Contract with Associated News

RNS Number : 2991A

Crimson Tide PLC

31 January 2011

 



31 January 2011

Crimson Tide PLC

("Crimson Tide" or "the Company")

CRIMSON TIDE WINS £290,000 CONTRACT WITH ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS' METRO

Mobile data solutions company Crimson Tide has won a £290,000 contract from Associated Newspapers to provide a circulation tracking and recording system for Metro, the world's largest free newspaper and Britain's third most widely read national newspaper.  The Company's mpro system will accurately track copy deliveries to distribution sites around London and south-east England to enhance the paper's auditing capability. The contract is for an initial 115 Motorola MC55 smartphone units and runs for three years with a three year extension option.

The mpro system will allow deliveries of Metro to be recorded 'rack by rack'.  The resulting information allows Metro to maximise delivery efficiencies, save paperwork and even adjust delivery runs. The system will geotag-delivery vans to allow route tracking and incorporate an 'over the air' remote management solution for field users.  Each Metro rack is being barcode tagged and the information synchronised to Crimson Tide's mpro database hosted in the cloud. Each rack will have a before and after delivery photo taken each day.

The contract includes 6,000 newsrack barcode tags and 115 mobile devices for vans with vehicle routes across south-east England.

The system underwent vigorous field testing in a pilot scheme in the second half of 2010 and, following further enhancements, will go fully live by the end of February.

The verification of Metro deliveries using mpro has been accepted by ABC, the independent organisation that reports on and verifies media performance.

Says Crimson Tide's Chairman Barrie Whipp: 'This contract represents our highest value UK subscriber agreement to date and is an excellent example of the opportunities available to us since we secured our additional funding. Our outstanding mpro system will not only streamline the paper's auditing, but also optimise the deliveries of Metro to their racks on time. We are very excited to be working with a company as prestigious as Associated Newspapers - one of the UK's largest national newspaper and consumer website publishers."

Said John Leitch Executive Director, Metro

'We're delighted about this successful partnership with Crimson Tide. Our objective is to build on Metro's 'Best in Class' credentials and we're confident this solution will help us meet that objective.'

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For further information:

Crimson Tide plc Barrie Whipp, Executive Chairman	01892 542 444
Metro                                                                                  John Leitch, Executive Director	0207 651 5280
Arbuthnot Securities Limited Tom Griffiths	020 7012 2000
WH Ireland Ruari McGirr	020 7220 1666
Threadneedle Communications Josh Royston / Alex White	020 7653 9850

 

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