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Watco Selects Wi-Tronix Solution to Reduce Fuel Cost and Improve Operational Efficiency

Bolingbrook, IL (PRWEB) March 25, 2008

Wi-Tronix, LLC announced today that Watco Companies, Inc. is expanding the deployment of Wi-Tronix’s suite of locomotive remote monitoring solutions. Watco’s South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL) and Arkansas Southern Railroad (ARS) locomotive fleets will be outfitted with Wi-Tronix Wireless Processing Units (Wi-PU) and Wi-FuelSensors beginning in April 2008. Wi-Tronix solutions are currently deployed on Watco’s Eastern Idaho Railroad and Austin Western Railroad.

The Wi-Tronix solution provides Watco an immediate return on investment in several areas. The Wi-Tronix Wi-PU continuously monitors locomotive operation and allows Watco to identify operational improvements that result in fuel savings and extend equipment life. The real-time alerting capabilities of the Wi-Tronix system pin-points areas for improvement so that cost savings can be quickly implemented. The Wi-Tronix solution has enabled Watco to identify and eliminate the primary cause of excessive traction motor wear significantly reducing costly traction motor replacements. Wi-Tronix is placing valuable information at the fingertips of Watco’s management team resulting in a significant reduction in operating cost.

Watco is improving its’ operational efficiency through the use of the Wi-Tronix Wi-Tracker and Wi-DownloadER solutions. Watco and Wi-Tronix have collaborated to create systems that further automate their car reporting system. Not only does this system reduce costly manual car reporting, it also improves the timeliness and accuracy of the information resulting in improved customer service. The Wi-Tronix system provides detailed insight on locomotive utilization and the execution of daily operations. Terry Towner, President and Chief Operating Officer of Watco Companies stated, “The Wi Tronix system supplies Watco timely and accurate information to all levels of our organization. This allows Watco to make proactive decisions that support our operating plan and provide outstanding customer satisfaction.”

About the Wi-Tronix Solution:

Wi-Tronix turnkey mobile-asset management solutions provide an immediate and positive impact to the bottom line. Wi-Tronix technology is either deployed or in the process of being deployed on over 2,200 mobile platforms.

Reduce Fuel Cost: Monitoring and improving the techniques used by locomotive operators can reduce fuel consumption by 5-10%. The on-board Wi-Tronix system continuously monitors and analyzes operating parameters using customizable rules to log and report inefficient operations. With fuel at record high prices, it is critical to identify and correct wasteful operating practices in order to reduce fuel costs and improve operating margins.

Improved Locomotive Utilization: The Wi-Tronix Wi-Tracker maximizes locomotive utilization and fuel savings. Wi Tracker provides a full suite of indispensable tools such as: statistics on utilization, engine shutdown and duty cycle, fuel monitoring using geo-fencing, locomotive fault and exception-based alerting, mapping and more. Up-to-the-minute GPS tracking information enables network planners to improve operating margins through better utilization of valuable capital assets.

Greater Productivity and Safety: The Wi-Tronix Wi-DownloadER saves countless hours of invaluable time with immediate remote access to download data from any source such as locomotive event recorders, engine control systems and remote control systems. The Wi-Tronix system also monitors for operator actions associated with emergency conditions and unsafe operation. The exact time, duration, start and stop location and operator actions are captured and appropriate customer representatives are immediately alerted via email and text messaging.

Proven Reliability and Ruggedized On-Board Platform: The Wi-Tronix Wireless Processing Unit (Wi-PU) is the ruggedized on-board foundation for Wi-Tronix turnkey solutions. The Wi-PU provides Communication Management Unit (CMU) functionality, on-board subsystem interfaces and real-time analysis of operational parameters. The Wi-PU’s proven performance is well suited for the punishing environmental conditions encountered on mobile platforms such as locomotives and mining vehicles. The Wi-PU is modular and can be configured for a customer’s specific communication and interface needs. Available options include cellular, WLAN and satellite. A wide array of Input/Output, serial, Ethernet, video and user interface options are available.

About Wi-Tronix, LLC:

Wi-Tronix, LLC, headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, provides products and services to wirelessly monitor high-value mobile assets used in rail, marine and other commercial and industrial operations. Wi-Tronix’s mission is to enable businesses to improve the operational efficiency, service reliability and safety of high-value mobile assets. For additional information visit the Wi-Tronix website at http://www.wi-tronix.com.

About Watco Companies, Inc.:

Watco Companies, Inc. (Watco), a Pittsburg, Kansas, based company, operates 17 railroads in 15 states. Watco operates the Alabama Southern, Austin Western, Arkansas Southern, Eastern Idaho, Great Northwest, Kansas and Oklahoma, Kaw River, Louisiana Southern, Mission Mountain, Mississippi Southern, Palouse River and Coulee City, Pennsylvania Southwestern, South Kansas and Oklahoma, Stillwater Central, Timber Rock, Vicksburg Southern and Yellowstone Valley Railroads. Watco also operates industrial switching locations and mechanical locomotive shops across the United States and is the owner of Millennium Rail, Inc. and Reload Inc. More information about Watco and its subsidiaries can be found at http://www.watcocompanies.com.

Wi-Tronix, the Wi-Tronix logo, Wi-PU, Wi Tracker and Wi-DownloadER are registered trademarks or trademarks of Wi Tronix, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective companies.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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Troy Cable Boosts Profits from its MetaSwitch Deployment with TransNexus Least Cost Routing, Traffic Reporting and Profit Analysis Platform

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) April 10, 2009

Troy Cable’s tagline, “Your Hometown Communications Company” is a claim few other service providers can match. Troy Cable serves southern Alabama and provides more than just cable services to its customers. In addition to a full suite of communications services, such as Internet, phone, security and medical alarm services, the Troy Cable web site serves as a community bulletin board for public announcements ranging from local music events to stolen livestock.

To be the trusted provider of a wide range of communication services, Troy Cable relies on MetaSwitch to power its residential and business voice network. Using the MetaSwitch VP3510 Integrated Softswitch, which combines application server, session control and media gateway functionality, Troy Cable can provide its full suite of services from a single platform – simplifying operations and reducing costs. To further streamline its network, and minimize its costs to provide long distance telephone services, Troy Cable relies on TransNexus, a Partner Certified OSS/Network Management vendor in the MetaSwitch Partner Program.

The TransNexus NexOSS platform provides a complete Least Cost Routing solution for inter-state, intra-state and local calling. In addition, the TransNexus solution also provides near real time traffic reports and profitability analysis by customer, provider, route and time of day. “I liked the TransNexus solution because it is easy to install and maintain. I never have to think about our least cost routing and reporting platform – it just works,” says Ken Jordan, Head Engineer of Troy Cable. He adds, “more importantly, my CFO likes the TransNexus software because the money it saved us during the free 90 day trial was more than enough to pay for the project. Not many network projects can claim that success.” The TransNexus solution fits into the MetaSwitch architecture as an adjunct routing and reporting server which is simple to install and easy to maintain.

About TransNexus

TransNexus has been providing innovative OSS/BSS solutions for VoIP carriers since 1997. The TransNexus NexOSS product is used by VoIP services providers on five continents for Least Cost Routing, CDR Mediation, Traffic Reporting, Profitability Analysis and Billing for VoIP services. The TransNexus OSPrey server is a freely available, full featured routing and CDR collection server for VoIP networks. For more information please visit http://www.TransNexus.com.

About Troy Cable. Troy Cablevision, Inc. is an independent, family owned company started by Harold Freeman in 1985. Troy Cable provides voice, video and data services in South Alabama.

About MetaSwitch

MetaSwitch is an industry-leading vendor of switching and applications solutions for both packet and circuit-switched networks. Its MetaSphere applications suite enables a broad set of hosted IP communications services, while its core session control and media/signaling gateway products support a full range of Class 4/5 switching capabilities. Customers include many of the world’s leading operators of wireline, wireless and cable networks, with deployments that scale to millions of subscribers. For more information, please visit http://www.metaswitch.com.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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AEC Technology Announces The Official Launch of Their Website Aectec.com; The New Website Offers a Cost Effective Alternative to New Equipment With Refurbished Like-New Used Plotters

Plainfield, IL (PRWEB) November 6, 2006

Jerry Rushing has been in the business of refurbishing large format printers, commonly known as plotters, for 15 years. “Servicing clients all over the country has facilitated the need for our business to go online”, stated Jerry. AEC Technology primarily provides fully certified reconditioned large format plotters, copiers and scanners; with most of the focus on plotters.

We asked Jerry to walk us through his services and we found that he has a very high standard set for each of his products and services; with the highest standard being quality. Jerry said, “the most important thing to me is the quality of my customer service; from handling $ 25.00 ink cartridges to $ 25,000 new equipment purchases”. Creating the quality customer service atmosphere all the way through the entire company is the most important thing at AEC Technology. It is so important they offer 50% savings over the purchase of new equipment, the same standard warranty as new equipment, a Full Money Back Limited Guarantee; Life Time Tech Support; free local delivery and setup. AEC Technology also has a very good trade- in program. By using a trade-in and purchasing a like-new refurbished machine the savings could be almost 75% off from the costs of new equipment.

AEC Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois. They provide U.S. wide services and offer fully refurbished plotter, copiers, and scanners at a fraction of the price of new equipment. They are fast becoming the number 1 source for architects, engineers, and contractors in the United States.

AEC Technology, Inc.

10200 S. Mandel St.

Plainfield, IL 60585

Toll Free Phone: 1-877-723-2832

Phone: 1-630-428-2322

Fax: 1-630-428-2332

Provided by Pearl Real Estate Marketing, Huntsville Alabama a Huntsville Alabama real estate Company.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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Billion-Dollar Bank Experiences Rapid Cost Savings with UltiPro® Workplace
WESTON, Fla.—-Ultimate Software , the leading provider of unified, end-to-end human capital management SaaS solutions in North America, today announced that ALIANT Bank, a financial services firm in Alabama with more than $1 billion in assets and over 100 years of experience in the industry, has activated UltiPro Workplace and is experiencing a wide range of hard- and soft-cost returns across …

Read more on Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance

Since the dawn of time, humans have had their vices. Early man had a fermented drink, the Ancient Egyptians had a form of beer, and wine has been around for centuries. Some form of smoking, whether it be tobacco, marijuana or another form of drug has been used for hundreds of years to relieve stress, and gambling has taken many different forms throughout history. Alcohol, smoking and gambling are the three most well known vices. Almost as long as there have been any morally suspect items in American history, taxes have been implemented to fill the government’s pockets. With the downfall in the economy recently, the government has to look for different ways to increase their revenue, which typically involves raising taxes. The problem with raising normal taxes is that there will be a general discord with the public. The alternative is to raise taxes on sinful products and activities. This supposedly discourages individuals from buying or partaking in these activities. Typically, this form of taxation is easily accepted by the public because it only affects the partakers in the “sinful” activities. However, these taxes do not come without a price. Some consequences of increasing these taxes include the ill effects on one’s income, the health effects, and the possible effects on society’s actions.

The United States continues to increase the taxes on cigarettes, and according to the FTA, the mean amount taxed per each cigarette carton is 110.69 cents, or around $1.11 per pack. The highest tax is imposed in New Jersey at around $2.58 a pack, and the lowest is about $.07 per pack in South Carolina. This means that for every carton of cigarettes you buy a large chunk of that money goes to the government and not to the stores that are selling them. The problem with this tax is that it affects the poor. Data shows that two thirds of all of the government’s revenue from the sale of tobacco products comes from those earning less than $40,000 a year, and not even 1 percent by those with an income of over $100,000 a year. Alcohol is heavily taxed as well. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S and Tax Foundation, the highest taxed state for spirits is Washington, at $19.23 per gallon; for wine is Alaska at $2.50 per gallon; and for beer is Alabama at $1.05 per gallon. This tax is the same for each level of quality of alcohol. For instance, a very nice bottle of wine is taxed at the same rate as a cheap boxed wine. These taxes are supposedly used to discourage people from using the products, but as the saying goes, no one has ever been punished out of their sins, so taxes shouldn’t be able to have the same effect. Other sinful activities however, like gambling on the lottery are actually encouraging the public to participate. In the past, the government has spent millions on advertising, and promotes the general public’s involvement. The more people participate in the lottery, the larger the revenue for the government.

The health effects of these vices are also an issue that the government has to address. There have been countless studies that prove that smoking causes cancer, heart disease and many other serious health issues. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking is the leading cause of preventable sickness and death. A recent study showed that 90% of all lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, 30% of all other cancer deaths, and a significant amount of other deaths are exacerbated by smoking. The US Department of Health and Human Services found that one third of all middle age deaths are caused by smoking. These figures don’t even include the deaths from second hand smoking. The government has stated that increasing the taxation on cigarettes should decrease the amount of smoking, and much of the revenue can be put towards health care to help with the price of dealing with the effects of smoking. Alcohol is not as easy to put an exact numerical percentage on when it comes to death. For many, alcohol is a proven health benefit; a glass of wine at dinner is beneficial for the heart, reduces strokes and even dementia. About 18.5 million people abuse alcohol in the United States. This might seem like an exorbitant amount, but compared to the nearly 304 million people in the United States, it only computes to around 6% of the population. This small percentage consumes half of all alcohol, which in turn end up paying the majority of all of the alcohol taxes. The real health issue that comes with alcohol abuse really isn’t the effect on their body, but the possible health effect on society. Drunk drivers have about seven times higher of a chance to cause a fatal car accident than a driver that hasn’t been drinking. Although the data shows that most deaths during the accidents were the drinking drivers and their passengers, there is still a high number of deaths outside their vehicles as well.

Not only does America have to worry about their pockets shrinking, and health issues from the actual consumption of these products, but they also have to worry about the dangers from the outside society. History has proven that citizens will rebel against high taxes. Take for instance the Boston Tea Party. The British increased the tax for the tea that they shipped to the colonies, and the colonists responded by revolting and throwing all of the tea overboard. How does this have anything to do with a “sin” tax you might ask? Because tea has in it a very sinful substance: caffeine. Governments obviously haven’t learned their lesson. In New York, evidence shows that with the increase in cigarette taxes, there is a decrease in actual purchases from stores, and a higher amount of smuggling and crime. There have been hijackings of cigarette trucks (which interestingly enough has shown to be more profitable than robbing an armored truck), and illegal sales of cigarettes from Indian reservations, which sell cigarettes tax free over the Internet. It is actually a federal crime to engage in any form of interstate smuggling of cigarettes. Interestingly enough, since the passage of the Contraband Cigarette Act in 1978, there has been evidence that enforcement has fallen. There has been an increase in violence with every tax increase as well. As for alcohol, people have been smuggling alcohol over the borders for years now, being able to buy it cheaper in both Canada and Mexico. The border patrol attempts to counteract this, but with the number of vehicles crossing the borders each day there is going to be a few that slip through.

Even with the increases on taxes for “sinful” items, the government is still hurting financially, and they are looking for other ways to fill their coffers. What is next for the “sin” tax’s list? There has been much discussion on increasing the gas guzzler tax to include even more vehicles, and distinguishing between different grades of inefficiency. Recently, there has been talk of taxing fast food items, such as those with high sodium content, as well as sugary sodas. Apparently the government doesn’t believe that citizens can think on their own because the rationale for this new tax will be to discourage the public from eating and drinking such unhealthy items. Pornography and firearms, already a hotbed of controversy, have recently entered into an even racier spectrum: taxation. Oddly enough, the pornography industry would love to see their products taxed as this would require them to be recognized as a legitimate industry. On the other hand, the firearm industry laments the possibility. Some other off the wall ideas includes taxing charcoal starter fluid because it creates a large amount of smog, and even antibacterial soap because it creates resistant strains of bacteria.

Regardless of the product, if the government can place a tax on it, they will with relish. In an age where communication is instant, and the backlash of raising taxes can destroy an incumbent politician’s career in an instant, taxing sinful products can be a great compromise between the government’s need for cash, and the constituents’ reluctance to pay. Although there is a lot of controversy about what is taxed, and how the tax is applied, sin taxes are here to stay. As society evolves, it will be interesting to see what products become sinful in the near and far future.

As the U.S. government comes closer to reforming the country’s health-care system, states are staring at spending millions of dollars they do not have to provide insurance to more people, officials said on Tuesday.

Bills in both the Senate and the House of Representatives would make more people eligible for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor that states administer with reimbursements from the federal government.

At the same time, any bill that makes it to President Barack Obama to sign into law will likely mandate that people have health insurance. That would push more people to enroll in Medicaid and drive those numbers up even further.

For California, already dealing with historic budget problems and rising unemployment, covering the minimum of 1.6 million people it expects will sign up is close to impossible.

“Our number one concern is just the fiscal reality that we can’t afford our current program,” said Toby Douglas, chief deputy director of health care programs for California, at a conference of state Medicaid directors on Tuesday. “We can’t afford expansion.”

Alabama projects it would add 200,000 to 300,000 people to its Medicaid roster under the health-care reforms, a problem when the state is “not real sure how we’re going to get through tomorrow,” said Carol Steckel, commissioner of Alabama’s Medicaid agency.

Add to that the crux of the legislation — a network of state-operated healthcare exchanges — and the costs are even higher.

Nevada expects to spend $150 million creating information technology for any exchange and will also need to add 100 staff, said Chuck Duarte, administrator of the state’s health care financing and policy division.

Some states have already expanded their Medicaid coverage or built up data infrastructure on their own. Others will be set scrambling. Since this summer most have expressed concerns that federal reforms will push their costs up without providing sufficient funds to cover new needs.

One issue all face is creating exchanges that will act in tandem with their Medicaid systems so that individuals are funneled into the most affordable insurance option.

“There is no transition time,” said Steckel of how long states would have to set up systems linking to the federal government.

Once a bill is signed into law, “the work is going to have be done by the states,” said Carolyn Ingram, director of the medical assistance division in New Mexico.

RACING TOWARD THE CLIFF

And with unemployment rising and driving more Americans onto the Medicaid rolls, states are facing tougher challenges.

The stimulus plan passed in February increased federal reimbursements for Medicaid in order to alleviate the burden, but that funding will likely run out before states recover from the recession. States’ economic recoveries generally lag the national recoveryWith unemployment now the highest in a quarter of a century, states are already stretched covering Medicaid costs, the executive director of the National Association of State Medicaid Directors, Ann Kohler, said.

The sudden drop in funds will push many states off of a funding cliff, she said.

For a 3BR/2Bath, around 1600-2000 square feet. I’m looking for an actual $$ figure here, so I can compare the cost of building to buying a pre-existing home.

It is a one level, walkable pitch roof, traditional ranch style home.