Messages from 2016 - AMCON Software GmbH

Many manufacturers, one standard: HUSST

verenadrees — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 10:00:40 +0000

Berlin, September 2016 – When components from different manufacturers meet in public transport sales systems, compatibility issues often arise. A solution is provided by an open standard: the manufacturer-independent standard interface (HUSST). At the InnoTrans trade fair, held from September 20 to 23 in Berlin, manufacturers and users can learn about the benefits and applications of HUSST.

The data formats used in public transport sales systems are incredibly diverse, making it difficult to freely combine ticket machines, online ticket shops, and back-end systems from different manufacturers. Replacing an outdated component is often not straightforward; in many cases, the only option is to replace the entire system. This results in unnecessary costs for transport providers.

The manufacturer-independent standard interface HUSST aims to prevent such problems: developed jointly by hardware and software manufacturers AMCON, highQ Computerlösungen, and krauth technology, this open standard enables a manufacturer-independent structure for public transport sales systems. HUSST has become the de facto standard, especially in e-ticketing applications, and is already in use by several transport companies, both large and small. The standard is continuously developed and adapted to new requirements through close collaboration with users.

Compatibility benefits not only the users of public transport solutions but also the providers themselves: with HUSST, their products are more versatile and represent a lower investment risk for their customers. Additionally, the flexible, XML-based data format allows even very complex tariff and sales structures to be easily represented, reducing implementation times.

At the booths of AMCON, highQ, and krauth technology at InnoTrans 2016 in Berlin, interested parties from both user and manufacturer sides can get detailed information about HUSST.

HUSST profile

Bidirectional communication between back-end systems and sales devices (data supply and disposal)
Flexible exchange of tariff, sales, and statistical data
Representation of even very complex tariff structures (tariff products, validity rules, service areas, trips, stops, routes, payment limits, price levels, and more)
Import and export of VDV-KA data sets (block and promotion lists, blocking, issuance, control, and debit records)
XML-based data format
Used nationwide in ticket machines, mobile sales devices, back-end systems, and online ticket shops
Ongoing development of the manufacturer-independent standard interface under the umbrella of the industry association TelematicsPRO e.V.

About AMCON

The software provider based in Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony, specializes in fare management and passenger information systems, helping transport companies make public transport more attractive and efficient. More and more customers rely on the expertise and innovative software solutions from AMCON GmbH. Their core product is the public transport sales, information, and control system UFHO, whose modular design and high level of standardization allow both autonomous operation and integration into an intelligent overall solution. You can find AMCON at InnoTrans in Hall 2.1, Booth 207. www.amcon.de

About highQ

The Freiburg-based software company highQ Computerlösungen GmbH offers innovative solutions for the future of mobility in public transport. Over recent years, this family-owned company has received numerous awards. In addition to products and solutions for public transport, highQ also develops software for the financial sector and corporate benchmarking. Headquartered in Freiburg im Breisgau, the company also has branches in Berlin, Hamburg, and Stuttgart. You can find highQ at InnoTrans in Hall 2.1, Booth 206. www.highQ.de

About krauth technology

For 90 years, krauth technology GmbH, based in Eberbach in Baden, has offered an extensive range of hardware and software solutions for public transport. Whether ticket machines, on-board computers, mobile sales devices, back-end software, passenger information systems, or customized solutions—krauth technology enables transport companies to keep pace with the rapid evolution from traditional sales systems to modern eTicketing systems. You can find krauth technology at InnoTrans in Hall 2.1, Booth 307. http://krauth-technology.de/

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AMCON at InnoTrans 2016

verenadrees — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 09:05:13 +0000

Individuality is the key to economic success – especially in public transport. IT solutions that precisely meet a company’s requirements create competitive advantages and increase passenger satisfaction.

At InnoTrans in Berlin from September 20 to 23, 2016, AMCON will present all the latest developments around UFHO under the motto “Our software solutions keep your business moving.”

UFHO solutions on board

For the specific requirements of bus operators in scheduled services, the Cloppenburg-based software company offers a modern software solution that meets all the demands of a transport company. With UFHO, all in-vehicle processes needed for ticket sales, real-time data transmission, control of speakers and interior displays, as well as data processing, are clearly presented, and the data is transmitted via WLAN and/or GPRS/UMTS to the associated backend system.

With UFHO, never lose a passenger again

In urban areas, delays frequently occur: traffic jams, accidents, rush hour. Irregularities in the timetable are unavoidable. It is essential to react quickly, find solutions, and inform and guide passengers. The UFHO background system monitors trip data, generates forecasts, and transmits them to the data hubs of the respective transport associations. In the control center of the transport companies, all information on individual trips, including a planned/actual comparison and a GIS map view, can be accessed via the UFHO system. Exporting data through interfaces is also uncomplicated. This enables real-time forecasts, allowing control center staff to timely initiate operational measures to adapt traffic conditions, secure connections, or optimize timetables in general. Passengers are informed about route progress via interior displays, acoustic stop announcements, as well as through websites and apps.

About InnoTrans: InnoTrans is the international trade fair for transport technology focusing on innovative components, vehicles, and systems, held every two years in Berlin, the capital of Germany. Since its founding in 1996, it has become a fixed part of the Berlin trade fair landscape and has acted as the leading trade fair of the public transport industry since 2000. As an industry platform, InnoTrans brings together national and international suppliers with demanders from the public passenger transport (ÖPNV) and rail passenger transport (SPNV) sectors. A key part of InnoTrans is the InnoTrans Convention, featuring top-level expert panels and high-profile podium discussions.

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AMCON successfully certified according to ISO 9001

verenadrees — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 09:18:56 +0000

Software specialist AMCON continues to strengthen its high quality standards through ISO 9001 certification.

AMCON has significantly expanded its quality management system and has been certified according to the latest version of ISO 9001:2015. Through further optimized business processes and a clear customer focus, the software specialist is enhancing its competitiveness. Value-adding tasks are centrally mapped through clearly defined, efficient, and flexible processes, from acquiring new customers to long-term customer retention, and from HR management to order controlling and project execution.

In line with ISO 9001, a new quality management manual was developed, combining the new and revised processes and making them transparently accessible to all employees.

“With the certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, we emphasize that AMCON stands for the highest standards in quality, reliability, and process orientation. We view the implementation of the quality management system as a forward-looking guarantee of quality — for our internal operations and especially for our customers,” says Darius Rauert, Managing Director of AMCON. AMCON was supported by the consulting firm TÜV Rheinland in the development and implementation of the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

About AMCON

As a nationally operating provider of fare management and passenger information systems for buses and trains, AMCON has been supporting transport companies for many years in making public transport more attractive and efficient. An increasing number of customers now rely on AMCON’s expertise and innovative software solutions. The modular UFHO system is the company’s core product.

AMCON products stand out with their state-of-the-art technology. Their modular structure and high level of standardization allow for stand-alone use or tailored integration into an intelligent overall solution, depending on the needs of the transport company. A gradual system expansion is also possible. For more information, visit www.amcon.de.

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AMCON welcomes CAG computer science class

verenadrees — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 09:29:57 +0000

Cloppenburg – At AMCON, the motto is “Shaping the Future.” On Wednesday, June 8, 2016, the nationally operating software company AMCON once again opened its doors to the computer science class from Clemens-August-Gymnasium Cloppenburg.

Looking Ahead to tackle the Skilled Labor Shortage. As a forward-thinking software company, AMCON is committed to securing the company’s future and continuous development at a high level through training and further education.

“Especially in the IT sector, the job market is highly competitive, and recruiting qualified employees often involves enormous costs. That’s why we developed our own career orientation program to promote young talent,” explained Olaf Clausen. “Of course, training your own talent is also costly, but the career orientation program offers many advantages, such as in-depth industry knowledge, eliminating onboarding time, and more,” added Darius Rauert.

Through targeted events like ‘Shaping the Future,’ AMCON strives to draw young talent’s attention to the company as a potential employer. “Ultimately, it’s a win-win situation,” concluded Jens Kuster. “The students from Clemens August Gymnasium had the opportunity to learn about vocational training, study options, the AMCON team, products, and working methods — and at the same time, the barrier of first contact was broken,” he continued.

The success of a company is strongly influenced by the quality of its workforce and therefore by well-trained employees. “Enjoyment at work doesn’t have to be a contradiction. In fact, it is something we strive for. Because those who pursue their profession with conviction succeed, and success, as we all know, is fun,” explains Olaf Clausen, describing AMCON’s company philosophy.

As a nationally operating provider of fare management and passenger information systems for buses and trains, AMCON has been supporting transport companies for many years in making public transport more attractive and efficient. More and more customers now rely on AMCON’s expertise and innovative software solutions. The modular UFHO system remains the core product.

AMCON products impress with state-of-the-art technology. Their modular design and high standardization allow them to be used independently or integrated individually into an intelligent overall solution depending on the requirements of the transport company. A step-by-step system expansion is also possible.

AMCON is always looking for people with new ideas and visions who are committed to successfully implementing projects. Become part of the AMCON team: http://www.amcon.de/karriere/

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Next Step – Taking a Fresh Start with AMCON

verenadrees — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 09:42:03 +0000

As a nationally active software provider of fare management and passenger information systems, AMCON supports transport companies in making public transport more attractive and efficient. In addition to developing tariff and sales concepts, AMCON creates innovative systems for various sales devices such as smartphones, tablets, ticket machines, as well as mobile and stationary sales terminals.

The 40-member AMCON team is constantly looking for new employees who bring ideas, vision, and strong commitment. Furthermore, AMCON places great emphasis on in-house training. Every year, AMCON offers apprenticeships as “IT specialists specializing in application development” and dual-study programs in “Business Informatics (B.Sc.).” Additionally, school-accompanying one-year internships are also offered at AMCON.

Those who know their strengths and where they want to go reach their goals more easily.

This experience has been repeatedly confirmed over time as a training company. To prepare adolescents and young adults early and systematically for career choices as IT specialists in application development or in the form of a dual study program in business informatics, and to facilitate smooth transitions from school to work, AMCON has established an internal career orientation program (BOP). This program enables young adults to develop realistic ideas about their own skills and interests and to gain initial practical experience in the software development field.

Over time, it became clear that not only pupils but also students from various disciplines, dissatisfied with their theoretical studies, showed interest in the career orientation program. Therefore, our training coordinator Jens Kuster expanded the program by adding the “Next Step” element.

“Next Step” is specifically designed for university dropouts and, like the career orientation program, initially provides young adults with insights into the company and the software developer profession. It also offers them the opportunity to gain realistic perceptions of their own abilities.

University dropouts often already have prior knowledge from their studies, so a basic understanding is usually already present. Jens Kuster builds on this existing knowledge in alignment with the wishes and expectations of the “Next Step” starters. Through intensive support, it quickly becomes clear what opportunities and perspectives AMCON offers newcomers. The decision is carefully considered whether an apprenticeship, a dual study program, or direct entry is most appropriate.

Experience shows that through intensive support and promotion of university dropouts, they start working life more motivated and self-confident. A positive side effect is that the adjustment phase is eliminated, as the “Next Step” starters are already familiar with the company philosophy and the team.

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Uninterrupted data flow between sales systems

verenadrees — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 10:00:17 +0000

Trade Fair News for IT-TRANS 2016

Karlsruhe: With the manufacturer-independent standard interface (HUSST), data transmission in public transport sales systems is set to become easier. At the IT-Trans trade fair, taking place from March 1 to 3 in Karlsruhe, transport companies and manufacturers can learn about the advantages and applications of this open standard.

Public transport in Germany is a patchwork, not only in tariffs but also in the data formats of sales systems, which are extremely diverse. This complicates communication between ticket machines, online ticket shops, and backend systems, especially when different manufacturers are involved. The result for users: if a device or software becomes outdated and a newer version from the same supplier is unavailable, transport companies cannot simply switch to products from other manufacturers. Often, the only solution is to replace the entire system, entailing high costs.

HUSST offers a solution: developed jointly by hardware and software manufacturers AMCON, highQ Computerlösungen, and krauth technology, this open standard aims to enable manufacturer-independent public transport sales systems. Since its first presentation in 2010, HUSST — especially in e-ticketing applications — has become a de facto standard and is already in use by several small and large transport companies. The HUSST Forum, hosted by the industry association TelematicsPRO e.V., continually develops and adapts the interface standard to new requirements.

Device and system compatibility across different manufacturers benefits not only public transport users but also the providers themselves: HUSST makes their products more versatile and lowers investment risks for customers. The flexible XML-based data format also easily represents very complex tariff and sales structures, reducing implementation times.

At the IT-Trans 2016 booths of AMCON, highQ, and krauth technology, visitors from both user and manufacturer sides can get detailed information about HUSST.

More about HUSST can be found at: www.husst.de

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IT-TRANS 2016

verenadrees — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 09:54:41 +0000

IT-TRANS: AMCON presents mobile passenger management system with UFHO

AMCON will present innovative solutions at IT-TRANS 2016 in Karlsruhe, the international trade fair for IT trends and innovations in public transport, from March 1 to 3, 2016, at booth H3. These solutions cover fare management, e-ticketing, access control, software and software development, combined transport, as well as real-time solutions. With its innovative and high-quality products, AMCON offers complete solutions for public and private transport companies. A large number of transport operators rely on AMCON’s UFHO system, as it strengthens ticket sales and revenue protection, increases customer satisfaction, speeds up operational processes, and achieves high user acceptance through its intuitive operation. “At IT-TRANS in Karlsruhe, we have the opportunity to present our innovative products and forward-looking projects to potential customers and public transport industry experts. We look forward to many informative and productive discussions,” said Olaf Clausen, CEO of AMCON, about participating as an exhibitor at IT-TRANS in Karlsruhe.

Mobile passenger management with UFHO by AMCON

The growing digitalization of society places high demands on the transport industry. Mobile tickets, apps, portals, and virtual marketplaces: ticket vending machines and timetables posted at stops are no longer up to date. The demand for real-time passenger information, connection assurance, and e-ticketing presents challenges for transport companies. What is needed are new interconnected transport concepts and intelligent IT solutions. At IT-TRANS in Karlsruhe, AMCON presents, among other things, UFHO mobile on the metric.mobile.POS. With AMCON’s UFHO mobile application on the metric.mobile.POS, the sale and validation of e- and paper tickets, wireless communication, and immediate receipt printing are uncomplicated. The UFHO application developed by AMCON includes line and route sales, each with paper tracking via barcode on the back. The validation of online tickets, mobile tickets, and e-tickets is possible through instant synchronization with data from the UFHO backend system. At a glance, the passenger service agent can see on the ergonomic control device whether a valid ticket is present. If no valid ticket is available, an EBE (increased fare penalty) can be issued directly — similarly, an address verification takes place. The device can natively work with tariff data in the manufacturer-independent standard interface format for public transport (HUSST format) as well as with vending machine data in the metric-X10 format, making it excellently suited for use in passenger transport. Particularly impressive is the integrated 1D barcode scanner for paper tracking. This ensures that every printed ticket is uniquely identifiable by a barcode on the back. Furthermore, the simple user interface and the large screen of the metric.mobile.POS, which significantly ease and speed up ticket sales and checks, are convincing advantages.

About the IT-TRANS

Since 2008, the international public transport (ÖPV) community has been meeting every two years at IT-TRANS in Karlsruhe to exchange ideas about innovations and best-practice examples related to IT-based topics in the transport industry. Meanwhile, IT-TRANS has become one of the most important trade fairs in the ÖPV sector and is distinguished by an excellent congress program featuring industry experts, including representatives from UITP and the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). At this industry trade fair, national and international companies present their latest IT products for transport operators. Additionally, discussions focus on the newest technologies and operational decisions in areas such as passenger information, e-ticketing, integrated fare management, smart cards, security and software systems, combined transport, and much more.

About AMCON

As a nationally operating provider of fare management and passenger information systems for buses and trains, AMCON has supported transport companies for many years in making public transport more attractive and efficient. Increasingly, more customers rely on AMCON’s expertise and innovative software solutions. The modular UFHO system is the core product. AMCON products impress with their state-of-the-art technology. Their modular design and high level of standardization allow them to be used independently or, depending on the transport company’s requirements, integrated individually into an intelligent overall solution. A gradual system expansion is also possible. More information is available at www.amcon.de.

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AMCON receives award from Great Place to Work

verenadrees — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 10:04:02 +0000

AMCON receives the award "Best Employer in Lower Saxony-Bremen 2016."

Hannover/Cloppenburg, February 24, 2016. AMCON was recognized as one of the best employers in the regional Great Place to Work® competition “Best Employers in Lower Saxony-Bremen 2016.” This announcement was made today by the Great Place to Work® Institute Germany. The award honors outstanding achievements in developing trusting workplace relationships and creating attractive and supportive working conditions for employees.

“We are proud of the company’s recent development and especially of each and every one of our employees, because only through great collaboration, strong company identification, and pronounced team spirit we were able to grow into such a high-performing team and achieve this excellent result,” said Darius Rauert, Managing Director at AMCON.

Background information about the competition

The evaluation was based on an anonymous survey of AMCON employees covering key workplace topics such as trust, identification, team spirit, professional development, compensation, health promotion, and work-life balance. Additionally, the quality of personnel and leadership measures within the company was assessed.

“Trusting relationships in the workplace and attractive working conditions are the central keys to motivating and retaining qualified employees, as well as to the economic success and future viability of companies,” says Andreas Schubert, Managing Director of the Great Place to Work® Institute Germany.

95 percent of AMCON employees who participated in the survey stated, “I am proud of what we achieve together here,” 91 percent would recommend AMCON as an employer, and 99 percent agreed with the statement: “All in all, this is a great place to work,” among other positive responses.

About Great Place to Work®

Great Place to Work® is an international research and consulting institute that supports companies of all sizes and industries in around 50 countries worldwide in developing employee-oriented and success-promoting workplace cultures. In addition to offering individual analysis and consulting services to improve workplace quality and employer attractiveness, the institute regularly identifies very good employers through nationwide, regional, and industry-specific benchmarking studies and employer awards, presenting these to the public. The German Great Place to Work® Institute was founded in 2002 and currently employs around 80 people at its Cologne location. More information is available at www.greatplacetowork.de.

About AMCON

As a nationally active provider of fare management and passenger information systems for buses and trains, AMCON has been supporting transport companies for many years in making public transport more attractive and efficient. Increasingly, customers rely on AMCON’s expertise and innovative software solutions. The modular UFHO system serves as the core product.

AMCON products impress with their state-of-the-art technology. Their modular design and high degree of standardization allow them to be used independently or, depending on the requirements of the transport company, integrated individually into an intelligent overall solution. A gradual system expansion is also possible.

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