Q-Free strengthens ATMS business

Q-Free has strengthened its position in the market for advanced transportation management systems with the signing of a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) supplier TDC Systems for an estimated cash and equity consideration of US$16.6 million dependent on future financial performance. Established in 1998, TDC Systems comprises TDC Systems in the UK and its sister company TDC Systems in Australia, both of which are owned by founder and managing director
March 28, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
108 Q-Free has strengthened its position in the market for advanced transportation management systems with the signing of a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) supplier 131 TDC Systems for an estimated cash and equity consideration of US$16.6 million dependent on future financial performance.

Established in 1998, TDC Systems comprises TDC Systems in the UK and its sister company TDC Systems in Australia, both of which are owned by founder and managing director Mark Phillips. The company specialises in research, design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of ITS, including advanced weigh-in-motion systems, traffic counters and classifiers, journey-time monitoring systems, air quality monitoring systems, and detection systems for pedestrians and cyclists.

“The acquisition of TDC Systems is in line with our long-term strategy to build a strong position within Advanced Transportation Management Systems (ATMS), which is a growth area complementing our current main business in the Road User Charging (RUC) market,” says Q-Free CEO Thomas Falck.

Q-Free expects to see significant growth in the ATMS market, given the benefits of new technology deployment in terms of traffic safety and traffic flow, pollution, and operating costs. In 2012, the company acquired US based parking guidance company 7045 TCS International, which was followed up with the acquisitions of the Serbian traffic management company ELCOM and a strategic 10 per cent investment in 7316 Intelight in the US in 2013. TDC Systems significantly broadens Q-Free’s ATMS portfolio.

“TDC Systems holds advanced technologies, products, and systems software solutions for highways, roads, bridges, tunnel management and urban areas that provide a natural extension of Q-Free’s solutions portfolio. This gives us the opportunity to offer more traffic management solutions to our customers in international markets, “says Falck.

For TDC Systems, the acquisition implies significant increase in market reach, through Q-Free’s international operations and partnership network.

“Becoming a part of Q-Free will further strengthen our market leadership, and all employees are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to become part of a much larger international operation with a global network. The additional market exposure and availability of resources will contribute to further expansion of our business together with the rest of the Q-Free family,” says Mark Phillips, founder and managing director of TDC Systems.

In the longer-term, Q-Free expects that the markets for ATMS and Road User Charging will converge into a joint market for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) – both technologically and commercially. Q-Free intends to play an important role in this market, and will continue to build its position through acquisitions as well as further development of its current businesses within this area.
Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Classification & Data Collection Charging, Tolling & RUC

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