21st century technology plc
21st Century Technology PLC (LSE: C21) is a British company which sells and services vehicle electronics for passenger cars and motorcycles and video systems for transit vehicles.[1] The company was formerly known as Toad Group plc, and after the Toad brand was bought out by Scorpion Automotive Ltd in May 2005, it changed its name to TG21 plc and then in June 2009 rebranded to 21st Century Technology PLC.
History[edit]
Launched in 1993, the company began as Toad plc and was focused on the distribution of in-car entertainment systems and vehicle security products. Under the stewardship of Chairman Peter Ward, former Chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Cunard Line, who joined the board at the end of 2001, the company's strategy has been to reposition itself away from its legacy businesses into markets with better growth potential.
In line with this strategy, in 2005 the company took a controlling stake in 21st Century Crime Prevention Services Limited which recently merged with fellow subsidiary, Toad (UK) Limited, to form 21st Century Technology Solutions Limited.
The holding company was renamed "TG21 plc" in 2005.
The company was listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange on April 15, 2005.
In 2007 the company sold its Car Audio and Security business areas and now concentrates on CCTV services to public transport companies, changing the name to "21st Century Technology plc" in June 2009.
21st Century is the preferred supplier of on-board CCTV systems for Arriva UK Bus and the Go-Ahead Group and has pioneered the use of Wi-Fi with on-board CCTV systems. Transport for London commissioned the company to undertake a trial of 'LiveView' – a system which transmits live CCTV pictures from on board the bus to a public transport and police control centre. 21st Century was also the first company to successfully launch Automatic Video Downloads and a bus CCTV monitoring system (Heartbeat) which allow the CCTV manager to remotely download CCTV footage from the bus to his computer and check that all the CCTV systems fitted to his buses are fully operational, without leaving his desk. The company's overhead camera passenger counting device, known as PAS – Passenger Analysis System, links to the ticket machine and enables bus operators to analyse specific bus route ticket sales and passenger numbers.
The EcoManager black-box system is aimed at reducing fuel and maintenance costs, reducing emissions and improving safety for bus operators by monitoring individual driving styles against fuel consumption. Following a successful trial, in April 2009 Arriva UK committed to install the device on all their new buses and to retrofit a large proportion of their existing fleet.
One of the company's original backers was Sir Christopher Thomas Evans OBE, founder of several British biotechnology enterprises and twice chosen as "Cambridge Businessman of the Year". Evans was arrested on 20 September 2006 as part of police enquiries into the "Cash for Peerages" allegations.
The non-executive chairman of the company is Peter T. Ward, the CEO is Nicholas Grimond and Group Finance Director is Wilson Jennings.
In August 2016, the company's share price dropped by about half following a profit warning.[2]
Etymology[edit]
TOAD initially stood for "Take Over And Destroy" as a motto for its strong reputation in vehicle security.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Global Smart Fleet On-Board Devices Market 2017 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2020". WiseGuyReports. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ↑ Harrington, John (19 August 2016). "21st Century Tech shares halve after profit warning". Proactive Investors. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
External links[edit]
- 21st Century plc Official site
- [1] Share Price
- Company page at iii.co.uk
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