata Group, Inc., (OTC BB: ATTG) is a US publicly listed company. Astrata is focused on advanced location-based IT services and solutions (telematics) that combine GPS positioning, wireless communications (satellite or terrestrial) and geographical information technology, which together enable businesses and institutions to monitor, trace as well as control the movement and status of machinery, vehicles, personnel or other assets. Astrata has designed, developed, manufactured and currently supports seven generations of telematics systems with units deployed worldwide.
Astrata has offices throughout the world including the United States, Europe and Asia. For further information please visit http://www.astratagroup.com/.
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Company contact: Richard Nelson - Astrata Group rnelson@astratagroup.com Tel: +44 (0)7795 422211 PR/Media Relations Contact: Richard Stern Stern & Co. sstern@sternco.com Tel: 212-888-0044 Financial Advisors: Todd M. DeMatteo DOMINICK AND DOMINICK LLC Tel: 212-558-8809 tdematteo@dominickanddominick.com Robert J. Onesti DOMINICK AND DOMINICK LLC Tel: 212-558-8810 ronesti@dominickanddominick.com