BLUE BIRD CORPORATION ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP
WITH SATELLITE SECURITY SYSTEMS, INC. TO PROVIDE GLOBALGUARD TECHNOLOGY ON
BLUE BIRD'S ENTIRE PRODUCT LINE
FORT VALLEY, GA (March 15, 2006) -(PR NEWSWIRE) – Blue Bird Corporation today announced an exclusive partnership with Celtron International, Inc. (OTCBB:CLTR) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Satellite Security Systems, Inc. (“S3”). The strategic partnership between Blue Bird and S3 begins the phased approach of incorporating Satellite Security's GlobalGuard™ technology into Blue Bird's entire product line while granting Blue Bird exclusive rights to integrate S3's technology into every bus they manufacture as well as all buses they service through their network of dealers.
S3's GlobalGuard System builds on proven GPS technology by integrating it with a 24-hour, seven days a week live Monitoring and Support Center and two-way satellite communication to offer school districts the potential for significant transportation cost reductions through efficient routing and scheduling processes and for tremendous advances in safety.
"Innovative new products and investments in the safety of transporting pupils will set us apart from competitors that boast of being GPS enabled,” said Jeff Bust, CEO of Blue Bird. “Blue Bird is committed to incorporating GPS in all of our offerings. Our relationship with S3 ensures that Blue Bird continues to focus on quality and safety while fulfilling our objective of streamlining business processes for our customer base. This new partnership with S3 enables us to bring major enhancements to an already proven product and systematically begin offering the safety and informational aspects of this technology to all of our clients.”
S3 and Blue Bird entered into an exclusive arrangement while both parties finalize a formal OEM contract. Blue Bird moved into the agreement with S3 after performing exhaustive due diligence with regard to the capabilities of the GlobalGuard technology. It offers the most flexibility, scalability, and robust monitoring capability of any solution in the market today. Blue Bird understands that school bus operators need a solution to the growing requirement for monitoring and controlling their bus fleets. With S3, Blue Bird offers an end-to-end set of services that require no additional infrastructure investment for its customers.
“By combining S3's technology with Blue Bird's extensive network, we are able to exponentially expand the number of schools and students our technology can help protect,” Ken Dixon, CEO of S3 explains. “S3 and Blue Bird will now deliver the ability to monitor virtually every aspect of a school's transportation process through the use of our hardware technology and our software solutions, tied directly to the various school district databases, if they so choose.” Dixon goes on to add, “Ultimately, each school will have the safety and security of knowing the exact location and status of their fleet. They will have automatic notification of any critical event and can even remotely disable or shut down a bus in the event of an emergency through S3's 24/7 Monitoring and Support Center and local law enforcement.”
The performance and reliability of S3's Global Guard Technology in the transportation industry has been proven through its use in some of the largest school districts in the United States. Capabilities of S3's system in school bus applications include monitoring of location, speed, and driver performance, real time communication between vehicles and the Monitoring and Support Center, and alert systems for virtual perimeters or excessive speeds.
About Blue Bird Corp.
Blue Bird offers a complete line of Type A, C, and D school buses in a variety of options and configurations. For nearly 80 years, Blue Bird Corporation has continued to set industry standards with its innovative design, manufacturing capabilities and customer service. Blue Bird has an extensive network of distributors and service-parts facilities throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.blue-bird.com .
Back to Press Releases
