SCHAD Opens UK Office and Names New Management Team Additions
- James Hannay to head global business development
- EXTEND7000 delivers ROI targeting system down-time with alarm & escalation notification
SCHAD, the award-winning mobile SCADA software company announces its international expansion with the opening of a new office in London. The company also announces three important new appointments including James Hannay as its Senior Vice President Global Sales & Marketing and Managing Director UK, Jörn Woywat as Chief Finance Officer and Peter Lawn as Head of Pre-Sales Consulting International.
SCHAD is the developer of EXTEND7000, an award-winning mobile SCADA system which allows engineers supporting automated systems within distribution centres, airports, manufacturing plants, utilities companies and any other automated environments controlled by PLCs (programmable logic computers), to monitor and control multiple systems remotely, using any mobile device from any location. EXTEND7000 promises rapid return on investment by targeting system downtime through rules-based distribution of alarm and escalation notifications direct to a relevant engineer or technician.
In January of 2011, SCHAD received $4.3million funding from M8, a venture capital firm specialising in mobile technology investments. Since that time, the company has moved to larger headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, where its R&D and technical teams will continue to be based. SCHAD’s new commercial operation, headed by James Hannay from London, marks the start of the company’s international business expansion plans, which will focus on growing the business across Europe, Middle East and Africa, the US and Asia.
During the course of this year, SCHAD experienced significant success in winning a variety of new customers for EXTEND7000, in a diverse range of market sectors. It is also been engaged in a number of major new projects including the re-development of Berlin’s new Brandenburg International Airport, due to open in 2012. Here, EXTEND7000 will be deployed to monitor and control baggage handling equipment, energy supply, access control, apron lighting and a number of other automated systems controlling key processes at what will be one of Europe’s most advanced airports.
“Vanderlande sees EXTEND7000 as a vital tool for us to ensure we meet our KPIs as Munich Airport’s outsourced provider,” says Thomas Gebbert, Service Account Manager at Vanderlande. “We can control the many different operations associated with baggage handling using a single device, staff no longer have to make unnecessary journeys and the whole team is better informed at all times, which means we can be so much more efficient.”
“We are at the tip of the iceberg as the use of mobile applications within business starts to really take hold, thanks to the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets which already run many aspects of our lives,” says Christian Schad, founder and CEO of SCHAD GmbH. “It is a natural extension to apply a new layer of enterprise mobility to help companies using automation systems gain better control and reduce the costs of system downtime – and as more companies introduce automation, in the distribution centre, production facility or for transportation services, the issue of downtime reduction will be increasingly important.”
“Having specialised in supply chain industries for many years there was a huge opportunity for companies to introduce mobility to a completely new area of their workforces, namely the highly skilled engineers responsible for managing automated systems monitored by SCADA and controlled by PLC technology. Many companies already have a wireless infrastructure so it’s a logical transition to put this to greater use with mobile applications,” says James Hannay, SVP of Sales and Marketing at SCHAD.
SCHAD intends to expand by adopting both channel and OEM routes to market. The company is currently finalising a series of strategic OEM partnerships with automation specialists and relationships with reseller integrators to build a wider global presence. SCHAD will invest in its infrastructure locally to support the rapid growth expected from its channel partners.
EXTEND7000 - Product background
EXTEND7000 is a mobile SCADA system and software application that can connect to multiple SCADA systems and the programmable logic controllers (PLC’s) running automated machinery in distribution centres, airports, production lines and utilities companies. It extends monitoring and controlling onto a mobile device such as Blackberry, iPhone, tablet PC’s, Android and any windows mobile terminal.
SCHAD is working with customers and automation partners from a diverse range of market sectors, to allow their automated systems to be monitored and controlled using mobile devices from anywhere inside or outside the facility, using an existing Wi-Fi or GPRS network. The system can also connect to other back-end systems such as IBM Maximo and SAP PM maintenance systems for example, giving field engineers access to critical information in order to monitor, control and maintain automated systems remotely from anywhere within the facility or the outside world.
Engineers using EXTEND7000 are kept fully up to date with system performance and have the ability to remotely control the operation, for instance by shutting down faulty pumps or starting additional back up systems. The benefits of the system are that it provides a powerful mobile monitoring and control system to reduce down time, improve productivity, ensure more efficient use of the work force, reduce wastage, improve quality of service and provide more transparent management information, which enables better decision making.
About SCHAD
SCHAD was founded in 2007 by Christian Schad, with the aim of developing a global standard for the mobile operation, control and maintenance of automated systems using an ordinary mobile device. The company has won a number of industry awards including a 2010 Vodafone Application Award for best machine to machine solution; and a BlackBerry Innovation Award in 2009 and 2010 for transforming enterprise business performance. SCHAD was also a RIM Finalist in the 2008 Wireless Leadership Awards.
Currently, typical companies using EXTEND7000 from SCHAD include Brillux (paint manufacturer), LSG Sky Chefs (airline catering services), BASF (chemicals manufacturer), Lugato (building products manufacturer), Frosta (frozen food manufacturer), Budni (personal products retailer) plus Berlin, Munich and Köln Airports. For further information please review the EXTEND7000 FAQ and case studies available online at www.schad-automation.com.
UK Media contact: Good Public Relations
Lesley Muir, 07796 148400, Lesley@good-pr.co.uk
