MobiApps forms JV with Tatas

Taco MobiApps Telematics Ltd (TMT), a 50:48 joint venture between Tata Autocomp Systems Ltd and MobiApps Holdings Pte Ltd, a provider of satellite, terrestrial and hybrid technologies for commercial communications, announced the launch of Tracko, an end-to-end fleet management and vehicle tracking system (VTS).

Going beyond the vanilla flavour VTS, TMT is creating domain-specific solutions for logistics, OEM, IT/ ITES, schools, mining, oil and hazardous chemical segments. Besides catering to the individual requirements of these sectors, TMT has launched a 24/7 contact centre. The system interfaces via the web, e-mail and SMS.

Explaining the need for the contact centre, Ramesh Narain, TMT chief operating officer, said, "The contact centre will help our customers who are not tech savvy to call and query about the vehicle location, speed, status, request for assistance and even log complaints." TMT has partnered Pune-based Process-Max Solutions for designing and developing the Customer Relationship Management solution for the back-end support and call centre service.

The company has also partnered Lucas India to roll out its services across all 60 Lucas centres across the country by the end of the financial year (FY).

"Currently, we have six service locations of our own and have completed rolling out our services in nine locations of Lucas India. By the end of the FY, we will roll out our services across all the centres of Lucas India," said Narain.

"We are rolling out tailor-made solutions to cater to the requirements such as tracking vehicle location for parents of schoolchildren and accountability and time management of vehicles for mine owners," Narain said.

Over the past year, the company has successfully completed pilots for oil majors""Indian Oil Company and Bharat Petroleum "" and has now submitted a tender for installing 30,000 units in these public sector units. "The sector is prone to pilferage, adulteration and theft during transportation and we have been able to address this problem," said Narain.

Forecast to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 46 per cent since 2004 to be a $78-million market by 2011 by Frost & Sullivan, Narain is confident that TMT will outdo the market growth rate.

"We registered revenues of Rs 1.5 crore in 2005-06 and will outdo the market growth of 46 per cent," he said. The other players in this field are E-logistics and Arya Omnitalk.