Fastrax Ltd. has announced a partnership agreement with GE Equipment Services Europe to develop a custom design concept for tracking devices. The value of the first phase of the project is $5 million. Deliveries have already started, and all units will be shipped within a year.
GE Capital Solutions Europe's Equipment Services is one of Europe's leading providers of trailers, vans, railcars, construction equipment, trucks, and associated services for rental and lease. Fastrax has worked with GE Equipment Services since 2007 to develop a tracking system for its equipment services business.
GE Equipment Services required a tracking device with more than five years of technical life. The device had to be quick and easy to install and work without cabled sensors. In addition, the device needed to support multiple asset management applications and provide connectivity to third-party systems including electronic braking systems (EBS), reefer engines, and on-board diagnostics (OBS).
The result of the first joint project, the tracking device DG100, uses a wireless sensor network for flexible monitoring of trailers. DG100 offers considerably longer technical life through the use of a custom-made battery and extreme environmental testing. It provides better application flexibility and is more cost-effective than off-the-shelf systems.
Fastrax and GE Equipment Services Europe signed the project contract in spring 2007 and the collaboration will continue with follow-up projects currently under development.