CAPE TOWN, South Africa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MiX Telematics, the global provider of vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions, has built on its success following its previous award of ‘approved supplier status’ to truck, bus, coach and engine manufacturer, Scania, by the introduction of its flagship FM Communicator product into Scania Australia. The FM Communicator has been designed to lead fleet managers towards a wide range of operational and efficiency benefits through the capture and analysis of vehicle and driver-related performance data.

Scania Australia has been successful in launching the FM Communicator into its existing base of truck and bus customers. This has included the provision of 180 fleet management solutions (FMS) into Bus Queensland, an existing Scania customer and purchaser of Scania’s bus range.

Mike Baker, MiX Telematics’ International Key Account Manager for the Scania Group says, “It has been a pleasure to recently visit the team at Scania Australia and witness firsthand the requirements for the Australian market. It is a diverse and exciting market, with many geographic challenges, which require a varied and flexible approach to telematics solutions. Together with Scania Australia, we have developed a system that supports all aspects of FMS provision, helping Scania Australia’s customers to save considerably on maintenance and operating costs and also to deliver a safer environment for drivers and passengers alike. This has been a great partnership to date and we look forward to working on further projects in the future.”

Scania Australia, with the support of MiX Telematics, has taken the FM Communicator and its web-based service, FM-Web and integrated it into their vehicle sales’ process. The combination of telematics, repair and maintenance contracts is targeted at all Scania vehicles, providing the maximum vehicle uptime levels for fleet operators. This contract ensures that vehicles are maintained and serviced to the highest standards, using specialist Scania equipment and using only genuine Scania parts. Fleet managers save dramatically on maintenance costs with this Scania exclusive maintenance cover. The combination of Scania’s driver training programme and the ability to monitor driver performance in real-time is an excellent combination and delivers key savings to operators.

The technology developed by MiX Telematics makes monitoring driver and vehicle information easy. The premium on-board computer (FM Communicator) offers vehicle tracking, data recording and GPRS communications as standard. Accompanying the FM Communicator, fleet managers make use of the web-based information service, FM-Web. This allows fleet managers to access vital data from anywhere in the world via any internet connection.

"The Scania system is very accurate and surpasses anything we have seen to date. We will be able to analyse running costs with a very high degree of accuracy and we will be able to budget better, assisting the financial management of the company," says Filip Pulitano, CEO of the Pulitano Group of Companies that runs more than 400 buses, predominantly in Queensland.

"The Scania FMS will reduce overall maintenance costs, and we will be able to pin-point drivers who are not functioning as they should. With more efficient running we will be better able to service the needs of our customers. "One of the important functions is it will help us to improve on-time running. We'll be able to identify if buses are running late and alert our customers," he says.

About MiX Telematics

Founded in 1996, MiX Telematics is a global provider of vehicle tracking and fleet management products and services to consumers and companies of all sizes in over 100 countries on six continents. The company’s commercial product range – formerly marketed under the VDO brand and sold by Siemens VDO for 10 years – helps fleet owners ensure driver and passenger safety, reduce fleet running and fuel costs, comply with selected industry regulations, and track and protect vehicles and drivers. Commercial customers include Parmalat, Schlumberger, Chevron, Greyhound, Spar, and Scania. MiX Telematics has offices in South Africa, the United Kingdom, USA, the UAE and Australia and operates via an extensive global distribution network.

For more information, please visit www.mixtelematics.com

About Scania

Scania’s objective is to deliver optimised heavy trucks and buses, engines and services, provide the best total operating economy for our customers, and thereby be the leading company in our industry. The foundation is our core values, our focus on methods and the dedicated people of Scania. Scania operates in some 100 countries and has 34,000 employees. Of these, 2,400 work with research and development – mainly in Sweden, close to the company’s production units. Scania’s corporate purchasing department is supplemented by local procurement offices in Poland, the Czech Republic, the United States and China. Production takes place in Europe and Latin America. In addition, about 20,000 people work in Scania’s independent sales and service organisation.

For further information, please visit www.scania.com