A MULTI-million pound contract for pocket PCs, enabling car rental companies to appraise lightly damaged vehicles within two minutes, saving the industry an estimated £50 million a year, is expected to be announced on Wednesday, April 19. One of the UK's biggest rental companies is poised to sign a deal for AutoGraph, which made its public debut at the Fleet Show.

The mobile damage assessment system, developed by Belper-based Technological Business Solutions and vehicle refurbishment company and transportation company Eurofleet, is expected to signal the death of paper for daily rental contracts and protect rental companies from cash losses on damaged hired vehicles. Steve Reynolds, managing director of TBS, said: 'We are taking the rental counter out to the customer instead of the customer having to go to the rental counter. Rental companies are bogged down with paperwork and they lose thousands of pounds on residual values and unrecoverable repair costs when rental cars are returned and damage is not spotted.

'Light damage has been an ever-increasing issue for car rental companies. Using the AutoGraph system, vehicles can be easily inspected and have an estimate prepared instantly, saving the rental industry an estimated £50 million a year on unrecovered costs. Conventional techniques can be time consuming and very often the customer and the all-important signature are lost.'