DRIVE Developments, Inc. First to Market with Military Embedded Diagnostics for US ArmyAlthough the product is called 'DIME' (Diagnostic Information Management Environment) it can save more than...
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- DRIVE Developments, Inc., a Michigan based technology firm, has delivered the first successfully demonstrated end-to-end embedded diagnostic system to the US Army. The integration of this technology will assist the Soldier in the timely and accurate maintenance of their vehicles and form the baseline for common diagnostics across vehicle platforms. This diagnostic system will gather the necessary data to allow the vehicle to determine and even predict its own failures. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080521/CLW027LOGO-a http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080521/CLW027-b ) The company executed a $2.9M program through the Program Manager for Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTV) that started in September 2007 to develop the next generation of US Army onboard vehicle diagnostics. They delivered a militarized version of the their commercial DIME product 4 months ahead of schedule when they held successful demonstrations of the system for US Army personnel this past month. DRIVE is hoping the momentum of their recent success will propel them into a multi-year production contract for this diagnostic system. DRIVE is currently working with the Army to develop the next phase of this program which will provide the full Technical Data Package (TDP) required before these systems can go into full production. "When I came to the military market 4 years ago I saw the need for this type of system. I spoke extensively with the US Army leadership and found they were frustrated with the amount of time it was taking to develop and procure a diagnostic system," said Osentoski. "I recall one General asking why the commercial markets were so far ahead and why the military could not utilize the technology." Studies have shown that the Soldiers would benefit almost immediately from such a system. The system would reduce overall vehicle lifecycle costs (about 75% of which are taken up by maintenance costs) and reduce vehicle down time. This adds up to safer and higher quality vehicles for the Soldier. All of this is why, last year, Osentoski started his own business. "Other businesses were taking too long to respond, largely because diagnostics are not their core business. I recognized that a company focused on diagnostics and prognostics would succeed. Too many firms had incorrectly focused on the sexier end game of prognostics and not spent enough time on the basics of actually getting the data necessary to build these complex prognostic algorithms. For this reason most systems failed to impress, and for that matter, failed to work at all," said Osentoski. DRIVE is one of only a few companies to bring the right talent together to complete this work. DRIVE develops hardware and software in a proprietary Parallel Development Process (PDP) that other firms have not been able to replicate. "The key for us is our team and our process," Osentoski pointed out. "That is why DRIVE can produce new products to beyond specification in about half of the time that it takes other organizations." Diagnostics have been in research and development for years and while gains have been made none are as significant as this breakthrough technology. For the first time the Army has an embedded unit that is capable of capturing all of the data relative to improved maintenance and to build the foundation of predictive maintenance and prognostics. There are still problems though, Osentoski points out, "The biggest obstacle now is actually getting the technology to the Soldiers. There are still those willing to apply significant amounts of time, money and energy to research in this area. We need to get this system and systems like it into the field to start bringing home the data. We need to move the research portion of this onward now, towards distributing, analyzing and producing actionable intelligence." About DRIVE Developments, Inc. DRIVE Developments, Inc. ( http://www.drivedevelopments.com ) provides commercial and military vehicle diagnostic systems complete with GPS, wireless communications and numerous vehicle diagnostic data bus interfaces. DRIVE Developments, Inc. aggregates this data in their DIME (Diagnostic Information Management Environment) Data Center ( http://www.dimeportal.com ) and provides clients secure web based access to detailed data from their vehicle platforms. Established in 2007, DRIVE Developments, Inc. is owned and operated by Michigan businessman, Larry Osentoski. The company is comprised of a team of engineers with over 50 years of automotive market experience. This experience, along with recent project success make DRIVE one of the premier new providers of onboard diagnostic technologies in the market. For more information and to apply at DRIVE developments please visit us at http://www.drivedevelopments.com or visit our product website at http://www.dimeportal.com
Contact:
Larry Osentoski
President and CEO
DRIVE Developments, Inc.
Phone 248-613-6738
sales@drivedevelopments.com
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080521/CLW027LOGO-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080521/CLW027-b
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