BMW Sauber F1 Team and T-Systems launch technology partnership.
The BMW Sauber F1 Team will line up for the 2008 season with
a new technology partner on board. T-Systems, the business
customer subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, will work together
with the team under the extreme conditions of motor sport
to develop innovative Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) solutions. The company logo will be visible on both
the outside and inside of the BMW Sauber F1.08 cockpit area
and on the car’s nose section, as well as on team clothing
and the drivers’ helmets.
As BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen explains:
“The latest IT and telecommunications technology represents
an integral part of motor racing. The partnership of T-Systems
and BMW brings together two leaders in innovation to create
tailor-made solutions for our team. Our new partner possesses
both IT and telecommunications know-how and experience and
expertise in the automotive sector. This makes T-Systems an
ideal partner for us in the development of future technologies
which can also offer key benefits for series production.”
T-Systems has already set up a high-performance data link
to connect the team’s locations in Munich and Hinwil.
A parts logistics system based on Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) technology, meanwhile, is currently in the pilot phase.
This development focuses on the identification and location
of all the car and replacement parts used by the team in its
activities around the world. Further research and development
projects are also in the pipeline. Under the spotlight here
are data security issues, for example, as well as systems
for recording service times which are designed to allow the
service life of car parts to be optimised.
T-Systems sees the new sponsoring partnership as a platform
for conducting research and development work under extreme
conditions. “Instead of relying solely on laboratory
trials, practical testing on the ground – under the
toughest conditions – is also incorporated into the
development process,” says Reinhard Clemens, Member
of the Board of Management at Deutsche Telekom AG responsible
for business customers and CEO T-Systems. “This cooperation
is a key milestone in the company’s drive to become
the leading ICT service provider for the automotive sector,”
he adds.
BMW and T-Systems can already look back on several years
of partnership away from the race track. T-Systems has helped
develop solutions such as BMW TeleServices, which underpin
the data transfer required to carry out maintenance work during
a journey. BMW also uses T-Systems’ traffic information
service TMCpro in its Connected Drive technology for production
cars.
|
