DSS Contract win and Channel Partner Appointment

RNS Number : 2876D

Seeing Machines Limited

21 March 2011

 



SEEING MACHINES ("the Company")

DSS Contract & Appointment of Channel Partner

Seeing Machines Limited (AIM:SEE), a leading developer of advanced vision based industrial systems, announces a new contract win for DSS and the appointment of a Channel Partner for Chile, Argentina and Peru. 

Contract win

The Company has won an order with a large global gold and copper resources company, to pilot the installation of the DSS system in 16 haul trucks at a North American mine.  The DSS is an active system that directly monitors the driver of a vehicle for distraction and fatigue events and provides a series of interventions aimed at managing these events and averting potential operator caused accidents. If the pilot is successful it will lead to a global rollout across their operations, with an estimated potential deployment of over 350 DSS units over the next 12 months. 

Appointment of South American Channel Partner

Seeing Machines also announces the appointment of GTD Chile Ingenieria de Sistemas S.A. (GTD), as its channel partner for Chile, Argentina and Peru.  GTD and the Company have been working together for more than a year and currently have three significant DSS pilots underway with global mining majors in Chile alone, including 10 units deployed at the Escondida mine, a majority owned BHP Billiton operation that is the largest producer of copper in the world.  In addition to developing and supporting new DSS business, GTD assists the Company by providing local client support services to the Company's existing clients in the region.

The appointment of GTD follows the appointment of Booyco Electronics as the Company's African channel partner announced last year.  Booyco are developing multiple projects at present, including with significant global mining companies. 

The Company has had a busy period since the start of the 2011 financial year with DSS installations in several countries including United States, Canada, Peru, Chile, South Africa and Australia.  In excess of 330 DSS units and additional ancillary services have been installed or supplied so far this financial year. The pipeline of global DSS opportunities continues to develop and as these opportunities are converted into contracts they will be announced to AIM.  To support and service the business expansion we have opened offices in Brisbane Queensland and Tucson Arizona which are largely sales, service and support offices.

Nick Cerneaz, CEO of Seeing Machines commented: "We anticipated a significant growth in our DSS business this year driven by uptake in the mining industry, and we have certainly seen that transpire on the back of a number of very good pilot installations.  We continue to see very good growth prospects for our DSS business with the forward pipeline of opportunity building with each new pilot undertaken, especially with the major global mining companies such as that pilot announced here today.  Adequate field support for our customers, both to support such pilot deployments and the on-going business that derives from them is crucial to our success in this market.  The recent appointment of GTD as channel partner for significant regions in South America, coupled with the appointment of Booyco Electronics in Africa, and the expansion of our own direct support services in Tucson and Brisbane provide the strong foundation needed to drive the conversion of our rich opportunity pipeline into completed commercial success.  We remain focused on delivering these DSS plans and driving further growth in this key area of the Company's business."

Enquiries:

Seeing Machines Limited	Nick Cerneaz, CEO	[phone]
Daniel Stewart & Company plc	Oliver Rigby	[phone]
Walbrook PR Ltd	Paul McManus Paul Cornelius	[phone] [phone], [e-mail] [phone], [e-mail]

--- Information for Editors ---

About Seeing Machines Limited

Seeing Machines is a leading developer of advanced vision based industrial systems, specializing in automotive, medical, entertainment and research applications.  More information is available from our web site: www.seeingmachines.com.  

About the DSS

The DSS is an active system that directly monitors the driver of a vehicle for distraction and fatigue events and provides a series of interventions aimed at managing these events and averting potential operator caused accidents.  The DSS Suite integrates three layers of risk mitigation:

1.    instant in-cab feedback to the driver from the DSS-IVS (in vehicle system);

2.    real-time alerts to fleet dispatchers via the DSS-Link or DSS-Relay products;  and

3.    management reporting, driver feedback & training, utilizing the DSSi product.

The DSS-IVS sensors monitor the driver's head motion & eye closure.   When the driver's eyes have not been focussed on the roadway ahead for a period, either because the driver is looking elsewhere (a distraction event), or because they are closed (for example during a microsleep event), then the DSS-IVS detects this event and generates instant alarms, such as:

·     Audio alerts, and

·     Seat vibration tactile feedback.

These instant alerts rouse the driver and help them regain focus on the roadway ahead and re-establish safe operation of the vehicle.

The DSS product suite includes options to link the alerts with dispatchers and controllers located in central control rooms using an organization's existing communications infrastructure.  DSS-Link or DSS-Relay allows the DSS-IVS alerts to be instantly forwarded to the dispatcher/controller in the central control room, allowing them to make appropriate interventions based on the Fatigue Management Plan (FMP) relevant to the specific organisation.   Such real-time interventions can include:

·     Contacting/communicating directly with the driver,

·     Rotating or resting drivers,

·     Altering work schedules, etc.

Finally, the DSSi product is an integrated data management, analysis and reporting system that gives fleet managers the information they need to manage their vehicles and drivers effectively. Coupled with an effective Fatigue Management Plan (FMP) the DSS suite allows organizations to take active steps to manage driver fatigue and distraction in their operations, and mitigate risks at all levels in the process. 

General information about the DSS is available from: www.seeingmachines.com/product/dss/.

 

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