A major export contract for Intersat, a highly specialised fleet security and productivity management solution, has been awarded to Bandit Vehicle Security Systems, who developed the vehicle recovery system, Bandit Intertrac, in a joint programme with Denel.
Unique internationally, Intersat is a three-in-one concept combining all the benefits of a fleet management system with those of an on-board computer and a stolen vehicle recovery system. In cases where fleet managers have had to operate three separate systems, the savings are substantial.
"We launched Intersat a year ago and the response locally has exceeded all expectations," said Allon Raiz, Bandit's Marketing Director. "Our track record for vehicle security systems over the past 12 years in southern Africa, where we are one of the largest suppliers of gearlocks, has helped to leverage this new deal."
Zone control
A powerful feature of the system is its method of zone control. Zones are used to manage the vehicle's movement within particular areas, or to manage the vehicle's movement into prohibited areas. They are designated as 'go zones', 'no go zones' or 'alert areas'.
Traditional systems programme the zones onto the fleet manager's PC. When information such as a zone violation is updated from the unit in the vehicle, the fleet manager is only alerted to the violation after the event when the unit is instructed to download. In the case of Intersat, zones are loaded onto the PC and sent via SMS or data to the vehicle unit, which is programmed report back at specified intervals. However, if the vehicle violates a zone, the unit will notify the fleet manager immediately via PC or cellphone.
During routine monitoring, the short message service (SMS) is used to send information inexpensively over the GSM network. SMS can supply information such as the vehicle's GPS coordinates and direction, and is relatively fast and secure. In situations where high priority rules are broken, or when vehicles are stolen and every second counts, Intersat utilises a 'live' data line to transmit instantaneous information to the fleet manager or Bandit's control room. The data line can also be used to download large quantities of historical information from the vehicle during off-peak periods more cost effectively.
The Intersat system provides fleet managers with four vital crash logs. The last 16 seconds of the vehicle's current trip are recorded on a continuous basis and all harsh braking events are logged and reported. The crash log also supplies information on latitude and longitude, date, time, end speed, the last 16 seconds of speed and revs, and the distance into the trip.
Another important feature is the monitoring of vehicles entering or leaving way points such as customer depots. The Intersat unit stores these points and can be programmed to alert the fleet manager directly a vehicle arrives or leaves.
VESA approved
The built-in Bandit Intertrac system is one of only four to have VESA approval. It is linked to a nationally-based operation with dedicated air and ground recovery teams on standby 24 h a day. Bandit has over 7000 clients and its monthly recovery monitoring exceeds VESA requirements.
The outright purchase price of Intersat is R8300 excluding VAT per vehicle and the monthly subscription fee is R95 excluding VAT. Rental is a further option and fleet discounts apply. The cost of the software is R4000 excluding VAT.
For details contact Bandit Vehicle Security Systems on tel: (011) 783 3815.
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