Andy Walters, the company’s managing director, said: “Telematics is entering its most exciting phase yet, as the technology becomes more widely deployed in the commercial market and as it gains rapid acceptance in the private insurance sector.

 “Only those companies having complete design ownership and control, together with the cash flow to invest in its technology, will prosper in this dynamic environment. We are uniquely placed to take advantage of these opportunities, as we have both the technical and financial strength to take a leading position.”

 Quartix operates a competitive direct rental model: customers signing up to a 12-month contract are offered free installation and only need to make initial payments of just £10 a month. Despite this revenue model, sales leapt by 46% to £7m in the year.

 Quartix supplied just under 20,000  href=”http://www.quartix.co.uk/vehicle-tracking/vehicle-tracking-main.asp”vehicle tracking systems in 2011. This represented an increase of 125% over 2010 and brought the total number of systems installed to more than 50,000.

No fewer than 1300 new fleet customers chose the company’s flexible rental option.

 Five leading insurance companies use Quartix

 In addition, substantial investments were made in research and development for the company’s insurance sector business and in the development of its French market, where it won 180 new fleet customers in its first full year of trading.

 Despite allocating large sums for investment, pre-tax profit increased by 10% to £1.8m, while sales growth is currently expected to be at least 50% in 2012 as benefits from the investments materialise.

 During the first half of this year, Quartix expects to launch new supply agreements with at least five leading insurance customers – in both the private and commercial sectors – providing a significant endorsement of its technology.

 Mr Walters commented: “The requirements of the insurance and fleet sectors are converging as the need to monitor driving behaviour is driven by the cost of fuel and insurance. These costs have sky-rocketed in the past twelve to eighteen months, and our technology can save customers money on both counts.

 “By reviewing harsh acceleration and braking, and controlling speeding, customers can reduce fuel usage and insurance premiums. We can monitor each driver’s performance using the accelerometer and firmware in our system without needing a separate connection into the vehicle CAN bus – this is a major competitive advantage for us.”

 Lease-finance worries

 The only cloud on the horizon for the industry, according to Mr Walters, is the resurgence of lease-finance contracts.

 He said: “Under this model, customers are asked to commit to payments of £1000 or more per unit – over an extended period – to a bank or finance house, despite the fact that the tracking system has a value of £300 or less.

 “The supplier gets all his payment on day one and is free to spend it as he sees fit, without necessarily providing for the proper support of the client over the term of the contract.

 “If the supplier goes under – as happened extensively in the last recession – customers are still left with the payments to make, which comes as a major shock to them. Several significant suppliers are resorting to this type of contract again, and I can only believe this is driven by cash-flow issues again. This practice must stop before it gives the industry a bad name.”

 Quartix strongly advises prospective customers to check the credit rating and financial health of its tracking system supplier before entering into any third-party finance arrangement.

The Scots tycoon\’s black and white panda themed buses will take animal lovers from across the country direct to the top capital attraction.

Sir Brian, 57, thrilled schoolkids from Ayr and Aberdeen when he unveiled his wacky panda-print wheels yesterday. He beamed: \”The kids\’ faces just lit up when they saw our panda buses, so heaven knows how they\’d react when they see the real thing.

\”The whole of Scotland is excited about Sunshine and Sweetie being at Edinburgh Zoo and we thought we\’d do our bit to help people enjoy an amazing family day out.\”

Stagecoach are launching two new bus services from Aberdeen and Ayr from Monday.

The Ayr bus will pick up passengers in Prestwick, Kilmarnock, East Kilbride, Hamilton and Motherwell.

And the Aberdeen service stops in at Dundee, Glenrothes and Kircaldy on its way to the zoo.

Stagecoach are offering an exciting ticket package that includes your access to see the pandas — with kids travelling FREE.

Dad-of-four Sir Brian can\’t wait to take his family to see the bears.

He said: \”My youngest, Calum, who\’s 13, has been especially pestering me to take him to see them.

\”I\’m always so busy but have pencilled in a day in April that we\’re going to head to the zoo for a family day out.\”

The famous Scottish entrepreneur says he plans to run buses from more parts of Scotland if the Ayr and Aberdeen Panda Express proves popular.

He said: \”Turning a couple of buses into giant pandas has been a really fun thing to do and I think this will be a really popular family day out.\”

Barack Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, shattered more than 200 years of history Tuesday night by winning election as the first African-American president of the United States.

A crowd of nearly a quarter-million jammed Grant Park and the surrounding area in Chicago, where Obama addressed the nation for the first time as its president-elect at midnight ET. Hundreds of thousands more — Mayor Richard Daley said he would not be surprised if a million Chicagoans jammed the streets — watched on a large television screen outside the park.

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” Obama declared.