roadmap monthly newsletter - march 2011
DESCRIPTION
Monthly newsletter addressing issues related to Frotcom products and services, customer case studies and success stories of Frotcom, among other interesting issues about our business activity.TRANSCRIPT
Roadmap Monthly Newsletter | [email protected] | Tel + 351 214 135 670 | Fax +351 214 135 678 Frotcom vehicle tracking system | www.frotcom.com Angola |Belgium | Brazil | Bulgaria | Cameroon | Cyprus | D. R. Congo | Greece | Kenya | Luxemburg | Macedonia | Madagascar | Mauritius | Morocco | Portugal | Reunion Islands | Romania | Rwanda | Senegal | Serbia | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Slovenia | Spain | Tanzania | Uganda
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Roadmap monthly newsletter
Editorial
n the Carnival holidays, the office of a company
nearby was assaulted. Apart from a few
laptops, it seems, the gang robbed a vehicle of
that company, which was parked in the garage.
The vehicle was gone and – fortunately – was already found by the police. But
not thanks to any GPS system installed in the vehicle. The vehicle did not have
one. So, for a series of days, it was not possible to recover the vehicle. Nor the
other robbed stuff. If it weren’t for other clues the police obviously had, it would
probably be gone forever.
I am, of course, biased in saying this: it does not
make any sense anymore for companies not to
have their entire fleet equipped with a vehicle
tracking system. Allow me to explain why.
The simple fact that a vehicle may be stolen, as happened with this company,
pays off. You may think that’s not a problem as long as insurance covers theft of
the vehicle. But that insurance adds an extra cost to the company, and this cost
could be a lot lower if the vehicle were traceable by GPS. Some insurance
companies already give discounts in the case of GPS equipped vehicles, and
rightly so. Besides, in the case where the vehicle transports goods, tools or
values, the insurance is not enough, is it? And just because the vehicle is insured
against theft doesn’t mean that a new vehicle will be immediately available. This
often means a disruption in the service provided to customers
But any justification for not having a GPS tracking system on board becomes
even harder to understand when you think of the great benefits such a system
generates in terms of productivity, cost control and customer satisfaction. That
is usually the primary reason why our customers adopt Frotcom. And vehicle
security is simply a great side effect.
Valério Marques CEO - Frotcom International
A note from the editor – If you would like to have your own say in the next edition of this newsletter please do
not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected].
O
March
2011
In this issue
New features
Alarm sounds, useful links
and many others
Case study
Fibnet
Reducing travel times
and costs
News and events
Indian adventure
about to end
This and much more…
Roadmap Monthly Newsletter | [email protected] | Tel + 351 214 135 670 | Fax +351 214 135 678 Frotcom vehicle tracking system | www.frotcom.com Angola |Belgium | Brazil | Bulgaria | Cameroon | Cyprus | D. R. Congo | Greece | Kenya | Luxemburg | Macedonia | Madagascar | Mauritius | Morocco | Portugal | Reunion Islands | Romania | Rwanda | Senegal | Serbia | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Slovenia | Spain | Tanzania | Uganda
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New Features
“My Profile” and “Company profile” have changed
As more options are becoming available for users to
customize their user experience, the My Profile and
Company Profile sections in Frotcom’s Administration
area needed to be redesigned. Users now have a
stronger visual aid helping them select the appropriate
options.
Start page choice expanded
Users can now select from a total of 19 different start pages (landing pages)
when they login. Choices are available in the My profile section.
Sounds and popups
for messages and
alarms
It is now possible to specify popup warnings and sounds when alarms are
triggered or new messages are received.
CANBus report extended
The CANBus report has been extended to a
maximum time period of 31 days. This will
allow users to calculate the total and average
consumption of a vehicle, among other data,
for a complete month.
Requesting support
Users can now request direct support from their Frotcom Certified Partner
(FCP) by simply clicking on the Feedback/Support link in Frotcom. The
message entered will be immediately received by the FCP and support will be
quickly provided.
Useful links
A quick button for a list of links to useful web sites has been added to Frotcom. Users can edit the list and add their own list of preferred sites.
Did you know?
Source: CNN.com
Japan may have shifted
more than 2 meters
The powerful earthquake that
unleashed a devastating tsunami
Friday appears to have moved the
main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4
meters) and shifted the Earth on its
axis.
"At this point, we know that one GPS
station moved (8 feet), and we have
seen a map from GSI (Geospatial
Information Authority) in Japan
showing the pattern of shift over a large
area is consistent with about that much
shift of the land mass," said Kenneth
Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS).
Reports from the National Institute of
Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy
estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake
shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4
inches (10 centimeters).
The temblor, which struck Friday
afternoon near the east coast of Japan,
killed hundreds of people, caused the
formation of 30-foot walls of water that
swept across rice fields, engulfed entire
towns, dragged houses onto highways,
and tossed cars and boats like toys.
Some waves reached six miles (10
kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture
on Japan's east coast.
Source: CNN.com
Roadmap Monthly Newsletter | [email protected] | Tel + 351 214 135 670 | Fax +351 214 135 678 Frotcom vehicle tracking system | www.frotcom.com Angola |Belgium | Brazil | Bulgaria | Cameroon | Cyprus | D. R. Congo | Greece | Kenya | Luxemburg | Macedonia | Madagascar | Mauritius | Morocco | Portugal | Reunion Islands | Romania | Rwanda | Senegal | Serbia | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Slovenia | Spain | Tanzania | Uganda
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Case Study
FibNet
Reducing travel times and costs in telecommunication projects
FibNet - Engineering and Telecommunications, S.A. emerged in the Portuguese
telecommunications market in 2000 as a provider of integrated solutions,
dedicated to the design, implementation and construction management of
telecommunication networks.
With a recognized team of excellent professionals, FibNet guarantees its
customers an efficient management of all resources, focusing on the quality of
their services.
FibNet started its activity with the design and construction of a
fiber optic ring on a national scale. Later, the company
expanded its work to other areas of engineering, such as
building telecommunication networks. Currently, FibNet offers
turn-key solutions, covering such diverse areas as GSM, FWA
and UMTS networks, cable TV and fiber optics.
To control its fleet, FibNet adopted Frotcom. According to
Susana Dias, Administrator of FibNet "The use of Frotcom has
enabled FibNet a more precise knowledge of the work of field
staff and thus to better be able to respond to customer
requests. As an additional advantage, we are now able to
manage the vehicles that are allocated to projects abroad“.
FibNet also noticed “a decrease in travel times and mileage, as
well as a reduction in fuel cost.”
Tip of the month
Useful Links
Frotcom has just launched the new
Useful links feature, a quick access to
your preferred web sites.
The idea is that you can have a list of
those useful sites where you normally
find information which is important for
the management of your fleet’s activity.
Here are some examples:
Traffic status report
Emergency phone numbers
Weather forecast
Fuel price comparison and location
of the corresponding gas stations
Currency conversion
Freight exchange
News
To help you start, Frotcom already
includes a couple of links. You can add
your own links by pressing the Edit
button and inserting your own choices.
When you select a link, you will open a
new page with the selected website.
Apart from having all fleet
management useful sites together, this
feature in Frotcom allows you to have
access to this preferred list from any
computer connect to the internet. In
that sense, it is a better solution than
simply using the favourites in your web
browser.
Roadmap Monthly Newsletter | [email protected] | Tel + 351 214 135 670 | Fax +351 214 135 678 Frotcom vehicle tracking system | www.frotcom.com Angola |Belgium | Brazil | Bulgaria | Cameroon | Cyprus | D. R. Congo | Greece | Kenya | Luxemburg | Macedonia | Madagascar | Mauritius | Morocco | Portugal | Reunion Islands | Romania | Rwanda | Senegal | Serbia | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Slovenia | Spain | Tanzania | Uganda
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News and events
The Indian adventure is about to end
Do you remember the Frotcom sponsored adventure of a couple in a sidecar
motorbike in India? Well, after almost 5 months interacting with the Indian
culture, this epic adventure is close to its end. Leninha and Inácio started on
November 2, 2010, in Delhi, India, and will finish in the same place, after
8000km in the roads of this fabulous country.
The sidecar motorcycle, a 1966 Royal Enfield Bullet 350cc, was equipped with a
Frotcom tracking device, which made it possible to follow up the entire journey.
Today, as these words are being written, the couple has left Varanasi and is
resting halfway to Allahabad, in the north of India and on the way back to Delhi.
For further information and great pictures and videos about this adventure, visit
www.daravolta.com or www.facebook.com/daravolta.
According to their logbook, the couple is
already considering another trip in another
exotic place. Frotcom, of course, will be
available to track and trace their vehicle again
(whatever that might be!...)
Roadmap contratulates Lenhinha and Inácio for this great initiative and wishes
both a safe journey back home.
Next, on Roadmap
News and events,
more new Frotcom features
and tips will be presented.
This and more, so don’t miss
the next issue of Roadmap.