Quartix, one of Britain’s most respected players in the Telematics sector and one of our fastest growing technology businesses, was the first company in the UK to launch a truly online-based vehicle tracking system. Quartix was founded in 2001 by four industry professionals with experience in sales, marketing, operations, systems design, telemetry, embedded computing, communications and database design and implementation. Together they identified an opportunity for a vehicle tracking system that utilised the tools and resources readily available on the Internet. Using the best in mapping systems, location databases, communications technology and Internet service providers, Quartix set out to create a system that was more robust and easier to use than existing products and was accessible from any internet-connected PC, without the need for any changes to the user’s set up or the addition of any software.
Quartix’s vehicle tracking system is both reliable and user friendly, and offers considerable financial benefits to commercial fleet operators. GPS satellite and Internet technology are used to deliver vehicle logs to the end user by e-mail each morning, requiring no special training and very little time. Customer acceptance of the system has been excellent from the outset. Quartix now has over 1,500 customers in the UK, using the technology to track over 14,000 vehicles in total, and the company’s success has been recognised by numerous prestigious business and product awards. Andy Kirk, Sales & Marketing Director of Quartix, spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.
Warehouse & Logistics News – Who set up Quartix?
Our MD Andy Walters came up with the original idea after seeing how systems available at the time had not fully embraced internet technology. Other directors in from the start include myself, Sales & Marketing Director; Ken Giles, Technical Director; and Dominie Walters. We still own the company.
WLN – What is your day-to-day role?
I am the Sales & Marketing Director, dealing with all aspects of our customer relations. I spend a lot of time with customers, getting to know and understand their requirements.
WLN – Where is your head office?
The Quartix head office is based in Newtown, Powys. We also have offices in Cambridge and Southampton where our technology is developed. Product assembly and testing is carried out in Cambridge.
WLN – How big is Quartix now?
Turnover for 2007 should exceed £5m, with growth continuing at over 50% pa. Excluding manufacturing, we have a customer facing team of 16, and over 30 mobile engineers carrying out installations.
WLN – How do you summarise the Quartix proposition?
The Quartix vehicle tracking system is a complete service. It’s simple to use, cost effective and reliable. We track many large well known fleets, but being web based it’s just as effective on small fleets. Some of our customers also take advantage of the fact that the Quartix system provides links into other packages and back office systems, so they can integrate the data in real time into their own management processes. It’s all part of the standard service.
In short, we do exactly what we say, and our after sales support is second to none in the industry.
WLN – How does Quartix differ from other vehicle tracking systems available in the UK?
With Quartix you get the whole system from the start; it is 100% web based, requiring no software or changes to people’s firewalls. There are no airtime contracts to sign, and the Quartix system runs at a fixed cost: the customer knows the charges from the outset. Customers also value the Quartix brand, which is synonymous with quality and service.
WLN – Are there particular fleets that would benefit by adopting Quartix?
Quartix is used by almost every sector in the UK economy: any mobile workforce can benefit. When we began, we targeted vehicles with skilled mobile workers, but since then increasing demand for the system means we now track vehicles across almost every sector. There seems to be a growing desire to track sales reps, to ensure compliance with a company’s duty of care to its employees.
WLN – What are the business benefits of telematics of this kind?
The benefits can be broadly split into two camps. First are the financial benefits, which are well publicised, and include managing overtime and job costing together with improving business performance and asset utilisation, reducing fuel usage and improving sales and service efficiency.
The other camp is on the legislative side, where Quartix helps companies with their duty of care to the mobile work force and compliance with the road transport Working Time Directive. Another reason people consider the Quartix system is the Corporate Manslaughter bill, which comes into being in April 2008. Legislation changes in the taxable benefit of company vans in April 2007 helped sales jump by some 144%.
Some of our larger fleets are also using the system to assist with their drive to reduce Carbon Footprint by eliminating unnecessary journeys.
WLN – Typically, how much more cost-effective does the Quartix vehicle tracking system make a mobile workforce?
The system normally starts to reap benefits from day one. Customers implementing the system can expect at least 15% improvement in mobile workforce efficiency, whilst some of our customers have reported significantly better results.
WLN – What types of vehicle is Quartix designed to track?
Quartix is designed to track any mobile asset with an ignition key. The system has an auto ranging power supply, and can connect to anything from a car or motorbike to an HGV. Quartix can also track items such as JCBs, tipper trucks or municipal lawn mowers.
In the last two years we’ve been under pressure to release a trailer tracking solution. We developed the product earlier this year in Cambridge, and customer installations are now going ahead. Initial customers include hauliers and pharmaceutical suppliers.
WLN – Is it possible to stand Quartix down outside working hours so it doesn’t track people’s leisure movements?
Yes. To comply with the Data Protection and Human Rights acts, together with good management practice, Quartix offers a raft of privacy features. These can be accessed and configured by the client.
WLN – What different kinds of management reports can the Quartix vehicle tracking system be used to generate?
Quartix offers a comprehensive set of reports as a standard feature, based on seven years’ experience. In the unlikely event that the customer has other reporting requirements, we can build them in. The system is 100% web-based but can be linked in with back office planning or general management systems.
We can also take feeds from auxiliary equipment such as alarms, tail lifts, sweepers and PTO’s on vehicles and build them into our reports.
WLN – Is Quartix data admissible in evidence?
Our customers have provided vehicle reports from the system to the police as evidence to be used in court. As far as we know, the evidence has been so overwhelming that these cases have been concluded successfully. It has also been used by insurance investigators.
WLN – What industry sectors is Quartix used in?
It’s used in almost every sector in the UK economy: you’d be amazed at some applications! We publish regular case studies (see other pages.)
WLN – Can you also use Quartix to track forklift trucks?
We can, and do, use the technology on forklifts: a lot of forklift trucks are attached to the back of vehicles to enable loading/unloading on any site. The Quartix system is a brilliant way to track those, if they get left behind!
WLN – What Quartix equipment is installed in vehicles being tracked?
The terminal device is a small box with the footprint of a business card. It includes the auto ranging power supply, all processing power, the GPS receiver and antenna and the GSM modem and antenna, all in a small enclosure 2.4cm high.
Quartix is one of the smallest fully integrated terminal devices in the UK. It’s incredibly rugged and resilient, meeting all relevant European standards.
WLN – Can a casual observer tell it’s been installed?
In a word: no.
WLN – Does this kit mean stolen vehicles are recovered more quickly?
Not only are vehicles recovered, if customers are quick off the mark they often retrieve the goods too. This can have positive implications on insurance premiums.
WLN – What back up service do you offer when the kit fails?
Quartix customers can rest assured the product is covered by a comprehensive on site warranty. All support is provided as part of the service.
WLN – When vehicles are taken off the fleet, can the vehicle tracking system be transferred to another vehicle?
Yes, we can remove or relocate devices as required – some customers with larger fleets like to move them themselves, others prefer us to. We train customers’ authorised representatives to install the devices securely.
WLN – What is the smallest number of vehicles Quartix can track for a customer?
We have customers with over 500 vehicles, down to customers with just one vehicle. All customers receive the same high level of service regardless of fleet size. The number of vehicles in a fleet does not really matter.
WLN – Do you have any customers outside the UK? What about sales outside the UK?
We have customers using our products outside the UK, but they’re all UK-based companies. The UK market for telematics is worth around £100m PA: as yet, the proportion of vehicles tracked is less than ten percent, but growing rapidly.
WLN – How do you sell this equipment in the UK?
We maintain an active marketing programme to attract new business, but the reputation of Quartix in the market means we gain over 50% of our business via repeat orders or customer referrals. We also have partnerships with rental companies, who fit the product as standard with hire vehicles, for example Burnt Tree Vehicle Rentals brands it as XTrack powered by Quartix.
WLN – Is it compulsory under UK law to use telematics systems on commercial vehicles?
Not yet – there are no Government plans, as far as I know.
WLN – What awards have you won, either for your products or as a company?
In 2005, 2006 and again in 2007 we were selected as one of the top ten SME’s in the UK, for our significant growth underpinned by strong financial performance. The fact we have been highly rated externally shows consistency in our business model and product offering. As mentioned before, customer referrals and repeat orders generate over half our new business, a tangible sign of our standing in the market. In 2007 we were also winners of the National Business Awards regional award for Wales & the West Country. In December we were ranked number 38 in the Deloitte Top 50 Fastest Growing UK Technology Companies for 2007.
WLN – How long from customer go ahead to the kit going live?
Installation is typically within two weeks from receipt of the order, and the equipment tracks from the moment of installation.
WLN – What does Quartix cost to set up and run?
Customers can get Quartix tracking from just £22.80 per vehicle per month.
WLN – How long before the customer sees a return on their investment?
Many customers see the benefit from the point of installation; monitored behaviour often changes from day one, and the returns far outweigh the investment.
WLN – How can people see a demonstration of your system?
You can see it live online at www.quartix.net, or just call us to get demo passwords.
WLN – Do you run pilot studies to see whether your system is right for an organisation?
We actively promote trials, and encourage customers to carry them out. The typical trial is four weeks, although many reach a decision in the second week.
WLN – What external factors do you see influencing demand for your products and services?
The major factor is growing awareness of the technology, coupled with the need for increasing legislative compliance. In addition, when a company installs Quartix, they can gain considerable competitive advantage over others in their sector that don’t have telematics installed. This in turn leads others in the sector to get the system, in order to compete on a level playing field.
WLN – Looking ahead, roughly how many vehicles in the UK could be tracked by Quartix?
There are over three million commercial vehicles in the UK, which could benefit from being tracked.
WLN – Are you talking to the Government about involving Quartix in congestion charging, toll roads etc?
We have been involved in parts of the debate about road pricing. The Quartix system has built in functionality to give warnings when you transgress a congestion zone. Some leading publications have carried out trials with road pricing involving Quartix, and the Department of Transport is aware of our technology.
WLN – Finally, where do you see Quartix going from here?
Quartix has always been at the forefront of Telematics technology, and our continued product development plans, backed up by a team dedicated to the highest levels of customer service, should mean we stay that way.
Quartix Ltd
Tel: 08700 136663
www.quartix.net
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