Kapsch
Press releases

Today’s Annual General Meeting of Kapsch TrafficCom AG passed the following resolutions: Further information on the AGM is here:

Vienna, July 12, 2021 – The global technology company Kapsch Group is set to restructure: Kapsch Group is being repositioned for the next generation of the entrepreneurial family. Kapsch Group can look back on a history of almost 130 years. Since its founding, Kapsch is always a family-run company – currently in its fourth generation. Its success is based primarily on the personal commitment of the entrepreneurial family, the resulting corporate culture and the fact that the Group has continuously developed and reinvented itself over all these years. With an eye on the next generation of the Kapsch family and to be able to ensure later a smooth transition to the next generation in due course, it is planned to restructure the Group. Kapsch Group will now focus on the companies Kapsch Aktiengesellschaft and Kapsch TrafficCom. Kapsch Group will be assigned to the sphere of influence of Elisabeth Kapsch and Georg Kapsch and will remain under the leadership of Georg Kapsch as CEO as before. The direct shareholdings of KAPSCH-Group Beteiligungs GmbH in Kapsch TrafficCom AG and the management thereof by Georg Kapsch will not change as a result. Kapsch BusinessCom will leave Kapsch Group together with Kari Kapsch. Kari Kapsch will remain chairman of the supervisory board of Kapsch BusinessCom and the management board will also remain unchanged with Franz Semmernegg and Jochen Borenich. It is planned that Invest Unternehmensbeteiligungs Aktiengesellschaft will join Kapsch BusinessCom as a new partner to support the further expansion of Kapsch BusinessCom. The reorganization of Kapsch Group has recently been initiated. As things progress, regulatory approvals will still be required and completion is expected in a few months. The restructuring process will have no impact on the employees and customers of Kapsch TrafficCom, Kapsch Aktiengesellschaft and Kapsch BusinessCom.

Vienna, 10th June 2021 – Kapsch TrafficCom (Kapsch) is pleased to announce that Plenary Infrastructure Group (Plenary) has awarded Kapsch a project to implement a new toll collection system for the Louisiana Highway (LA-1) for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD). The project is an amendment to Kapsch’s existing contract with Plenary, where Kapsch is providing an end-to-end all-electronic tolling system and related maintenance services for a major bridge and tunnel replacement in Belle Chasse, Louisiana .  Plenary began construction on the new bridge and tunnel  in January 2020. Kapsch’s scope of work for the LA-1 project includes updating the existing tolling infrastructure with the Kapsch advanced lane solution, updating and providing back off systems and services, as well as advancing modern efficiencies into operations and maintenance. The new system will work with the state’s current GeauxPass transponder program, and will include new system features such as a toll-by-plate program. Implementation activities are scheduled to commence in 2023, followed by 30 years of technical and commercial operations. “We look forward to the ongoing partnership with Plenary and the Louisiana Department of Transportation,” said JB Kendrick, president of Kapsch TrafficCom North America. “These infrastructure and tolling system investments will provide the modern facilities and operational efficiencies that can optimize the travel experience for Louisiana drivers.”

Presseaussendung: Kapsch TrafficCom – Andreas Hämmerle wird neuer CFO.

Vienna. April 27, 2021 – The transport industry is the fastest growing source of global emissions: Today, it generates around 28% of total emissions with 59% coming from passenger vehicles and light trucks. While many other sectors already reduce their emissions year after year – transport is going the other way threatening to undermine Paris Agreement targets. The Mobility Report 2021 by Kapsch TrafficCom illustrates the current transport challenges and shows how to deal with them. Although vehicle miles traveled (VMT) dramatically declined during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, many people are less willing to use public transport than previously due to the infection risk – putting even greater demand on road networks and increasing VMT. As dependence on private vehicles continues to grow worldwide, no city or highways authority can be complacent about the growing emissions challenge. The average gas-powered car emits 8887g of CO 2 per gallon of gas and a total of 4.6 metric tons of CO 2 every year. Shortterm mobility solutions urgently needed. “Shortterm solutions are urgently needed to curb emissions from millions of vehicles on the world’s road networks,” says Alfredo Escriba, CTO of Kapsch TrafficCom. “Urban traffic and congestion management provide an immediate impact helping to reduce CO 2  emissions. Reducing stop-and-go-traffic by communicating traffic signal information to drivers alone has been shown to reduce fuel consumption and therefore emissions according to a recent study from Canada. More advanced methods, involving vehicle connectivity and AI-based data processing, can further reduce emissions caused by congestion and inefficient traffic.” Limited impact of traditional traffic management. For decades, authorities in many countries have been implementing intelligent transport systems – from signalling solutions to congestion charging schemes. However, legacy approaches tend to focus on stand-alone and siloed solutions that use only a small subset of the traffic data nowadays available. Traditional approaches therefore only can provide limited emissions and air quality benefits. New Traffic Management in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The City of Buenos Aires developed a strategic plan in 2017, shifting from reactive to proactive-collaborative Traffic Management. The new Integrated Mobility Management System (SGIM Sistema de Gestión Integral de la Movilidad) allows the city to manage data from multiple sources to generate and spread high-quality information. The SGIM software that was deployed in the center with Kapsch’s EcoTrafiX™ platform works as an umbrella platform that can interface and sit on top of the current structure for a more unified platform – including Google Maps and Waze information, Tolling Operators, and other third party systems. Today, Buenos Aires operates with a global supervision of city mobility: monitoring events and incidents and allow people to use a multi-modal transport system with efficient congestion management that is orchestrated by a state-of-the-art integrated control center.

McLean, VA (April 21, 2021) – Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Kapsch) has appointed JB Kendrick as President of its North America business unit as of April 19, 2021. Ms. Kendrick joined Kapsch in 2017 as Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development, a role in which she was instrumental in growing the tolling, traffic management, and connected vehicle business for Kapsch TrafficCom North America. “It is my pleasure to announce JB Kendrick as the new President Kapsch TrafficCom North America,” says Georg Kapsch, Chief Executive Officer of Kapsch TrafficCom. "JB has a successful track record in growing business in North America. She is known for building strong client-centric teams through collaboration, effective internal and external communication, and advancing Kapsch employee engagement initiatives.” JB Kendrick succeeds Chris Murray, who is leaving Kapsch TrafficCom. In the last 10 years, he managed the successful transformation of the North America business into a leading provider of end-to-end tolling, traffic management and connected mobility systems. “I would like to thank Chris for all of his contributions to Kapsch. I wish him the very best.” JB Kendrick’s appointment will help to deliver sustainable business performance and to support a successful next chapter for our company.She has built a successful 25 year career delivering back office and payment processing solutions with leadership roles in multiple functional areas including sales, operations, business development, marketing, and client relations. Prior to joining Kapsch, JB spent 13 years with Conduent (and formerly Xerox/ACS, Inc.) selling to and supporting emerging payment services for more than 30 US states as well as the federal government.  JB Kendrick has served on the Board of Directors for the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA) and has been actively engaged with the National Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA), W.net, and The Women’s Alliance (TWA). She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama and is a member of the “Women in Tolling” group of the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) as well as several local philanthropic organizations. She will continue to be based in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Madrid, April 12, 2021 – Kapsch TrafficCom (Kapsch) has implemented a connected vehicle (V2X) project in Malaga, Spain for AUTOMOST. This EU-funded R&D project, developed by the bus fleet manager AVANZA together with the City of Malaga and the Port of Malaga, aims to advance the automation of public transport. Kapsch, as an international provider of connected vehicle technology and services, has installed intelligent traffic light controllers that directly transmit SPaT (Signal Phase and Timing) information from the traffic lights to the autonomous bus for each lane accessing the controlled junction. The Malaga City Council, which is committed to Malaga’s development as a technological and innovative “smart city ”, has chosen the port as the test area to develop this autonomous vehicle project and to analyse the benefits of automating public transport in a more controllable way, as it hosts a less complex bus line. Kapsch was selected by the Malaga City Council in 2020 to supply 11 EcoTrafiX™ traffic light controllers with their corresponding roadside units (RSU), which are now connected to the AUTOMOST technology platform to provide real-time information between the buses and infrastructure at select Malaga intersections with traffic lights. They replace the original controllers that did not support SPaT features. The SpaT information provided by Kapsch technology will include current traffic light status and time remaining until the next light change. This will allow the buses and other equipped vehicles to know the exact red, green or yellow light times in advance in order to match their speeds accordingly and manage their autonomous driving. This is an innovative program and the first of its kind in Spain; the technology can simultaneously broadcast a G5 and 5G protocol frequency while sending SpaT information about the traffic lights to all  nearby vehicles. “We are delighted to contribute to the implementation of this innovative project, which reaffirms our commitment to smart urban mobility,” says Javier Aguirrre, CEO and President of Kapsch for Spain and Portugal . “Connected vehicle and autonomous driving technologies open up great opportunities. Malaga, a Spanish benchmark for Smart Cities, has been using Kapsch solutions for years to manage the city's traffic in an integrated way. Now, with this initiative, it has once again become a pioneer in applying technology to improve the lives of its citizens.”   The EcoTrafiX™ Controller enables efficient, safe, and sustainable mobility by setting priorities for public transport, emergency vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians depending on the unique needs of each project. EcoTrafiX™ can operate with different protocols (UNE, NTCIP, UTMC) and adapts to any type of operation whether in isolated mode, under centralised control, or with adaptive traffic control systems. The Kapsch RIS-9160 RSU provides fast data exchange between the vehicle and infrastructure.

The City of Vienna has honored Kapsch TrafficCom as “OekoBusiness Wien 2021”. The global provider of intelligent traffic solutions took part with its operations in Vienna's ÖKOPROFIT (Ecoprofit) environmental service program. The program aims to help companies reduce waste, raw material, and water and energy consumption at business locations in Vienna. “The Oekoprofit program is a great start on the road to become a more sustainable company,” says Juliane Höbarth, Head of KapschTrafficCom's Environmental Sustainability Program. “It helps us identify the biggest sources of emissions in our company at the Vienna operating site and understand how to reduce them.” Experts examine environmentally friendly business practices. In a series of workshops, the Ecoprofit experts from the environmental consultancy Denkstatt worked with Kapsch TrafficCom to analyze carefully selected environmental data and identify potential savings and improvement measures. “We learned that in the industrial sector, the product life cycle accounts for the largest share of CO2 emissions. That's why we focus on evaluating the CO2 footprint of our products and the emissions savings potential of our portfolio,” reports Höbarth. Kapsch TrafficCom is “OekoBusiness Vienna 2021”. The project team presented the results of the program in the form of a report and a presentation to the expert commission of Oekoprofit. Kapsch TrafficCom was then recognized by the Advisory Board for its commitment to sustainable business practices by the City of Vienna as “OekoBusiness Wien 2021”. The certificate is valid for a period of one year.

Jönköping/Vienna. March 8, 2021 – The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen) assigned Kapsch TrafficCom (Kapsch) in October 2020 to deliver a new Multi-Lane Free-Flow (MLFF) tolling system at Ryfast, Norway. Only 13 weeks after the contract signature, the system with 6 tolling points went successfully into operation on February 1, 2021. The Ryfast sub-sea tunnel system runs from the city of Stavanger to the municipality of Strand. It is one of the longest and deepest undersea road tunnels in the world, with the Ryfylke tunnel of 14.3 kilometres length and 292 meters deep. After implementing the high performance system in record time of only 13 weeks, the Kapsch MLFF G3 tolling system is now in operation since the beginning of February. “While we have installed our systems at tunnels, bridges, cities and roadways all around the world, we are proud to be part of the Ryfast project. We are very happy that we have managed to implement a reliable and high-performing system in such a short time", says Mikael Hejel, responsible Area Sales Manager for the Nordic countries. The tolling system detects and identifies all passing vehicles with video technology, which classifies the vehicles and captures their front- and rear license plates. Through microwaves, the tolling system also detects and reads AutoPass toll tags, which are linked to the vehicle’s license plate number. The information captured by the tolling system is transmitted to a back-office for further processing and invocing of the vehicle owners. “Due to that a previous tolling system could not be set into operation, we had to retender a new tolling system and allocate a tight time schedule. In addition, given the current Covid situation and closed borders, it was a challenging task both for Statens vegvesen and Kapsch to comply with the schedule. Therefore we are very pleased with the open dialogue and the transparency we have had with Kapsch TrafficCom, something which enabled the extremely short implementation time of the new tolling system”, says Kristian Rognskog, Chief Engineer of AutoPASS/Bompeng systems at Statens vegvesen.