VEHICLE tracking specialist Navman Wireless has secured a deal which could see its technology being fitted in more than 7,500 lorries.

The Keele-based firm has signed an agreement with Pall-Ex, the UK-wide network of road hauliers, to become the preferred supplier of tracking systems for its members.

Pall-Ex, which has 100 members boasting a combined fleet of more than 7,500 vehicles, sees companies sharing trailers with other freight bound for the same destination, reducing costs and benefiting the environ-ment. It plans to use Navman's technology to develop a cutting-edge transport management information system designed to give members access to a streamlined labelling and tracking process that will boost efficiency and productivity.

Navman major accounts manager Scott Hutchins said: "This is a significant opportunity for us and we have already started taking the Navman solution to Pall-Ex's membership base. It's difficult to say how much it will be worth to us because I think it will take us a number of years to get the system into all of the vehicles.

"Individual contracts will also depend on the size of the company. Some Pall-Ex members just have five or six vehicles, but there are larger ones which have hundreds in their fleet."

Navman Wireless, which employs around 38 people at Keele University Science and Business Park, and 180 worldwide, has fitted its technology in at least 100,000 vehicles so far and has more than 7,500 customers in 10 countries.

A study by the Institute of Transport Management found that its tracking system can reduce fuel consumption by 14 per cent, which can save companies thousands of pounds a year.

Executive vice president Tony Neill, pictured left, said: "We are delighted Pall-Ex has chosen Navman Wireless to support its innovative new transport management system.

"Its decision to position us as its preferred supplier further strengthens our reputation as a world leader at the fore of the vehicle tracking industry."

Pall-Ex IT director Sean Sherwin-Smith added: "We researched the vehicle tracking market place, conducted a thorough process of due diligence and found that Navman Wireless's system was the one most worthy of our endorsement.

"We feel particularly confident in recommending it to our membership because of its proven reputation for reliability, security and its advanced functionality.

"The integration with Navman Wireless will allow us to introduce our members to some really clever technological developments, such as enabling them to track individual vehicles through our system."

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