Fleet technology entrepreneurs from across Europe met at London’s Savoy Hotel on the 28th November, 2016 to strengthen business collaboration. The 17 members of 1-Telematics Alliance – a group of telematics companies that together track more than 500,000 vehicles throughout Europe – agreed to forge closer ties.
Following previous meetings in Barcelona and Budapest, the group agreed to form 1-Fleet Corporation, a commercial entity to represent the interests of the majority of the members. The group’s objectives include collaboration and networking, promoting innovation and telematics industry standardisation, as well as joint marketing and commercial agreements.
The meeting saw the appointment of Pedro Zamith, a well-known figure in the automotive technology arena, to oversee the development and launch of commercial propositions on behalf of 1-Fleet Corporation.
“This was a landmark meeting for 1-Telematics Alliance, taking our collaborative activities to a new level,” said Joe Fenech Conti, CEO of Loqus, one of the founder members of 1-Telematics Alliance. “One of the primary benefits of the alliance is that it looks after the interests of the market in general, rather than the interests of individual suppliers. Despite the changing political landscape affecting Europe, cross-border trade will continue and technology will become increasingly uniform. At 1-Telematics Alliance, we will drive innovation and standards in the telematics field for the benefit of fleet operators across Europe.”
This is the first ever pan-European alliance between leaders in the fleet technology and telematics field, and allows commercial fleet operators to benefit from the combined strength, global expertise and innovation brought by the diverse membership of the group.
“It was pertinent that the meeting at the Savoy was held in a room used by Winston Churchill, who championed a stronger union between European nations, with a vision he famously called The United States of Europe,” said Martin Port, Managing Director of 1-Telematics Alliance member BigChange. “Despite all the talk of Brexit, there was an overwhelming consensus that closer cooperation is the way forward and that 1-Telematics Alliance should take a lead in the fast growing telematics market.”
"We have seen real benefits since joining the alliance," says Andrew Fleury, CEO at Transpoco. "We share best practice in the industry with the other members, we are experiencing better buying and negotiating power and we are exploring some joint research and development projects.
1-Telematics Alliance, formed by a group of passionate entrepreneurs, is an initiative that aims to promote innovation, economies of scale, and develop the telematics industry ecosystem through wide collaboration between its members.
