Campana Systems Inc.
Strategic Partnerships Build Strong Solutions
For over 21 years, Campana Systems Inc. has established itself as an international leader in integrated information solutions for the auto club and health care industries. Using a combination of reliable technology solutions and in-depth knowledge, Campana has enabled clients in these industries to achieve their ongoing business objectives.
Campana owes this success to a business philosophy focused around the importance of strategic partnerships in providing the best solutions, support, and range of services to their clients. Since 1995, Campana has used Mentor Engineering's mobile technology and technical expertise for their auto club division's product offering.
Campana's AXIS Division provides a product suite specifically developed for the AAA/CAA auto club industry. The AXIS product suite consists of specialized toolkits for member relationship management, emergency road service, membership, travel, point-of-sale and financials. These toolkits can be used individually or combined to create an integrated auto club solution.
"We depend on Mentor for the mobile data needs of our AAA and CAA auto club customers. The hardware that our auto club clients use in their tow trucks or service vehicles, and the software operating on those devices, is something we rely heavily on Mentor to provide," explains Pierre Lapalme, Director of Sales and Marketing at Campana.
The Right Tools for Success
Mentor's mobile data computers were selected for use in Campana's auto club client vehicles. Initially Mobile Data Computers (MDCs) were deployed, and now Campana uses the newer Mentor Ranger® rugged in-vehicle computers to facilitate communication between drivers and dispatchers and as a platform to run their mobile applications.
Messages are sent between drivers and dispatchers over a wireless network and displayed in the dispatch office using Campana's AXIS Emergency Road Service (ERS) software suite. Real-time two-way messaging between drivers and dispatchers minimizes the dependence on radio for communication, leads to quicker issue resolution, and frees up air time.
As part of Campana's ERS toolkit, their Digital Dispatch software uses Ranger to help provide efficient call processing and accurate driver location tracking. From the office, dispatchers can update drivers' jobs throughout the day and send changes in real-time to the in-vehicle computer. Ranger also supports in-vehicle navigation and provides onscreen towing manuals.
The Strategic Partner Difference
Meaningful business partnerships are a foundation for success. In order to profitably develop and deploy a product, a strong alliance must be formed between two companies. The strategic partnership between Campana and Mentor demonstrates how two companies dedicated to the needs of their clients can combine their solutions and achieve a greater standard of excellence.
"The biggest thing that our customers like is that it is a totally integrated solution, a sort of one-stop shop. We are continuously developing and updating our product offering to help meet our customers' needs," explains Steve Lang, AXIS Project Manager for Campana. "Partnering with Mentor allows us to give a better, more open suite of devices and to show our customers how flexible we are," continues Steve.
A strategic partnership not only benefits Campana's end users, it also shortens the length of time it takes to get their solution to market. Mentor's Software Developers Kit (SDK) for Ranger provides Campana with a versatile development environment and tools that simplify deployment and speed development time. The Ranger SDK includes tools for GPS and vehicle tracking, embedded navigation, Windows CE enhancements, and provides consistent usage across development environments.
Steve sees how partnering with Mentor has led to an easier deployment and significant savings for Campana. He says, "Mentor has certainly saved us a ton of money cost-wise and time-wise getting our solution to market. There are some things we might be able to develop ourselves, but it would be costly for us because we'd have to first acquire the knowledge."
Mentor's industry experience also played a part in the success of Campana's auto club solution. As Pierre explains: "Looking at the history of our partnership, I would say that Mentor's experience was very important to the success of our solution. As a result, we were able to give our auto club clients more options with the technology and provide a better overall solution."
Positioned for the Future
By merging its understanding of the auto club market with the latest technologies, Campana envisions its strategic partnership with Mentor playing a significant role in their plans for growth. "In terms of growth, we are looking at expanding the use of Mentor's solution with our road-side customer base," says Pierre.
Partnerships such as the one Campana shares with Mentor allows Campana to work proactively with their clients to make sure their technology needs are satisfied. "Our partnership will prepare us for the future because we know that we have a solid relationship with Mentor. One of the most important qualities that customers look for in a solutions provider is being able to trust that the vendors are keeping their needs as a top priority. I know that Mentor and Campana have such a good working relationship that it just adds to this trust," says Steve.
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Mentor has certainly saved us a ton of money cost-wise and time-wise getting our solution to market. 
