BLUE BIRD CORPORATION PLACES SECOND ORDER WITH
SATELLITE SECURITY SYSTEMS & FINALIZES OEM AGREEMENT
FORT VALLEY, GA (April 13, 2006) -(PR NEWSWIRE) – Blue
Bird Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of school
buses, today announced the two-part finalization of the second phase of its
agreement with Celtron International, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CLTR - News)
and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Satellite Security Systems, Inc. ("S3").
Blue Bird and S3 have completed their due diligence phase and finalized an
OEM agreement. The agreement grants Blue Bird exclusive rights in the bus
manufacturing market to sell S3’s GlobalGuard™ System while providing
S3 with access to the Blue Bird distribution channel.
In addition to completing the OEM agreement, Blue Bird marked this second
phase by a $500,000 order placement. The new order represents an approximate
value of $1.5M in product and services to be delivered through the end of
2006. An option for a minimum of 5,000 additional units is also included.
“Our primary first quarter objective was to change distribution models
by working with strategic partners in the various vertical markets we support,”
said Ken Dixon, CEO of S3. “This second order and signed OEM agreement
with Blue Bird represent the first major distribution milestone in our post-merger
operation.”
“This is an important and exciting relationship,” Dixon added.
“GlobalGuard is a rock-solid solution with demonstrated success working
in schools while Blue Bird has an outstanding reputation and a very strong
network of distributors in the school transportation market.”
“The initial roll out of the GlobalGuard system to our distributor network
at our 2006 Spring Parts Conference in March was extremely successful, generating
a great deal of excitement while revealing an overwhelming number of opportunities
for both Blue Bird and S3,” said Jeffry Bust, President and CEO, Blue
Bird Corporation. “Building on that excitement, the finalization of
this second phase is significant as it furthers our commitment to providing
GPS technology and the tremendous safety and security benefits that go along
with that technology to our customers.”
With the first and second phases complete, Blue Bird and S3 will move on to
the third and final phase of their partnership during which there will be
ongoing, annual commitments by Blue Bird in ordering, installing and selling
the optional S3 technology in all Blue Bird manufactured buses. Additionally,
any bus in service today, whether it was built by Blue Bird or another manufacturer,
can be retrofitted for the GlobalGuard system. Blue Bird currently manufactures
approximately 10,000 buses per year and has an installed fleet of over 200,000
buses.
The S3 GlobalGuard System architecture is designed for maximum flexibility
and is built upon proven GPS technology integrated with a 7/24/365 live Monitoring
and Support Center and two-way satellite communication. School districts using
GlobalGuard realize unsurpassed safety and security and can expect significant
transportation cost reductions through efficient routing, scheduling and reporting
processes.
About Blue Bird Inc.
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
