Press Release

 

Vidus, an @Road Company, SAP and Capgemini Launch Field Service Transformation Solution for Utilities

Vidus, SAP & Capgemini Partnership to Deliver Seamless Integration Between SAP Utility Applications and Vidus taskforce(TM) for Field Service Excellence

FREMONT, CA – February 28, 2005 – Capgemini Deutschland and Vidus Ltd, an @Road, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARDI), company and international provider of the intelligent field service automation solution, taskforce, announced a partnership for the German speaking market and the full integration of taskforce into SAP for Utilities and SAP Mobile Asset for Utilities (MAU). The solution combines best-in-class consulting, software and expertise from the three companies to provide utility organizations with an integrated, intelligent and real-time solution that will help them to increase their service levels to meet customer expectations, while reducing operational costs.

Vidus' intelligent and automated software, taskforce, has been designed to continuously synchronize resources to enable companies to provide service on demand, accommodate customer preferences, and reliably meet customer commitments by overcoming the complexity and unpredictability of service delivery environments.

"The quality of the customer experience is quickly becoming the benchmark for service performance as utilities are increasingly being judged on their service delivery," said Cristian Parrino, vice president strategic alliances of Vidus. "Our partnership with Capgemini and the integration with SAP for Utilities is an integral part of Vidus' international business growth and expansion. Through our combined resources we can deliver high-quality, high-value solutions to leading service delivery and utility organizations, globally, to enable them to meet or exceed the increasing demands of their customers."

To date, Vidus' taskforce has helped British Telecom (BT), for example, reduce dispatch control costs by 76%, achieve savings through automation that total more than USD $335 million a year, and introduce new lucrative service offerings based on its new efficient service. Vidus is also enabling E.ON Hungaria Rt. to manage its 1,500 people strong mobile workforce in real time with the aim of meeting two hour appointment windows in accordance with government service level agreements, while anticipating a productivity gain of more than 30% and a 5% overall reduction in costs.

Commenting on the partnership with Capgemini and the new SAP certification, Martin Bettels, director alliances Central Europe, said: "With taskforce and the SAP integrated solution, Capgemini can deliver utilities with an integrated and intelligent field service delivery solution that brings a new level of automated operational efficiencies and customer experience benefits to their field operations. The synchronization of resources in this way is the only answer to delivering a great customer experience in an increasingly demanding market."

Notes to Editors

  • The integration of taskforce with SAP for Utilities will enable Capgemini and Vidus to provide utility organizations with the ability to automatically generate, update and manage service orders in real-time; to manage changing workforce management cases on the fly -- including delay, sickness and skills shortages -- and advise service technicians of their work orders on mobile devices, including all relevant data regarding customer and job information.
  • Vidus became a certified partner of SAP on November 30, 2004.
  • Companies can experience the new system for themselves at Capgemini's showcase facility where Vidus, Capgemini and SAP are hosting demonstrations of the integrated solution. The showcase is located at Capgemini's Advanced Solution Center, Hamborner Str. 55, 40472 Duesseldorf, Germany.


About the Capgemini Group

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of Consulting, Technology and Outsourcing services, has a unique way of working with its clients, which it calls the Collaborative Business Experience. Through commitment to mutual success and the achievement of tangible value, the company helps businesses implement growth strategies, leverage technology, and thrive through the power of collaboration. Capgemini employs approximately 60,000 people worldwide and reported 2003 global revenues of USD $7.592 billion.

More information about individual service lines, offices and research is available at www.capgemini.com.


About Vidus, an @Road Company

In today's increasingly complex and changing world, Vidus enables service providers to deliver a high quality of experience to their customers at the right time, the first time. Vidus was created to enable home service delivery companies in newly deregulated markets to deliver high-quality service experience to their customers by providing a unified, up-to-the minute view across the field service resource network. Through extensive operational research and development, Vidus' technology was purpose-built to help increase customer profitability by addressing the disconnection between customer acquisition, customer satisfaction, retention and growth. Major customers now include BT, Centrica/British Gas, and NTL.

Vidus also has a global presence in the U.K., Germany, Hungary, Italy, France, Spain and North America. Visit www.vidus.com for more information about Vidus and taskforce.


About @Road

@Road, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARDI) is a leading provider of mobile resource management (MRM) services, a rapidly growing category of productivity solutions integrating wireless communications, location technologies, hosted software applications, transaction processing and the Internet to help companies better manage mobile workers. Any size organization, in any industry or public sector, in which improving the productivity of mobile workers has an impact on revenue, expenses, customer service, and competitive advantage, will benefit from @Road MRM services. Because @Road offers MRM services on a hosted basis, customers avoid expensive and complex software and IT infrastructure investments. Since @Road delivers services on a subscription basis, customers can experience a rapid and measurable return-on-investment.

The company has headquarters in Fremont, CA and secure networked data centers on both U.S. coasts. For more information, visit the @Road Web site at www.road.com.

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Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements involving factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. These factors, risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability of @Road, Vidus and its partners, such as Capgemeni and SAP, to integrate taskforce into other products, such as those discussed herein; customer acceptance of such integrated products and services; the dependence of @Road on mobile data systems technology, wireless networks, network infrastructure and positioning systems owned and controlled by others, and general economic and political conditions. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the @Road Report on Form 10-K dated March 12, 2004, Report on Form 10-Q dated November 8, 2004 and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. @Road undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

@Road is a registered trademark of @Road, Inc. taskforce is a trademark of @Road, Inc.

 

Media Contact

Bob Stern
@Road Media Relations
(510) 870-1360
bstern@road-inc.com


David Lebedeff,
@Road Vice President Investor Relations
(510) 870-1317
dlebedeff@road-inc.com

 


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