Paves Way for France to Become One of First EU Countries to Deploy Digital Tachographs Integrating Smart Card Technology
PARIS - SchlumbergerSema, a business unit of Schlumberger Limited, today announced that it has been contracted by the Chronoservices subsidiary of Groupe Imprimerie Nationale to help develop the micromodule, key component for tachograph secure equipment that will be used by road transport professionals in France.
According to a recent decision by the European Commission, all truck drivers in the 15 member states must be equipped with smart card-based electronic tachographs by August 7, 2004. SchlumbergerSema will provide the advanced microprocessors that will be personalized and embedded in the smart cards by Groupe Imprimerie Nationale.
The smart card modules partially ensure the tachograph's security functions by allowing totally reliable recording and outputting of driving time and speed. This new-generation tachograph ushers in a new era in "black boxes" for European hauling companies, and provides a flawless technological solution for combating road safety violations.
"The mission of Groupe Imprimerie Nationale and its subsidiary Saqqarah International has consistently been to deliver sensitive administrative documents for the French government, from passports to visas and ID papers, driving licenses, and vehicle registration certificates," stated Jean-Luc Vialla, CEO of Groupe Imprimerie Nationale. "Today, we are pursuing this public service delegation agreement by developing the tachograph microprocessor card for the Department of Road Transport. Since it is our role to ensure the security of the infrastructure required for the manufacture and management of the cards, it made sense for us to combine our experience and innovative drive with the expertise of SchlumbergerSema, one of the world's recognized leaders in microprocessor technology and IT security solutions."
"Within the scope of this national and European project, SchlumbergerSema brings its customer a highly secure smart card technology featuring certification based on common criteria, as well as a flexible solution based on an open system," stated Frdric Deman, vice-president for Public Sector and Transport Cards at SchlumbergerSema. "In addition to the unrivaled benefits of electronic tachographs for the end-customer, for the first time in Europe our smart card technology will make it possible to effectively combat road safety violations."
The electronic tachograph supersedes and significantly improves the security level provided by the former system. Utilizing two readers and a printing device, the electronic tachograph is based on a set of four dedicated, customized smart cards. One card is assigned to the driver, who records his activity over a 28-day cycle. The second card is used by the control authorities to access data stored in the unit. The third card is for the transport company to monitor driving time and to facilitate accounting management for each employee. The fourth card goes to the approved service company that is contracted to perform calibration and maintenance of the onboard units.
Close to 800,000 smart cards - which can be replaced every five years - will be deployed to equip road haulage vehicles of over 3.5 metric tons and passenger transport vehicles with more than nine seats operating in France.
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About Groupe Imprimerie Nationale
Groupe Imprimerie Nationale is active in four core businesses (web presses, sheet offset, continuous printing and fiduciary products), offering a seamless range of services that span the entire graphics chain, from pre-press to secondary processing, as well as graphic design and supply chain management. The Group's four industrial plants (Paris, Douai, Evry and Strasbourg) provide a significant degree of technological flexibility, drawing on industrial and human capabilities that enable them to deliver highly competitive solutions. Thanks to its extensive resources, that include a Quality Control department, raw materials and products control laboratories, Imprimerie Nationale obtained AFAQ ISO 9002 certification for all of its activities.
About SchlumbergerSema
SchlumbergerSema is one of two business segments of Schlumberger Limited, a global technology services company. With more than 30,000 employees serving customers in 65 countries, SchlumbergerSema aggregates IT consulting, systems integration, managed services and related products to the oil and gas, telecommunications, energy and utilities, finance, transport and public sector markets. Leveraging the Schlumberger DeXa* Suite of Services, it also provides IP network connectivity, information security solutions, distributed computing support services and data center hosting services. In 2001, Schlumberger revenues were $14.3 billion. For more information, visit www.slb.com.
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© Press Release 2006
