Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems recently finalized selling its SafetyDirect connectivity product line, portal, and operations to Chicago-based Rand McNally, a Teleo Capital Management portfolio company.
“The combined expertise of Rand McNally and SafetyDirect will result in an expanded catalog of offerings that cater to the diverse needs of the trucking industry and other companies that own or operate vehicle fleets,” said Kevin Hatch, president at Rand McNally. “The acquisition will enable Rand McNally to deliver enhanced innovations in real-time monitoring and driver alerts, predictive maintenance, fleetwide management, and compliance management, among other critical fleet operations.”
The sale does not impact the existing Bendix braking, steering, and advanced driver assistance systems portfolio. Rand McNally will continue to offer SafetyDirect and its integration with Bendix ADAS and brake systems.
Bendix will provide Rand McNally with marketing, data, and product integration support to help enable a cohesive approach to customer solutions. Bendix will receive an equity stake in Rand McNally/SafetyDirect operations and hold an observer seat on the Rand McNally Board of Directors.
SafetyDirect provides fleet operators with feedback on their fleet and drivers and videos of severe events. Using data from Bendix advanced driver assistance systems, SafetyDirect gives fleets insights into common driving behaviors and trends across their operations. Safety system data is wirelessly transmitted off the vehicle to the SafetyDirect back-office servers that populate the secure web portal. Fleets can access driver performance information and event-based data via the encrypted and password-protected portal.
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“Delivering value to our customers is at the core of all we do and the driver behind this action,” said Piotr Sroka, president, CEO and COO at Bendix. “Connectivity and data access are essential parts of Bendix’s strategy for our evolving ADAS solutions suite. The sale supports our desire to deliver enhanced functionality and more rapid and robust technology advancement under a partner well equipped to deliver on that need.”
Bendix and Rand McNally will begin a detailed, phased shift of operations and systems. The entire changeover is expected to take up to one year to complete.
“While it will initially be business as usual, our transition goal is to help mitigate and minimize upfront risks, establish and maintain momentum, and complete an intelligent transfer with nominal impact to our customers and our suppliers,” said Nicole Oreskovic, Bendix VP of sales and marketing. “The SafetyDirect solution and the Rand McNally platform will remain independent during a technology integration period to meet customer and market needs.”
