Outsourced Logistics

KANSAS CITY, Kans. and NEW CASTLE, Del. – July 19, 2011 – Rush Tracking Systems (www.rushtrackingsystems.com) and Sky-Trax, Inc. (www.sky-trax.com) announce they have merged to form a vertically integrated provider of smart truck tracking systems for manufacturing and warehousing environments, solidifying the combined companies’ market leadership. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

In conjunction with the merger, private equity firm Pharos Capital Group, LLC (Pharos) and its affiliates, owners of Rush Tracking Systems, committed additional capital to the combined company to accelerate growth and increase penetration into international markets.  “Sky-Trax is a natural fit with Rush Tracking Systems, given the companies’ synergistic product offerings, engineering, business and industry expertise,” said Anna Kovalkova, Vice President of Pharos Capital Group. Kovalkova continued, “This business combination is consistent with our original investment strategy in Rush and we will continue to look for additional complementary and synergistic businesses to roll into the new company.” 

The new company delivers a comprehensive suite of patented smart truck tracking solutions which optimize personnel safety, asset utilization, labor productivity and inventory accuracy within manufacturing and warehouse operations. By automatically collecting real-time lift truck load and location visibility data, customers are able to reduce or eliminate the inaccuracies associated with driver input of data.  The resulting business intelligence data also allows customers to gain the insights needed to implement immediate improvements in accountability, safety and productivity. 

“The merger will enhance the ROI to our customers by delivering improved product cost along with real time data and visibility to their operations. As a result, customers can now achieve the next level of actionable business intelligence, directly impacting performance and their bottom line,” states Toby Rush, President of the new company.  

The solutions automatically identify the load on the front of a lift truck by leveraging either barcode, RFID, or optical data collection technologies and then track the position of the material handling device via Sky-Trax’s market leading optical indoor positioning system.  

“With an installed base of several hundred trucks, and installations around the globe including the United States, Europe and New Zealand, the return has proven to be substantial,” says Mike Kinnard, CEO of the new combined company. “Our customers are experiencing at least 15-20% improvement in productivity and more in many cases.”   

The combined entity will continue to sell solutions under the Sky-Trax and Rush Tracking brands and anticipates rapid growth supported by direct sales to blue chip customers as well as growth from a global network of Value Added Resellers (VAR) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).  

“There is a clear strategic advantage to combining our complementary product portfolios and expertise,” echoed Larry Mahan, General Manager, adding, “The combined entity will continue to deliver the same superior support and services while introducing a newly strengthened product portfolio, adding greater value to our customers, VAR and OEM channel partners. ”    

About Rush Tracking Systems  An RFID industry veteran working with world-class client organizations since 2003, Rush Tracking Systems serves as a trusted advisor, with the experience and integrity to recommend, build and deliver the right tracking solutions to meet client business needs. Rush Tracking Systems offers unsurpassed technical expertise, coupled with a consultative business approach, and excels at helping clients achieve the greatest business value from tracking technologies. The company has proven expertise in consumer packaged goods, retail, industrial manufacturing, pulp and paper, cotton and textiles, automotive, pharmaceutical, & petrochemical industries.  Call (913) 227-0922 or visit www.rushtrackingsystems.com for more information. 

About Sky-Trax, Inc.  Sky-Trax is the leading provider of patented Optical Real-Time Location Systems for tracking goods, vehicles and guiding autonomous vehicles in any size facility. Sky-Trax’s revolutionary inch-accurate location tracking and automatic data collection systems are designed for indoor industrial vehicles, primarily in warehouses. Applications employing Sky-Trax Optical RTLS are economical and practical to deploy, allowing warehouse professionals to substantially increase safety and improve warehouse efficiency. The results are fewer safety incidents, much lower operating costs, improved inventory accuracy, and greater throughput. For more information, call (866)927-4927 or visit www.Sky-Trax.com.  

About Pharos Capital Group, LLC  Based in Dallas and Nashville, Pharos Capital Group (www.pharosfunds.com) currently has $600 million in capital under management. Pharos primarily invests in companies seeking growth and later stage equity funding for internal growth, acquisitions, management buyouts or recapitalizations across industry sectors, with particular focus on healthcare, business services and applied technology. 

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Paige O’Brien

for Rush Tracking Systems

913-227-0922

Paige.Obrien@rushtrackingsystems.com

Sarah Brisbin

for Sky-Trax, Inc.

302-395-9540

Sarah.Brisbin@sky-trax.com

Ocean World Lines (OWL), a global, single source NVOCC (non-vessel operating common carrier), announced today that it has promoted Firoz Mohammed to branch manager of its San Francisco office, effective immediately.

He brings more than 20 years of logistics and supply chain experience to the position, focused in the San Francisco Bay Area. In his new role with OWL, Firoz is responsible for overseeing management of operations and sales for the region, including ocean, air, and cargo management services, along with all import and export related activities. This includes accountability for new business growth, maintaining and developing carrier relationships and pricing, as well as liaising with overseas agents to develop new opportunities.

Firoz joined the company in 2007 as an account executive and was promoted to export manager for both RF International and OWL business units in January 2011. Before joining RF International and OWL, he held various sales and management positions with Meridian IQ and USF Worldwide. He also worked for International Freight Services and Air Express International where he implemented and successfully managed a warehouse re-distribution program for Intel Corporation.

OWL’s San Francisco office is a strategic hub location for the Western United States and offers a full portfolio of global logistics services, including air freight, cargo pick-up and consolidation, trucking, warehousing, cargo packing and crating, cargo de-consolidation and distribution. OWL’s client base in the region includes a diverse range of importers and exporters, as well as solutions for specialized industries such as agricultural, high tech and industrial. OWL’s service in the region is supported by its OWL360® visibility platform which provides comprehensive details of all freight moves in one system.

About Ocean World Lines

Ocean World Lines, Inc., a subsidiary of Pacer International, Inc., is one of the largest fully bonded NVOCCs in the world. OWL maintains more than 60 service contracts with the top ocean carriers and handles today’s most complex global supply chain requirements.

For more than 30 years, OWL has worked with importers, exporters and freight forwarders to move their goods and provide door-to-door/end-to-end service across the globe. OWL offers a single-source experience for its clients, coupled with the latest visibility solutions.

In May of 2011, OWL received the President’s “E” Award for export service excellence and outstanding contribution to U.S. exports by the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is the most prestigious award given by the U.S. government to companies that facilitate export trade and contribute to job growth and competitiveness. OWL was the only NVO to receive the “E” Award this year and the primary criterion was four years of successive export growth, accompanied by identifiable results of programs or activities contributing to export expansion.

OWL has over 200 employees worldwide with offices located in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Singapore, Tokyo, Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Long Beach, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, and Gdynia, Szczecin, Warsaw, Poland, as well as a network of agents worldwide. For more information, please visit www.oceanworldlines.com.

Discussion to focus on how leading manufacturers are taking a global approach to product traceability, driving Lean, Six Sigma and other continuous process improvement

Who: Join Adrienne Selko, online editor of IndustryWeek, and Apriso’s industry directors Rick Gallisa and Fred Thomas, for a live webinar entitled: “A Manufacturer’s Guide to Best-in-Class Supply Chain Traceability.”

What: Attend this presentation to learn how top manufacturers are taking a more holistic, global approach to traceability in order to gain improved visibility and control across their entire manufacturing operations and supply chain. A platform-based approach for manufacturing operations management can help track, trace and control all elements of manufacturing – both within the four walls of a plant and across the entire global supply chain.

Where: Register for this free online event here: http://www.industryweek.com/Webcasts/072111EventRegistration.aspx?eventID=977

When: Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST / 2:00 PM EST.

About Apriso

Apriso Corporation is a software company dedicated to helping its customers transform their global manufacturing operations. It does so by enabling manufacturers to achieve and sustain manufacturing excellence while adapting quickly and easily to market changes. Apriso’s FlexNet is a BPM platform-based software solution for global manufacturing operations management. Apriso supports global continuous improvement by delivering visibility into, control over and synchronization across manufacturing and the product supply network. Apriso serves nearly 200 customers in 40+ countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Customers include GM, Volvo CE, Honeywell, L’Oréal, Trixell, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier, Textron Systems, MBDA, Saint-Gobain and Essilor. Learn more at: www.apriso.com.

Apriso and FlexNet are registered trademarks of Apriso Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.