ZTR AND BLACKBERRY PARTNER TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE RAIL INDUSTRY

MINNEAPOLIS, MN and WATERLOO, ON – April 6, 2020 – ZTR, a market leader in delivering innovative locomotive modernization solutions, and BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB), today announced they are combining their proven technology expertise to offer railcar owners, operators and suppliers a powerful new digital monitoring solution.

Recognizing there was an immediate industry need for a remote railcar monitoring solution that could withstand the rugged conditions of the railway, provide greater fleet insights and operate with extended battery life, the two companies decided to leverage their mutual strengths. The partnership combines ZTR’s decades of railway industry expertise, world-class technical support and Railway IoT experience with BlackBerry’s industry-leading communication technology, battery management, security, and hardware capabilities.

It was an easy decision for ZTR to work with BlackBerry, according to Sam Hassan, CEO and President of ZTR. “We’re always looking ahead to anticipate customer needs and improve availability, reliability and efficiency through innovation, so it made sense to join together to deliver greater customer value,” he said.

The new railcar solution is an end-to-end solution for owners, OEMs, lessors, shippers and managers to achieve increased efficiencies. Available now through an intuitive online dashboard, the service offering includes location-based services, utilization, motion, mileage, and cargo capacity for railcars and other non-powered railway assets.

“Known as the railway experts, ZTR is the perfect partner to help us expand the reach of our asset monitoring solution in an otherwise underserved market and one in which visibility and fleet insights can make a major difference in railway profitability,” said Christopher Plaat, Senior Vice President and General Manager of BlackBerry Radar®.  “Together with ZTR, we share a vision to bring digital transformation to the railroads so that they can make better, data-driven decisions that lead to greater fleet efficiency.”

Backed by the strength of partnership and expertise, the new railcar product is the solution customers have been awaiting. Now with solid location information, they’ll be able to realize huge efficiency gains through analytics and reporting, and get unparalleled visibility into their operations, allowing them to optimize asset utilization.

To see this solution in action or to find out more, email railwayinfo@ztr.com.

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About ZTR

ZTR is a global high-tech company that develops new and innovative solutions for the rail and construction industries. Known as a pioneer in the development of locomotive modernization solutions and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technology, ZTR designs products aimed at improving the performance and reliability of aging locomotives, and delivers industrial telematics solutions that allow companies to remotely monitor and manage mobile and fixed assets. With more than 375,000 telematics-enabled assets under contract, ZTR serves over 70 industrial Original Equipment Manufacturers and many of the top rental houses in the world. For more information, www.ztr.com/industry/railway or follow us @ZTR_ Solutions.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including 150M cars on the road today.  Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security management, encryption, and embedded systems.  BlackBerry’s vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere. 

For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.  

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Media contacts:

ZTR
Colleen Burghardt
Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: + 1-519-452-1233 Ext. 577
cburghardt@ztr.com

BlackBerry
BlackBerry Media Relations
+1 (519) 597-7273
mediarelations@BlackBerry.com