LogicaCMG: RFID on the Threshold of European Breakthrough
LONDON, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The key findings of an international study undertaken by LogicaCMG (LSE: LOG.L - news - msgs) ADVERTISEMENT


reveal that Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is high on the agenda for European retailers, food manufacturers and logistic service providers. A majority of the companies interviewed in the Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Germany, France and Belgium, gave RFID top priority in terms of planned IT investment.

RFID is seen as the successor to barcoding. By using RFID it is possible to electronically identify and track objects, such as supermarket goods, without time delays or the need for human intervention. As a result, supply chain logistics are more streamlined and efficient and this ultimately leads to lower costs and higher revenues.

The study shows that half of the 50 companies interviewed in Europe have or are planning to deploy RFID pilot projects throughout 2004, with the vast majority planning to start implementing the technology within the next three years. A number of major retailers, such as Tesco (LSE: TSCO.L - news - msgs) (UK) and Metro (Germany) will initiate large-scale rollout of RFID. Whilst these projects will be finalised by 2007, the research indicates that companies will not begin to tag consumer products until 2008 when prices of tags will have naturally lowered. The focus for the moment is on Returnable Transport Items (RTIs), such as crates and pallets. The tagging of these RTIs will be standard as of 2005. The research highlights when and how RFID will be used on a large scale for RTIs within European retail supply chains. Due to the large variety of RTIs in retail supply chains, the management, recording and administration is both complex and labour intensive. RFID is set to eliminate these concerns.

Since RFID will have great impact on the processes and IT systems of companies, it is necessary that they thoroughly prepare themselves. The use of RFID with RTIs will only take place if the financial benefits are greater than the cost of implementation. The cost/benefit analysis part of the research showed that based on a tag price of 50 eurocents the handling cost per pallet could decrease by 8.5%. This leads to a payback period of between two and three years.

A majority of companies that have trailed RFID prefer the EPC (Electronic Product Code) network as standard for information exchange and UHF (Ultra High Frequency) as frequency. In the short term there are a number of issues that should be solved before RFID can be broadly adopted. First, the EPC network has not been finalised yet. Second, limitations in European legislation mean that the use of UHF technology is currently restricted. Finally, the software to integrate RFID in the existing IT infrastructure is not mature yet. LogicaCMG anticipates that by the end of 2004, the main issues will be resolved. As volume deployments will increase in the next few years, the cost of RFID tags will be naturally lower.

Paul Stam de Jonge, Director Sales and Marketing of LogicaCMG: 'The research shows that we are on the threshold of a breakthrough of RFID technology in the European market. The quick introduction of the EPC network is key for the broad acceptance and implementation of RFID. For this reason we, together with many organisations within the sector, have put a lot of effort in the definition of the EPC network."

Since the whole supply chain is involved, the RFID implementations of the large retailers in 2005 will have a great impact on the food manufacturers, logistic service providers and retailers. According to Paul Stam de Jonge 'the RFID implementations will lead to an irreversible process in the retail market. In the short term, it is therefore of the up most importance for companies to gain knowledge and experience with RFID'.

About RFID technology

RFID technology is based on a relatively simple concept. It consists of two elements that communicate through radio transmission - a tag and a reader. The tag contains a small chip and an antenna and can be placed on any object. The information on the tag, such as an identification number, can be transmitted to an RFID reader over a distance of a few meters. The readers are placed in various locations throughout the supply chain. RFID allows objects to be electronically identified and followed throughout the complete distribution chain.

There are two main reasons for the application of RFID technology in RTIs. On the one hand it allows RTI pool organisers and logistic service providers to electronically follow the RTIs. On the other hand it allows manufacturers and retailers to follow and identify products. Both reasons result in a higher cost-effectiveness.

The dominant position of the retailers in the supply chain means that they have a leading role in the uptake of RFID. The study shows that retailers are particularly interested in tracking at an individual product level. Tagging at pallet level is not as crucial as they are often only used to transport the goods to the distribution centre, as opposed to throughout the entire supply chain.

NOTES TO EDITORS
About the research
- The research is an initiative of LogicaCMG in close co-operation with
EAN Netherlands and ECR D-A-CH and is sponsored by Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP - news) ,
Euro Pool System, Intermec, Omron, Zetes, SAS and Container
Centralen A/S
- The geographies researched were the Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Belgium,
France and Germany
- The study consisted of 50 in-depth interviews with potential users of
RFID technology (retailers, manufacturers, logistics service providers
and RTI pool organisers) as well as extensive desk research
- As it is expected that Returnable Transport Items (RTIs) will be fitted
with RFID relatively quickly, the study focused on the application of
RFIDs in pallets, crates and containers within the supply chain

About LogicaCMG

LogicaCMG is a major international force in IT services and wireless telecoms. It provides management and IT consultancy, systems integration and outsourcing services to clients across diverse markets including public sector, telecoms, financial services, energy and utilities, industry, distribution and transport. Formed in December 2002, through the merger of Logica and CMG, the company employs around 20,000 staff in offices across 34 countries and has nearly 40 years of experience in IT services. Headquartered in Europe, LogicaCMG is listed on both the London and Amsterdam stock exchanges (LSE: LOG; Euronext: LOG). More information is available from www.logicacmg.com.

About EAN Netherlands

EAN Netherlands plays an active and leading role in the promotion and implementation of the global, open EAN-UCC standards for automatic identification and electronic communication in the Netherlands. EAN Netherlands is a non profit organisation, with 5.800 member companies from 30 industry sectors, and is a member organisation of EAN International www.ean.nl.

About ECR D-A-CH

Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) is a joint initiative by manufacturers, retailers and other partners in the supply chain. ECR aims to improve processes and provide consumers with optimum quality, service and variety of products at the best price www.ecr.de.

LogicaCMG wins contract with Maxis to deliver next generation 3G video solutions in Malaysia

14 February 2005

LogicaCMG and Maxis Communications Berhad (Maxis), Malaysias leading telecommunications company, jointly announced today at the 3GSM World Congress 2005 in Cannes, France, that they will deliver Next Generation video mail and video portal services on the operators new UMTS network. Maxis will be the first mobile operator in the Asia region to launch 3G video services, with Maxis subscribers being able to use the service from mid 2005 onwards thanks to the uOneTM platform deployed by LogicaCMG. LogicaCMGs uOne is a cost effective VoIP-based, e-mail-centric, video/voice value-added service platform.


Maxis commands over 40 percent of the mobile market share, making it the market leader in Malaysia. These new innovative video services implemented by LogicaCMG, are expected to attract many subscribers to its upcoming 3G offering.


Videomail is the visualised version of the traditional voicemail in the 3G network. It allows an unanswered video call to be terminated within LogicaCMG's uOne platform. The calling party will hear a personalised video greeting from the called party, and be given the opportunity to record a video message. When a video message is recorded, the called party will be notified via various mechanisms like SMS, MMS, WAP or e-mail. Subscribers are then able to retrieve the deposited message via a video call or choose an alternative delivery such as MMS, e-mail or even via a web browser.


LogicaCMGs video portal is a video content delivery application built on top of the IP-based uOne platform. It delivers portals services to video callers and navigates them by using a menu structure. The content, either statically stored within the platform or dynamically loaded from external content providers, is tailor-made by Maxis to maximise its 3G content services.


Boudewijn Pesch, managing director for global telecoms of LogicaCMG in Asia, said, uOnes leading edge design, unique architecture, sound track record and a wide selection of plug-and-play applications makes our solution the best choice for innovative operators like Maxis. As subscribers become more technically savvy, the challenge is for mobile operators to stay ahead of the curve by launching new services to enhance the users experience. Our videomail service enables the seamless termination and completion of 3G calls, and we expect to see further take-up of such services as operators look to maximise their return on investment.


Edward Ying, chief operating officer of Maxis, As Maxis moves into the next era of mobile communications, we want to be able to further enhance the way people work, play and communicate. We are confident that the 3G videomail will make the experience of mobile communications more fun and compelling for our customers, and we are glad to be working with LogicaCMG to make 3G a closer reality.

BANGALORE, India (AFX) - Technology services company LogicaCMG PLC said it will hire 1,000 people for its Indian outsourcing operations this year, making it the fastest growing unit of the company.
Martin Read, group chief executive, said its unit in India will have 2,200
employees by the end of this year.
He said the additional employees will support its outsourcing growth plans
and the South Asia operations.
One-third of the firm's revenues will come from the outsourcing sector and
LogicaCMG is "considering starting high-end business process outsourcing
functions in India",

LONDON, February 16 /PRNewswire/ --

LogicaCMG today announced at the 3GSM
World Congress in Cannes, France,
that it has launched an innovative new mobile music solution that will help
mobile operators to capitalise on this booming market.



In 2004, 200 million songs were bought online in Europe and the US, ten
times more than the year before, and sales generated by mobile music
downloads amounted to more than USD 3.1 billion. With the LogicaCMG solution
installed on a mobile operator's network, subscribers can use their mobile
handset to identify, download and pay for music and other multimedia content,
such as music video clips.



When users hear a favourite song played on the radio or a stereo, for
example, they simply point their handset toward the source of the music and
the mobile service will immediately identify the tune. The subscriber then
has the option to download a sample of the tune as a ring tone for their
mobile handset, or to purchase the entire song in MP3 format. A picture of
the artist as a background image for the display screen is also offered,
along with a subscription service to purchase other songs from the music
charts. LogicaCMG has trialed the new solution with several mobile networks,
including O2 Germany, which has been successfully using it as the basis for
its `Musicspy' music recognition service for more than a year.



Chris McDermott, CEO of LogicaCMG's telecoms business, said: "The mobile
music market is really going to take off in 2005 and we expect to see the
success of today's iPod business will rapidly extend to music downloaded to
mobile phones. The potential for network operators worldwide to generate new
revenue streams from it is enormous. The boom in mobile music is yet to come
and our technology solutions will make it easy for operators to make a head
start on this opportunity."



The music recognition technology used by LogicaCMG is supplied by the
Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT), which also
developed the MP3 format. LogicaCMG's solution supports all mobile
communication channels, including SMS, MMS, WAP, streaming and voice portals.
Consumers are able to use voice control to select and purchase digital
content via a speech dialog system. Real time transcoding ensures that the
content is customised and compatible to the recipient's mobile device.
Digital rights management (DRM), which is of such importance to the music
industry, is also supported by LogicaCMG's solution as it complies with the
Open Mobile Alliance's (OMA) DRM standards 1.0 and 2.0.



LogicaCMG also supplies the link to billing systems along with the music,
making it easy for network operators to tap into additional sources of
revenue. An object-oriented framework facilitates integration into the
existing business processes. Content from different providers can be bundled
into a single offering.



http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050216104900nh794.html

LogicaCMG wins 5 year contract to support ground control facilities for the European Space Agency

17 February 2005

LogicaCMG has been awarded a five year framework contract to support the European Space Agencys (ESA) ground control facilities until 2009 the sixth successive contract since 1980 which will extend LogicaCMGs role at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) to 30 years. The new framework contract covers a broad range of support activities adding spacecraft simulators and ground station software to the mission control systems covered by LogicaCMGs previous contracts.


Within this new framework arrangement, ESA has selected LogicaCMG to supply one of the initial key packages of work - the 1 million upgrade to SCOS-2000, ESAs mission control system.


Jean-Franis Kaufeler, head of ESAs ground systems engineering department, at ESAs operations centre, ESOC, in Germany noted that: SCOS-2000 has been built upon the knowledge gained from more than 30 years of satellite operations at ESOC. LogicaCMGs past performance has given ESA confidence that the new version to be developed under this contract will maintain and enhance SCOS-2000s position as the mission control system of choice for commercial and scientific satellites.


Steve Smart, director of LogicaCMGs space division in the UK commented that LogicaCMG has a long standing and strong relationship with ESA and looks forward to continuing this partnership. We are keen to use this contract to create new solutions that benefit from the economies of scale of the contracts broader scope, and to market ESAs leading ground station technology to our other space clients.


LogicaCMG has established an exciting international team to address the broad scope of IT systems of this contract. Specialist experience will be provided by CapGemini (France) in ground station technologies, by Dataspazio (Italy) in simulators and mission control systems, and by Deimos Space (Spain & Portugal) in mission planning and other systems.

Advanced computer systems to control ESAs missions high resolution version available from ESA web site at:

http://www.esa.int/export/externals/images/estec-photo-archive/715.jpg

LONDON, February 22 /PRNewswire/ --

- Five Year, GBP2million Outsourcing Deal Makes LogicaCMG the Preferred
Payroll Supplier for Central Government



LogicaCMG has announced today that it has won a new five-year,
GBP2million deal from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to provide
semi-managed payroll services. The deal includes implementation of ePayfact,
LogicaCMG's proprietary payroll system, which will allow the DTI to view
detailed payroll management data, including legal reporting.



The programme, which will issue payslips annually to 9,000 employees
working across six different payrolls, acts in alignment with the UK's
e-Government modernisation programme. As part of the semi-managed service,
LogicaCMG will deliver change management and training to end-users within the
DTI .



The programme was secured under the HM Treasury Framework Agreement,
LogicaCMG's exclusive agreement to provide payroll services to a variety of
government departments and agencies. By utilising the Framework, the DTI will
benefit from economies of scale, since pricing and service contracts are
pre-negotiated for all organisations under the agreement. It will also allow
the DTI to significantly reduce its procurement process, saving time and
legal costs.



Rosemary Heyhoe, Director HR Operations at the DTI says, "With ePayfact,
LogicaCMG provides central government with a powerful payroll solution that
has a proven track record in the public sector. LogicaCMG was able to deliver
the system within a very tight timeframe - the system is already operating at
one of our agencies, The Patent Office, and the full roll-out will be
completed by the end of February 2005."



"This implementation is part of the DTI's wider e-HR programme,"
continues Heyhoe, "and in that respect, ePayfact will help facilitate future
employee self-service operations such as sick reporting and on-line requests
for pay advances for season tickets and the like. Another good example of
where the LogicaCMG system will remove unnecessary processes is in the
planned implementation of a module whereby managers will be able to directly
input staff overtime information - a great time-saver."



Gary Austin, managing director, enterprise services at LogicaCMG UK
commented, "As a result of this and other recent contracts, LogicaCMG is now
the largest supplier of outsourced payroll systems to UK central government,
with a total of 62 customers representing 125 organisations and 232,000
employees. This is a further proof-point demonstrating LogicaCMG's expertise
in the implementation and management of outsourced payroll systems."



http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050222090000nr194.html

LONDON, February 23 /PRNewswire/ --

Five Year Partnership to Deliver Complete Systems Modernisation
Programme



LogicaCMG announced today an GBP8 million, five-year managed service
contract with the London Borough of Barnet to provide a new integrated IT
system. This will support a number of key back-office processes including
finance, procurement, asset management, HR and payroll.



The new enterprise system, built on the mySAP Business Suite, will reduce
the council's number of legacy systems whilst introducing best practice
processes. The programme is expected to deliver significant benefits through:



Increased cost savings - achieved through more effective methods of
procurement. Ninety percent of all purchases will go through the new SAP
system, providing better tracking and control, purchasing power, economies of
scale and reduction in resource required for processing.



Improved data quality - due to reduced re-keying of data

Improved management reporting - transparency and personal accountability
throughout the authority



Increased efficiency - by automating some administrative tasks and
allowing employees to focus on the council's stated objective of "Putting the
Community First". For instance, in the finance system, LogicaCMG is targeted
to reduce the time taken to close an account from three months to eight
weeks.



Improved financial controls - allowing Barnet to set targets more
effectively, control spending and reduce risk.



The programme, which comes as part of an ambitious internal change
programme, "Modernising Core Processes", also covers support and training for
all staff to allow them to maximise the benefits of the system.



This deal is the latest in a string of public sector wins announced by
LogicaCMG. All have been secured under its Local Government Framework
agreement which helps councils like Barnet meet e-Government requirements on
efficiency, and achieve value for money through economies of scale in
procurement.



Cllr Mike Freer, Barnet Council's cabinet member for Performance,
Partnerships and Best Value says, "The contract awarded to LogicaCMG is one
of the biggest projects that the council has undertaken. It is a further step
towards modernising Barnet Council and making it a businesslike borough that
manages its resources efficiently and effectively enabling it to provide
excellent services to local people.



"LogicaCMG have an excellent track record in delivering similar projects
and we are looking forward to building a strategic partnership with them
extending over a number of years that will result in real benefits for
Barnet's residents."



Rachel McClure, Sales Manager, Public Sector, SAP UK, said, "LogicaCMG
and SAP continue to partner to deliver robust solutions to clients like the
London Borough of Barnet. SAP provides the integrated, robust, flexible
platform that will grow in tandem with the requirements of Barnet, the
council, and its stakeholders."



Dave Lowson, business manager, local government of LogicaCMG UK said,
"LogicaCMG has extensive experience in managing and enabling change in many
types of organisations, both public sector and private. The London Borough of
Barnet is firmly committed to putting its citizens first and delivering value
for them, and we look forward to helping it achieve this goal."


http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050223090000nv086.html

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050223174500nz136.html

this will be very good sghort term as build up to the results next week. Up a decent amount today. 200 me thinks soon.

LONDON, February 24 /PRNewswire/ --

LogicaCMG Succeeds in Allowing Telemig Celular to Attack Fast Growing
Brazilian Mobile Market

LogicaCMG announced today that it has won a contract with Telemig
Celular, a leading GSM mobile operator in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with more
then 2.6 million subscribers, to deploy its Next Generation Short Message
Service Centre (SMSC). The agreement also includes two years of support
services.

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050224080000nz156.html

Sunday Times:

THE Ministry of Defence is poised to award a 4 billion contract to create a unified computer system for Britains armed forces to a consortium headed by EDS and Fujitsu Services.
The Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) project is one of the worlds biggest technology contracts. It is intended to enable better communication between 100,000 civil servants and the 200,000 personnel in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

Creating a single network from the profusion of systems in use is initially expected to create about 2,000 jobs. The winning Atlas consortium has worked with the Welsh Development Agency to ensure that the project will create business for 20 small and medium-sized firms in South Wales.

The award of the contract the culmination of a three-year procurement process is a coup for EDS. The American company has been battered in the past by bad publicity over problems with the systems it created for the Department of Work and Pensions and the Inland Revenue.

The Atlas consortium also includes Logica CMG, General Dynamics and EADS, with IBM and HP in more junior roles.

Directors of Chime Communications and LogicaCMG have made opposite trades in reaction to results suggesting a recovery may be on the cards for both companies in 2005.

http://www.citywire.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?VersionID=72836

LogicaCMG announced today that Celcom

Malaysia) Berhad, the premier
mobile telecommunications company in Malaysia, has gone live with a new
LogicaCMG prepaid solution giving 3 million subscribers access to the full
range of Next Generation messaging services.

EDS-led consortium finalises UK MOD information infrastructure contract
AFX


LONDON (AFX) - The UK Ministry of Defence said it has signed a contract with the Atlas Consortium, led by Electronic Data Systems Corp and Fujitsu Services, for the Defence Information Infrastructure Future project, the first stage of which is worth 2.3 bln stg over 10 years.

The whole contract is estimated to be worth some 4 bln stg.

The consortium was named preferred bidder for the contract earlier this month.

Key subcontractors on the project are General Dynamics Corp, EADSDefence and Security Systems and LogicaCMG PLC.

The project is aimed at replacing numerous information systems at the MOD with a single, more efficient infrastructure.

'It is intended to enable better communication between 340,000 military personnel and civil service staff and will connect and support 150,000 desktop PCs, laptops and other devices,' the MOD said in a statement.

newsdesk@afxnews.com

cw

LONDON, March 31

- LogicaCMG Software Processes Weather Images for East Asia

The first image from Japan's new weather satellite, MTSAT-1R, has now
been successfully received and processed. The image was uploaded by the NEC
Toshiba Space Systems, Ltd. (NTSpace) and LogicaCMG ground facilities at the
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)'s Hatoyama centre, 100km north of Tokyo.

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050331092000nu264.html

Tuesday April 12, 09:01 AM
LogicaCMG Locks Down GBP 31 Million Deal With the Metropolitan Police Authority

http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/050412/250/fg55q.html

UBS have increased their stake and now hold 12.12%

LogicaCMG today announced it has won a contract with DiGi
Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (DiGi), a prepaid mobile market leader in
Malaysia, to deploy Next Generation video streaming services in partnership
with Nextreaming and Inphosoft.


http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050419080000n7685.html

LogicaCMG today announced that it has been selected by the State of
Queensland as its whole-of-government software supplier for Electronic
Document and Records Management System (eDRMS), ....

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050420090000nc481.html

LogicaCMG today announced that it has successfully implemented
a new billing system for SmarTone, Hong Kong's leading mobile operator in
multimedia services. The system was delivered in partnership with Convergys,
LogicaCMG's solution partner and the global leader in integrated billing,
employee care and customer care services.....

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050421080000ng631.html

LONDON, May 3

LogicaCMG today announced that it has reached an agreement with T-Mobile
International to build and operate the next-generation portal for t-zones.
t-zones is a mobile internet service that connects mobile subscribers to more
than 1000 external applications and a rich array of content across several
countries.

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/20050503080000ni036.html