"Transforming Risk into a Performance Driver for Trucking Companies” Atos Origin Releases Groundbreaking Study With French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development

Atos Origin, one of the world’s leading international IT services companies, has capitalized on its in-depth analyses of the trucking industry to publish a major study with support from the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development. The book identifies deployment of IT solutions by small and medium-size trucking companies as a means to help them address their business, financial and environmental challenges.


As part of the French government’s Predit 3* program, Atos Origin was selected to conduct research on the safety, security and traceability of overland freight transportation, working in conjunction with insurance company Groupama Transport. Given the clear benefits for the trucking industry of the study’s insights and real-world solutions, the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development decided to fund its publication by Economica.

“The Ministry was very impressed with Atos Origin’s innovative, educational approach to the issue of IT deployment by small trucking companies,” explains Michel Julien, freight transport project manager with the Ministry’s DRAST** research bureau. “The company presented IT as a solution not only to managing risks, but also to transforming risk management into a competitive advantage.”

Publication of the joint study amply illustrates the ability of Atos Origin technology consulting teams in France to:

* Understand, identify and explain in lay terms the issues faced by an entire industry.
* Clearly describe how a company or business operates by creating a dynamic overview of its processes through real-life examples.
* Develop innovative analysis methods by applying a practical, business-oriented approach to performance and by describing the immediate operational impact of ICT deployment.

“We’re extremely proud to see our technology consulting expertise recognized through the publication of this study,” says Thierry Pollier, Director of the Industry and Services Division at Atos Origin. “It has enabled the team headed by Atos Origin Senior Manager Jean-François Perrillat to showcase our expertise in transportation and logistics, along with our intimate grasp of the most efficient ways to apply information and communications technologies, especially in the fast-expanding area of RFID radio frequency identification.”

The ability to capture, process and report information has become critical to the sustainable competitiveness of trucking companies. Freight trucking is an increasingly complex and time-sensitive process, where the risk of disruption is ever-present. This makes automated processing and electronic data interchange absolutely indispensable to keep the supply chain up and running, both seamlessly and securely.

Smaller trucking companies face a number of persistent, growing threats, such as the steep rise in theft, ever-tighter traceability regulations, aggressive competition, customer pressure to deliver higher quality and congested roads. As the most vulnerable link in the supply chain, they can no longer afford to view ICTs as a necessary evil.

For a freight trucking company, deploying these technologies to ensure the safety, security and traceability of goods is a way not only of managing these risks, but more importantly, of creating a competitive advantage by enhancing their ability to deliver consistent performance and quality of service.

*Predit is a French government research and testing program designed to drive innovation in the trucking industry. It was initiated and is being led by the French ministries that oversee research, transportation, the environment and industry, in conjunction with the ADEME environment and energy management agency and the OSEO innovation agency. National research agency ANR is also contributing funding for the program. By encouraging cooperation between the public and private sectors, the program aims to facilitate the emergence of more cost-effective, socially responsible transportation systems that are safer, more energy efficient and, ultimately, more respectful of people and the environment. http://www.predit.prd.fr/predit3/homePage.fo

**DRAST is the research, scientific and technical affairs bureau of the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development.

About Atos Origin
Atos Origin is one of the world’s leading international information technology services companies. Its business is turning client vision into results through the application of consulting, systems integration and managed operations. The company’s annual revenues total €5.4 billion and it employs 50,000 people in 40 countries. Atos Origin is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has a client base of international blue-chip companies across all sectors.
Atos Origin is listed on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos Origin, AtosEuronext Market Solutions, Atos Worldline and Atos Consulting.

Media contact: Anne de Beaumont + 33 (0)1 55 91 24 15 - anne.debeaumont@atosorigin.com