Altair Engineering Hosts First Meeting of BUSolutions Advisory Board
Experienced business and industry leaders provide guidance for innovative, new transit project
TROY, Mich., (May 22, 2007) - Altair Engineering, Inc., a leading global provider of technology and services that strengthen client innovation and decision-making, today announced that it hosted the first roundtable meeting of the BUSolutions Advisory Board on May 17, 2007, at Altair headquarters in Troy. The BUSolutions Project is a collaborative effort between government and industry to demonstrate the feasibility of producing easily maintainable, efficient city transit buses.
From its inception, the BUSolutions program has continually involved industry experts from the manufacturing segment, transit authorities and rider advocacy groups to ensure that the program goals align with industry needs. The establishment of this advisory board is the latest milestone in this ongoing activity. The advisory board members are experienced leaders from business and industry who will provide input and guidance to the BUSolutions technical team on matters regarding the viability, usefulness and desirability of bus design innovations. These innovations will potentially yield reduced cost of ownership, while enhancing the bus passenger experience. Members of the advisory board include:
- Michael Bottone is director of Vehicle Technology and Acquisitions for the Los Angeles (Calif.) County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
- Michael Dawley is assistant superintendent of the Quality Assurance and Research Division for the City of Detroit (Mich.) Department of Transportation.
- T. Scott Kearney is vice president of Strategic Services, Hidalgo & DeVries, Inc.
- Edward Kravitz is founder and president of ENJAK.
- Daniel Morrill is the president of Midwest Bus Corporation.
- Michael Liptak is a technical services specialist of the Houston (Texas) METRO.
- Marvin Perkins is director of Maintenance and Operations for Michigan’s Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART).
- Lawrence Luckett is superintendent of maintenance for SMART, and will serve as an alternate for Mr. Perkins.
The BUSolutions project will result in two demonstration transit buses that are designed to be more than 20 percent lighter and substantially less expensive to own and operate, at or below current production cost. Reduced weight means lower fuel consumption; less wear on city streets and regional roads; reduced brake and tire wear; and reduced noise and pollution. Altair worked closely with regional transportation authorities to meet regulatory requirements and address the needs of the bus drivers and riders.
For more information about the BUSolutions project, please visit the website at
www.automationalley.com/BUSolutions/.
About Altair Engineering
Altair Engineering, Inc. strengthens client innovation and decision-making through technology that optimizes the analysis, management and visualization of business and engineering information. Privately held with more than 1,200 employees, Altair has offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. With a 20-year-plus track record for product design, advanced engineering software and grid computing technologies, Altair consistently delivers a competitive advantage to customers in a broad range of industries. To learn more, please visit
www.altair.com.