More LB news. May be big>>http://www.buscall.com.
Thursday July 23, 9:31 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: LaBarge, Inc.
LaBarge Forms Joint Venture To Develop Electronic Systems Using
Advance Notification Technology
-- LaBarge, Inc. (Amex: LB - news) announced today it has formed a joint venture with
Global Research Systems, Inc. of Rome, Ga., to develop and market products using advance notification systems technology.
The joint venture, which is called NotiCom L.L.C., is a 50%/50% joint venture between the two companies.
NotiCom will develop and market electronic systems that provide advance notice of the impending arrival of passenger motor
vehicles, such as school buses, vans and taxis. The systems will typically utilize a combination of technologies, such as Global
Positioning System (GPS) satellite location data, wireless communications and telephony, to provide information about a
vehicle's current location and estimated arrival time. David J. Hall, Director of Operations with Global Research Systems, will
serve as president of the joint venture.
The first product to be marketed by NotiCom, beginning immediately, will be BusCall(TM), a unique system that notifies
parents by phone, electronic mail or pager when the school bus is approaching their children's bus stop. The purpose of the
product is to improve child safety related to school transportation. Specifically, children can wait inside their homes until their
school bus is nearby, rather than facing potential outdoor hazards, such as bad weather, street crime and traffic-related
accidents. NotiCom plans to market the technology for other applications in the future.
NotiCom will market BusCall to wireless communications providers and local exchange carriers who can then offer BusCall as
an added-value service, much like call-waiting or call-forwarding services, to their customers. The company expects that the
BusCall system would typically be implemented at no cost to school districts or transportation providers. LaBarge has been
encouraged by the initial response to the product, including the successful completion of market trials in Bemidji, Minn., during
the 1997-1998 school year. |
