14 April 2004
Navman NZ has gained a foothold in Latin America, with the licensing of its fleet tracking and asset management service
to GPS Chile.
The deal with GPS Chile is a triple first for the company; a first in South America, Navman's first licensed software
deal, and its first Spanish language application.
Previously Navman has marketed its GPRS-based fleet tracking solution through subsidiaries in the United Kingdom,
Australia and New Zealand.
"GPS Chile had been on a world-wide search for a fleet tracking solution following various Chilean companies'
unsuccessful attempts with earlier technology," says Jamie Macdonald, vice president of Navman Wireless Data Group.
Navman offers a mobile Internet-based, highly affordable fleet and asset tracking solution that allows companies to
effectively track 1 to 1,000 vehicles in real-time, without the need for return trips to base or costly polling of the
vehicles, Macdonald adds.
Macdonald says Navman's leading-edge technology will provide GPS Chile with a service offering a complete end-to-end
solution from simple tracking through to messaging and telemetry to back office financial and order processing systems.
He says the challenges for fleet tracking in Chile mimic those of New Zealand, with similarities in their scattered
communities and isolated areas.
Marcelo Tapia Adler, General Manager of GPS Chile says the company chose Navman not only because of its ability to
design and manufacture a reliable and user-friendly AVL (automatic vehicle location) integrated system but also because
its existing AVL service operations in New Zealand, Australia and the UK provided a strong comfort factor for GPS Chile.
"For GPS Chile, it is extremely important to leverage on the experience that Navman has operating AVL services in more
developed markets and apply it here in Chile," he adds.
Some of the early adopters of the service in Chile are likely to be companies transporting wine, concrete or dangerous
materials as well as courier companies, garbage collectors, pharmaceutical and security companies. The service will
allow them to monitor position as well as other parameters of their fleets like container temperature, trailer removal
or concrete download.
ENDS