Nestl Waters North America Taps I.D. Systems for Wireless Vehicle Management

June 22, 2009

Hackensack, N.J.-based I.D. Systems Inc. announced that it is implementing its PowerFleet vehicle management system (VMS) for Nestl Waters North America.

Josh Cable

The system is being deployed at two sites initially, with expansion planned to more than 100 sites globally based on expected system benefits, according to I.D. Systems.

Nestl Waters North America produces the Poland Spring Natural Spring Water, Nestl Pure Life and S. Pellegrino brands. Headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., the company has more than 8,000 employees and 24 factories throughout the U.S. and Canada. It is a subsidiary of Nestl S.A.

"Nestl has a culture of innovation and initiative, and Nestl Waters continuously seeks new ways to improve our supply chain operations," said Chris Lyon of Nestl Waters North America's National Fleet Services group. "Wireless vehicle management for industrial trucks is a technology that we intend to further explore in our enterprise to maximize the safety, efficiency and productivity of our material handling activities."

Wireless Vehicle Management Systems are designed to improve supply chain productivity by establishing accountability for the use of equipment, ensuring equipment is in the proper place at the right time, streamlining material handling work flow and providing unique metrics on equipment utilization. A wireless VMS also helps reduce fleet maintenance costs by automatically uploading vehicle data, reporting vehicle problems electronically, scheduling maintenance according to actual vehicle usage rather than by calendar or manual data entry, and helping determine the optimal economic time to replace equipment, I.D. Systems points out.

"We are delighted to add Nestl Waters North America to our base of world-class customers," said Peter Fausel, I.D. Systems' executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service. "The system we are implementing for Nestl Waters is tailored for its corporate needs, including an enterprise-oriented, browser-based software architecture and a version of our SecureStream wireless communications system that incorporates both Wi-Fi and our own 'Intelligent RF' technology."

Nestl's order was placed by I.D. Systems' strategic marketing partner NACCO Materials Handling Group Inc., a global manufacturer of industrial trucks, and facilitated by Yale Chase, the Yale dealer in Southern California, according to I.D. Systems.

Interested in information related to this topic? Subscribe to our Information Technology eNewsletter.

About the Author

Josh Cable | Former Senior Editor

Former Senior Editor Josh Cable covered innovation issues -- including trends and best practices in R&D, process improvement and product development. He also reported on the best practices of the most successful companies and executives in the world of transportation manufacturing, which encompasses the aerospace, automotive, rail and shipbuilding sectors.

Josh also led the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame, IW’s annual tribute to the most influential executives and thought leaders in U.S. manufacturing history.

Before joining IndustryWeek, Josh was the editor-in-chief of Penton Media’s Government Product News and Government Procurement. He also was an award-winning beat reporter for several small newspapers in Northeast Ohio.

Josh received his BFA in creative writing from Bowling Green University, and continued his professional development through course-work at Ohio University and Cuyahoga Community College.

A lifelong resident of the Buckeye State, Josh currently lives in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. When the weather cooperates, you’ll find him riding his bike to work, exercising his green thumb in the backyard or playing ultimate Frisbee.