Technology Briefs - Sept. 7 - Sept. 13
The Latest Headlines:
- Myers President; Hull Becomes Adviser
- Getloaded.com Names Myers President; Hull Becomes Adviser
- Technology Helping Calif. Ports Expedite Movement of Cargo
- DaimlerChrysler Dismisses Germany's Toll Collect Claims
- Savi Technology Names Genovese CFO
- Getloaded.com Names Myers President; Hull Becomes Adviser
Maddocks Terminates DDS Deal
Maddocks Systems Inc. has terminated its deal to be acquired by Digital Dispatch Systems Inc., Bob Maddocks, the company’s president, told Transport Topics Monday.Privately held Maddocks makes fleet-management software. DDS, a public company, was expected to put a notice on its Web site announcing the canceled deal early this week, Maddocks said, but had not done so earlier today.
Both companies are based near Vancouver, British Columbia.
Maddocks had earlier told Transport Topics for its Sept. 13 print edition that the deal, in which it was to be acquired by DDS for $C10 million, probably would not go through as planned. Transport Topics
Getloaded.com Names Myers President; Hull Becomes Adviser
National freight-matching service Getloaded.com promoted Charles Myers to president, from his former position as vice president of research and development.Myers was named president due to extensive growth seen by the company recently and was needed to handle day-to-day operations. He replaces company founder Patrick Hull, who will remain in an advisory capacity.
The company said that while overseeing research, Myers had helped increase speed, ease of access and activity volume on the Internet-based freight board.
Myers serves on the boards of the Transportation Intermediaries Association and the TIA Foundation, the company said, and is a member of the government traffic committees of both TIA and American Trucking Associations.
Myers previously was with the Defense Logistics Agency as director of the office of operations research and resource analysis. There, he was responsible for consulting services in supply chain management, including guaranteed traffic, regional freight consolidation and third-party logistics, the company said. Transport Topics
Technology Helping Calif. Ports Expedite Movement of Cargo
NYK Logistics and a few other local shipping companies have started using advanced technology to keep track of shipping containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Los Angeles Times reported.Although similar technology has been in Asia and Europe used for a decade and it has been two years since the ports reached an agreement with dockworkers to use the technology, West Coast shipping lines are now only beginning to use it.
Previously, workers at NYK spent hours riding golf carts and bicycles to keep track of shipping containers around its 70-acre facility in California. However, a new system of wireless local networks, smart storage tags and big antennas have made it possible to find a container in seconds.
Computer terminals can also relay information directly to truck cabs, enabling drivers to drop off containers at the correct location and pick up new containers without having to get out of their vehicles, the Times said. Transport Topics
DaimlerChrysler Dismisses Germany's Toll Collect Claims
DaimlerChrysler AG, which is building a truck-toll system in Germany with Deutsche Telekom AG, dismissed calls by the government for damages because of implementation delays, Bloomberg reported.The toll system would bill trucks an average 22 cents a mile when traveling on German highways, but it has been stalled by technical problems and financial disputes.
Germany was seeking about $4.4 billion in damages from Toll Collect GmbH because of the delays. DaimlerChrysler said the claims were unfounded and not justifiable, Bloomberg said.
The German government had canceled the original project, but later gave Toll Collect another chance to become operational by January 2005. Transport Topics
Savi Technology Names Genovese CFO
Savi Technology Inc., a leading supplier of RFID networks and other security technology, said Aug. 9 it had appointed Mary Ellen Genovese as its new chief financial officer.For the past four years, Genovese served as CFO of Trimble, a provider of GPS technology, the company said. Genovese started at Trimble in 1992 and worked her way up to the position of CFO, Savi said in a release.
A privately held company headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., with offices in Washington, London, Taiwan, Singapore and South Africa. Transport Topics
