PROPERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT EASY AS 1-2-3

~ new, affordable online service helps local government

with asset management ~

Sydney, September 7 , 2009 - Local governments moving to adhere to NAMS, National Asset Management Standards[1], as per the recently released IPWEA recommended guidelines on Building Condition and Performance Assessment Standards, can now simply log on and use a new service from Australian companies, Smartpath and SPM.

The new service, the first of its kind in Australasia, has been designed to provide councils with a comprehensive asset management system directly aligned to NAMS principles.  It will deliver the best in asset management, planning and financial modelling from operations to strategy. Delivered online, the service enables Councils to trial and sign up easily at an affordable per user per month cost.

The service offers Local governments a ‘software-as-a-service' (SaaS) or ‘cloud' delivery mechanism, to facilitate rapid adoption without financial burden. It combines all asset management and capital planning functions based on the NAMS principles including data collection, asset register, maintenance management, predictive models, project planning, capital planning, developer contribution cost allocations and decision management.

The solution sits within one highly scalable system that provides for specific local government requirements and extracts the value of the Smartpath and SPM asset knowledge libraries, including maintenance regimes, total useful lives, unit rates, criticality grades, and quality statements such as 5 star ratings, and general functional or quality standards.

"We recognise that local governments want to improve their asset management but many need guidance on where to start, and how to ensure that it becomes an ongoing sustainable process that delivers real value," explained Steve Lyons, Managing Director, SPM. "Between Smartpath and SPM, we've established a holy grail for asset management."

"The joint solution offers proven asset management and modelling gained from expertise in both the public and private sector, and it's available here and now with low pricing and easy technology set-up - all users need is a web browser," said David Hodges, Managing Director, Smartpath. "With ‘cloud computing', the sharing of information and benchmarking between organisations will be an automated output through dashboards and provide information that is only possible through the Smartpath / SPM solution."

The two companies are showcasing the solution at the IPWEA International Public Works Conference at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 6-10 September 2009, stand 14.

For more information, please visit www.smartpath.com.au or www.spmassets.com.au .

ABOUT SMARTPATH

Founded in 2001, Smartpath publishes Loc8, a web 2.0 asset, maintenance, helpdesk and mobile workforce management solution.

Headquartered in Sydney with an office in Melbourne, and a global partner program, Smartpath works across all industries, predominantly engineering, health, IT, petro-chemical, resources, manufacturing, transportation, building and construction and government.

Customers include Royal North Shore Hospital, ARA Group, Multiplex, Spastic Centre, Cue Clothing, Department of Human Services, Spotlight, Microsoft, William Angliss, Nortel Networks, IJN Hospital (Malaysia), St John's Grammar and Morgan FM.

For company information, please visit: http://www.smartpath.com.au or via www.twitter.com/smartpath .

For media information, interviews or photography, please contact:

Jo Balfour

Telephone: 02 9365 6258

Mobile: 0405 542 018

Email: jobalfour@progressiva.com.au

ABOUT SPM

Established in 2001 with offices in Auckland and Sydney, SPM is a recognised thought-leader in asset management planning, providing specialist solutions to a diverse range of clients utilising innovative asset management principles and analytical techniques which are embodied in its proven suite of web 2.0 applications.  

SPM software is widely used by asset intensive organisations across across a diverse range of market sectors including Local / State Government Property & Infrastructure; Facilities Management; Social Housing; Health and Education.    

Customers include Spotless Services Australia Pty Ltd (supporting a growing number of its Public Private Partnership contracts in Australia including Sydney Water; ACT Housing; University of New South Wales and Orange Health); Housing New South Wales (the largest social housing provider in the Southern Hemisphere); and seven of the top 10 largest Councils in New Zealand.

For company information, please visit www.spmassets.com

For media information, please contact:

Roger Jameson

General Manager, Sales & Marketing

Telephone: +64 9 921 4021

Mobile: +64 21 466692

Email: roger.jameson.spmassets.com

[1] Please visit www.ipwea.org.au for further information

The enterprise asset management (EAM) applications market in the Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region is expected to generate revenue of $US136.9 million in 2009 and will grow steadily at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent to reach $US233.1 million by 2013, according to IDC.

The five-year CAGR for EAM applications is the highest in the enterprise resource management (ERM) market for the forecast period. Other applications with high CAGR are order management at 8.5 per cent and procurement at 6.5 per cent. "As the global economy continues to shrink, enterprises are exploring avenues to maximise the return of their asset investments," said Alan Tong, asenior research manager at IDC.

"For machinery and equipment, scheduling, and preventive and predictive maintenance are important in preserving the working lifespan of these assets," he added.

China led the EAM market in APEJ with a market share of 35.2 per cent or $US50.9 million in 2008. The EAM market in China is expected to reach US$123 million in 2013, which is equivalent to a five year CAGR of 19 per cent. China continues to be the global manufacturing hub with significant worldwide investments in manufacturing and production infrastructures. Consequently, demand is growing for maintenance tools from the manufacturers for maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations. The other leading countries in EAM adoption are Australia and India with approximately 21.0 per cent and 19.8 per cent market share in APEJ respectively. Overall, these three key countries contribute close to 76 per cent of the entire APEJ market.

In addition to manufacturing, telecommunications, banking, and transportation are the three other primary verticals adopting this application. The surge is driven primarily by large businesses, which are asset intensive. It is also worth noting that midmarket adoption has also gained in adoption rate pace.

With the slowdown in global demand for manufactured goods, manufacturers are deferring the replacement cycles of their working assets. Accordingly EAM tools are necessary to help enterprises establish preventive maintenance to both extend the useful life and monitor the performance of equipment and machinery. Furthermore, with increased attention on the bottom line enterprises will also be able to monitor their asset-based expenses and embark on corrective measures if required.

Smartpath and Valorem Partnership Set to Clean Up

~ facilities and maintenance management industries gain from

new people, process and asset software offering ~

Sydney, July 20, 2009 - Smartpath and Valorem have joined forces to offer a complete site, asset and people management solution to the facilities, building and maintenance management disciplines.

The partnership of the two mature technology publishers will see both companies proactively extend the offering to their customer and prospect networks, and co-operatively bid for joint projects.

Targeting facilities management, property/cleaning/security services, hotels and hospitals, both Smartpath and Valorem through this joint solution help organisations manage facilities and assets from procurement through to disposal through a secure access-anywhere web-based system.

Valorem's Saas Praxeo solution automates site processes and people management to simplify facilities management processes and enhance the efficiency of staff, contractors and services, while Smartpath's web 2.0 Loc8 product tracks the lifecycle of assets, whether they are human, digital or fixed.

Available via SaaS or traditional licensing, Smartpath's Loc8 enables companies to:

• save money by not repurchasing assets that already exist
• remotely manage field service staff and decrease invoicing times
• save legal and compliance costs associated with statutory reporting requirements
• assist companies to defer capital purchases for new assets
• manage asset additions, disposals and transfers
• control procurement and maintenance costs.

 Valorem's award winning solution Praxeo provides the following benefits to property mangers:

• Monitoring contractor company insurances
• Managing individual inductions
• Providing a range of automated alerts and reports based on site activity
• 24/7 remote site management and control

 "We're at the point in our product lifecycle where our technology is proven, and can be  added to other synergistic solutions to broaden the marketing offering and appeal to more potential customers," explained Phil Hare, Partnering and Marketing Director at Smartpath. "Finding good, complementary partners, domestically and internationally, is a critical part of our go-to-market strategy, and we see this partnership with Valorem as a great step forward in achieving this strategy."

"Loc8 provides us with a more powerful asset management tool with the addition of a strong maintenance feature that will integrate with Praxeo and assist us to round out our offering to the facilities management industry," said Jon Tinberg, Managing Director at Valorem. "The Valorem product suite is now greatly enhanced with Smartpath Loc8 and we will be able to offer a comprehensive set of features around FM, which will include all asset, maintenance and  compliance aspects. This will greatly benefit those organisations responsible for managing building assets and mitigating the associated risks of contractor management. We anticipate strong take-up as it will provide our clients with expanded functionality across all of their site requirements."

Smartpath Multiplies With Multibase

~ appoints new partner with 25 year local heritage ~

Sydney, July 17,2009 - Smartpath has continued aggressive extension of its partner program by appointing a new Australian partner, Multibase, an IT/web services firm with more than 25 years' experience operating locally.

Multibase will offer Smartpath's Loc8 asset, maintenance and mobility management software-as-a-service (SaaS) to its clients which include all levels of government, as well as mid-large Australian corporates in the travel, business services, finance, sport and construction industries.

It also sees particular opportunity for businesses to leverage their asset portfolio during the current wave of merger and acquisition activity which requires due diligence on physical and software assets held by a business.

Multibase specialises in automating manual business processes in particularly complex technology environments and transactional-based organisations that ship a lot of information around quickly. It has a heritage in extending the value of existing assets, ranging from plant and vehicle fleets, through to technology equipment, such as ERP systems and has delivered SaaS since 1996 through its Unifleet fleet management service.

"Strategic asset management can actually generate revenue, as well as reduce outlay, so integrating Loc8 into our solution suite to manage technology and information assets makes absolute sense," said Steve Atkins , Managing Director of Multibase. "We've built a successful business by using the technology customers already have, and extending it to help them grow in an operationally smart way. We anticipate doubling our business within five years and are looking at Smartpath Loc8 to help deliver this growth."

"Smart businesses are now more prudent about new purchases that sit on the balance sheet and require capital expenditure so the climate is right to have the asset management discussion. Quite simply, organisations want to do more with less and save money while they're doing it." said Phil Hare, Partnering and Marketing Director at Smartpath. "Multibase has extensive credibility among a similar install base to Smartpath, and we welcome them to the Smartpath Partner Program."

Multibase joins Smartpath's 2009 channel additions, Unotelos in Nigeria and iSoftStone in the US. Smartpath is also currently in talks with two partners in the UK and one in West-Africa.

Sydney, May 14 2009 - Australia's manufacturing industry publication, Manufacturers' Monthly, together with a panel of expert industry judges, have awarded Smartpath and its Loc8 web 2.0 asset, maintenance and mobility management solution ‘Highly Commended' in the hotly-contested Technology Application award of the year category.

The gala dinner was hosted by Reed Business and Manufacturers' Monthly magazine on May 13 2009.

The FMS at Corning Cable, part of globally listed Corning, uses Loc8 to track each piece of individual fibre to efficiently automate workflow and eliminate error and manual intervention, while complying with regulatory requirements. The solution also supports Corning's drive for Best Practice in Operational Efficiency and Cost Management.

"We've used advanced web technology, such as Adobe Flex and VMWare, to break ground in the manufacturing and industrial industries without building a complicated technology application or one that requires users to re-engineer their business processes. We believe the manufacturing industry stands to benefit greatly from automated asset and maintenance management in using web technology applications like Loc8.

 We're grateful to Manufacturers Monthly and Reed Business for putting on the Endeavour Awards, they make a big difference to the credibility of Aussie companies which do great work both domestically and internationally."

http://www.manmonthly.com.au/article.aspx?articleid=481135

Engineering (PACE) Awards

~ PACE Magazine selects asset and maintenance software

project as finalist in Zenith Awards ~

Sydney, May 11 2009 - Process and Control Magazine (PACE) has selected Smartpath as a finalist in the 6th annual Zenith Awards for its work with Corning Cable, an Australian manufacturer of high-quality cable.

Smartpath installed its Loc8 web 2.0 asset, maintenance and mobility workforce software to help Corning Cable automate workflow, increase productivity and reduce operational error.

The Corning Cable FMS (fibre management solution) is one of four projects shortlisted in the Transport, Power and Infrastructure category.

The PACE Zenith Awards were established by Process and Control Engineering (PACE) magazine in 2004 to publicly-recognise and reward companies that show leadership in engineering and technological excellence and innovation in the following industries:

• Automotive and Manufacturing
• Chemicals and Petrochemicals
• Food and Beverage
• Oil, Gas and Hydrocarbons
• Metal Products
• Mining, Minerals and Exploration
• Transport, Power and Infrastructure
• Water and Wastewater
• Power and Energy Management.

The above industries are also the official categories for the 2009 Zenith Awards, and a Project of the Year Award will be selected from among the finalists in the nine categories

The winners and runners-up in each category, plus Project of the Year, will be announced at the Zenith Awards ceremony in Sydney in June.

For more information, please visit http://www.pacetoday.com.au/Awards.aspx

Smartpath Shortlisted For Endeavours At Corning Cable

~ Manufacturing Awards Recognise Asset Management

And Workflow Project in Finals ~

Sydney, April 27 2009 - Smartpath, a web 2.0 developer of asset, maintenance and mobility management solutions, is pleased to announce its inclusion as a finalist in the prestigious Endeavour Awards 2009, hosted by Manufacturers Monthly, a Reed Business publication.

Smartpath, with its flagship product Loc8, has been selected as a Technology Application of The Year finalist with a Cable Management System (CMS) implemented for Corning Cable in Australia, a manufacturer of fibre optic cabling products for the telecommunications, defence, power and railways sectors.

Corning uses Smartpath Loc8 as its CMS to track each piece of individual fibre to efficiently automate workflow and eliminate error and manual intervention, while complying with regulatory requirements. The solution also supports Corning's drive for Best Practice in Operational Efficiency and Cost Management.

The Manufacturers' Monthly annual Endeavour Awards 2009 attracted a record-breaking number of nominations from all over Australia, with the judges selecting a total of 75 finalists in the nine award categories. Winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner in Melbourne on May 13, 2009.

Smartpath is a specialist provider of business control solutions for the industrial, manufacturing, resources, facilities and public sector industries It helps organisations manage the entire lifecycle of their asset inventory, from the procurement, maintenance and retirement of assets such as plant machinery, road infrastructure and EFTPOS machines, right through to fabric, art collections and ICT equipment.

Smartpath has built Loc8 entirely out of Adobe Flex and delivers it via cloud computing, traditional software licensing or Software-as-a-Service to help companies identify the best investment option according to their requirements.

For more information, please visit http://www.manmonthly.com.au/getdoc/f394d48f-1bff-491e-91e9-fee9e6fc5d73/Endeavour-Awards-2009-Finalists.aspx

~ launches ‘Opex not Capex' purchasing model for

asset and maintenance operational efficiency ~

Sydney, April 6, 2009 - Smartpath, a web 2.0 developer of asset, maintenance and workforce mobility software and SaaS solutions, has launched in the UK as the company continues its international expansion.

Based in London, Smartpath provides Loc8, a web 2.0 asset and maintenance solution that helps organisations manage the entire lifecycle of their asset inventory, from the procurement, maintenance and retirement of assets such as plant machinery, road infrastructure and EFTPOS machines, right through to fabric, art collections and ICT equipment.

During 2009, Smartpath is offering a flexible ‘Opex not Capex' purchasing model which means organisations  can pay for the software over 12 months interest-free and avoid going through a internal Capital Expenditure approval process or the tedium of external financing.

Smartpath has built Loc8 entirely out of Adobe Flex and delivers it via cloud computing, traditional software licensing or Software-as-a-Service to help companies identify the best investment option according to their requirements.

The company aims to build up a channel network in the UK, and eventually throughout Europe, and offer its partner network support with training, marketing and sales. Smartpath has offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and resellers in Australia, the US, India, Malaysia, Chile and Nigeria.

An effective preventative maintenance management strategy centred around assets rather than jobs, coupled with helpdesk visibility, typically increases the lifespan of assets while allowing organisations to automate compliance, governance and regulatory requirements as well as mitigate business risk through lack of asset visibility.

"In many markets, including Australia, we're looking for strategic partners to use their specialist and in-country knowledge to drive sales, however, in others, such as the UK, we obviously see great benefit in having a physical office location additionally," said Philip Hare, International Partnering Director at Smartpath. "Asset and maintenance management helps organisations get maximum value from their assets and improve operational efficiency by streamlining and speeding up processes while reducing costs. We see 2009 as the time that people are looking to extract maximum value from existing budgets and investments instead of simply purchasing afresh, and we believe our ‘Opex not Capex' model will prove a very attractive proposition."

For more information, please visit www.smartpath.com.au , email info@smartpath.com.au or telephone 1300 651 315.  

ABOUT SMARTPATH

Founded in 2001, Smartpath delivers asset, maintenance, mobility and help desk management solutions via web 2.0 software, Software-as-a-Service and cloud computing to give companies total visibility and control of their fixed and IT assets including the location, condition, value and status.

Smartpath's flagship solution, Loc8, is a business control solution that enables companies to gain a consolidated view of their assets, meet statutory reporting and compliance requirements, mitigate risk, manage asset additions, disposals and transfers, control procurement and maintenance costs and leverage the value of assets throughout their organisation.

Headquartered in Sydney with an office in Melbourne, Smartpath works through an international partner network across all industries, predominantly engineering, facilities management (FM), energy, health, IT, petro-chemical, resources, manufacturing, transportation, building and construction and government.

Customers include ARA Group, Royal North Shore Hospital, Multiplex, Cue Clothing, Spotlight, Corning Cable, NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages and Games Workshop among others.

Progressiva

Jo Balfour
Public and Media Relations
+61 (0)2 9365 6258 or +61 (0)405 542 018

jobalfour@progressiva.com.au

Smartpath Goes For Gold In Nigeria

~ strong blue-chip opportunity for asset and maintenance management in Africa ~

Sydney, March 2 2009 - Smartpath, provider of web 2.0 asset, maintenance, helpdesk and mobility solutions, is continuing its international expansion through the appointment of a partner in Nigeria, UnoTelos Ltd.

The partnership was signed in just under a month following UnoTelos' review of a number of global asset management and maintenance software solutions,and a trial of Smartpath's Loc8 asset, maintenance, mobility and help desk web 2.0 software.

A specialist in the provision of infrastructure and network management, network planning and design and network deployment, UnoTelos has taken Smartpath's Loc8 product to organisations in the petro-chemical, telco, airline and banking industries, in which it has particular expertise through work with, Chevron, Arik Airlines, Global Fleet Group, ExxonMobil Nigeria and MTN Nigeria.

Smartpath's web 2.0 solution, Loc8, is a business control solution that enables companies to gain a consolidated view of their assets, meet statutory reporting and compliance requirements, mitigate risk, manage asset additions, disposals and transfers, control procurement and maintenance costs and leverage the value of assets throughout their organisation.

Training on the Loc8 software with UnoTelos has been conducted virtually from Smartpath's head offices in Sydney.

"We have strong demand for business control systems at blue-chip user organisations requiring highly functional asset and maintenance management solutions with a low implementation footprint but which deliver rapid return on investment," explained Jude Egbokwu, Managing Director, at UnoTelos. "These are large organisations for which efficient operations can seriously impact the bottom line positively. We look forward to strong success with Smartpath's Loc8 product in Nigeria."

 "2009 is shaping up well for Smartpath, and the countries we're currently targeting are ones experiencing rapid economic growth and those investing heavily in infrastructure, "said Philip Hare, Partnering and Marketing Director at Smartpath. "Currently, these are typically within ‘emerging markets' which have a strong requirement to keep critical assets, including telephony equipment and plant machinery, operational to help sustain strong economic growth."

This partnership comes ahead of Smartpath's imminent launch into the UK and its recent work establishing a partner presence in South America, where there are strong opportunities for the Loc8 asset management and maintenance solution. The company is also seeking specialised partners in Australia.

For more information, please visit www.smartpath.com.au

Applications Net, available online through NEC's 240 channel partners, will offer small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) a one-stop shop for a low-cost, low-risk approach to using enterprise level software, including asset, HelpDesk, voice, CRM and contract management among others.

Loc8^TM Help-Desk available through Applications Net provides a centralised and extremely powerful solution to IT service support so that each incident and problem is analysed to determine its root cause to prevent similar problems in the future. Loc8 Help Desk alos improves operationa efficiencies and streamlines processes, such as call duration times, to help save money.

Tying into Smartpath's Loc8^TM Asset Management solution, it is packed with features with clean, logic driven user interfaces, and is easy to set up and use. Itallows users to log calls and manage incidents for those assets and helps manage any asset in a business from procurement to disposal.

"We are proud that our Loc8 Asset Management and HelpDesk SaaS solution will join a best-of-breed group that includes NEC, Microsoft and salesforce.com," said David Hodges, Managing Director, at Smartpath. "We expect strong demand among small to medium businesses for Loc8 via Applications Net given the model is the first fully integrated SaaS suite of enterprise products available in Australia."

Davide Iacovitti, Product Manager Applications and Content, NEC Australia said: "NEC is proud to welcome Smartpath on board the Applications Net. Smartpath will provide solutions for SMEs to improve their business operations and support functions, as well as simplifying and centralising their asset management. As an Australian based company, Smartpath can provide localised expertise and solutions for these offerings, which we see as highly important to our channel. We're focused on offering the best Australian and global solutions to meet the needs of our customers and Smartpath certainly meets that criteria."

Smartpath first launched its Software-as-a-Service in August 2007 and counts Blackmores, Spotlight and Spotless among its SaaS user base.

For more information, please visit www.smartpath.com.au , email:info@smartpath.com.au or telephone 1300 651 315 (Australia Toll Free).