TAMPA, FL. GE Equipment Services plans to continue operating the recently acquired Terion trailer-racking system on its cellular-based communications network and leave the GE VeriWise tracking system on its satellite network “for the foreseeable future,” according to Thomas Konditi, president & CEO of GE’s Asset Intelligence group.
See GE Equipment Services buys trailer-tracking operation.
The two systems have “different functionalities,” Konditi said at a press conference held at the Technology and Maintenance Council annual meeting here. Satellite, with its ubiquitous coverage, works well for tracking applications around the world with limited data requirements, while high-speed 3G cellular networks like those used by Terion’s system are better suited for more data intensive applications, he said.
“We do expect to have a dual-mode system eventually, but there is no timetable,” Konditi added.
The combined trailer-tracking businesses have over 100,000 installed units, according to Ken Cranston, the former president & CEO of Terion Inc., and now the new gm of GE Equipment Services. While the two will retain separate communications networks and brand identities, the GE acquisition should allow joint development of advanced features such as predictive maintenance and analytical services for customers, he said at the press conference, as well as open global expansion for the Terion tracking solution.
