OREANDA-NEWS. Colas SA (Colas), a Bouygues group company and a leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure, and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on October 5 in Tokyo on the development of innovative solutions for efficient mobility and car sharing.

Under this MOU, Colas and NEC will jointly work on High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) projects in France.  Both companies will develop a new image analysis system that efficiently monitors the number of passengers in a car from roadside cameras and encourages car sharing in order to contribute to the reduction of CO2, traffic jams, loss of time and accidents. As part of the project, Colas and NEC intend to conduct Proof of Concept (PoC) testing in the Paris area to verify the benefits of their HOV solutions and technologies. Aximum, a subsidiary of Colas, will lead the implementation the HOV project in collaboration with NEC.  As a comprehensive facilitator of safe and reliable mobility, Aximum applies its know-how to secure and regulate traffic flow in constantly transforming environments, taking into account the entire mobility chain.

In addition to the HOV project, Colas and NEC will expand their cooperation in other areas, such as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), by conducting joint activities and exchanging information.

“We are pleased with our new collaboration with NEC and look forward to the outcome of our joint HOV project, which is in line with our strategy for innovating to reduce transport’s impact on the environment. We firmly believe the integrated solution by Colas and NEC will promote eco mobility and car sharing, as well as contribute to smoother, safer and more sustainable mobility,” said Joseph Gandolfo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Aximum SA.

"We are excited about the opportunity to work with Colas in providing France with a transportation infrastructure that is smarter and more efficient, while helping to reduce carbon emissions through effective carpooling,” said Tomonori Nishimura, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation. “Integrating NEC’s world leading image recognition and analytic technologies with Colas’ in-depth knowledge and experience in transportation systems will bring innovative value to the future of HOV projects."

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About Colas SA
Colas (www.colas.com)
The Colas Group is a world leader in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure, aiming to meet the challenges of mobility, urban development and environmental protection.  With 60,000 employees in more than 50 countries on five continents, the Group performs some 100,000 projects each year via 800 construction business units and 2,000 material production units.
In 2014, consolidated revenue at Colas totaled 12.4 billion euros (47% outside of France).  Net profit attributable to the Group amounted to 604 million euros.

About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of products and solutions that cross utilize the company's experience and global resources, NEC's advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological innovation to empower people, businesses and society.