Harmless Fleet Acquires Industry Primary Police Car Upfitter Kerr Industries

Safe and sound Fleet

BELTON, Mo., Sept. 08, 2022 (World NEWSWIRE) — Harmless Fleet, a major supplier of basic safety answers for fleet motor vehicles, has extended its upfit abilities to the regulation enforcement market place with the acquisition of Kerr Industries and its subsidiaries such as Crown North America, which are primary car or truck upfitters serving the unexpected emergency and law enforcement marketplaces.

Kerr and Crown are professionals in upfitting specialty cars for emergency and regulation enforcement markets. With upfit places in Toronto, Dallas, Detroit, and Chicago, they partner with OEMs and other quality automotive components and accessories makers to produce vehicles that are ready for responsibility, on time and on spending budget. For over 70 decades, Kerr and Crown have put together marketplace-foremost engineering, good quality and innovation with ideal-in-class solutions and fantastic services to supply cost-productive options to buyers.

“Kerr and Crown are a great match with Protected Fleet’s Law Enforcement portfolio, incorporating upfitting know-how in this vital market,” states John R. Knox, Safe and sound Fleet Chairman & CEO. “Their deep relationships with some of the most significant law enforcement businesses, OEMs and components manufacturers, established on a steadfast concentrate on the buyer working experience, have manufactured them the go-to car upfitter for regulation enforcement.”

Kerr and Crown insert upfit products and services to Safe and sound Fleet Law Enforcement’s existing in-auto video clip, entire body digital camera, and electronic evidence administration merchandise portfolio. They also increase Safe and sound Fleet’s network of skilled field installers and commercial car or truck assistance facilities, which will improved provide the wants of the Law Enforcement sector.

“We are psyched to be part of Protected Fleet,” states Steve Somerville, President, Kerr Industries. “Their guidance will enrich our capability to further devote in and provide on the innovation, purchaser target, and good quality workmanship Kerr has created our status on.”

The current Kerr management group will keep on to control the company put up-acquisition.

About Safe and sound Fleet

Headquartered in Belton, MO, Safe Fleet is the leading supplier of basic safety alternatives for fleet vehicles. Their greatest-of-breed intelligent answers sort an built-in basic safety system for fleets of just about every variety – College Bus, Transit, Hearth, EMS, Regulation Enforcement, Operate Truck, Truck & Trailer, Design, Agriculture, Squander & Recycling, Industrial and Armed service. With a wide portfolio of current market-foremost brand names, 1,800 workers, 15 production locations and 13 company facilities, Safe and sound Fleet carries on to innovate and deliver the smart safety alternatives that fleets require to survive and thrive in a switching world – and make sure that motorists, passengers, and every person all over them arrive home safely. Harmless Fleet is driving protection forward for today’s and tomorrow’s fleets. For additional information and facts go to www.safefleet.internet. Protected Fleet is a portfolio organization of Oak Hill Funds Companions.

About Kerr Industries
Proven in 1952, Kerr Industries is a primary specialty car or truck upfitter, delivering remarkably engineered, integrated solutions for

Read More... Read More

Autochek acquires CoinAfrique to improve its francophone Africa existence

Autochek, the Nigerian pan-African automotive know-how company, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired CoinAfrique, a classified market in francophone African international locations, for an undisclosed amount of money to speed up penetration of its automobile financing solutions in the region, in particular in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.

Autochek appears to be to be  on an acquisition spree as this new buyout is coming a very little above a month because the corporation announced the acquisition of Moroccan automotive tech startup KIFAL autos, a deal that would start its foray into the North African market place.   

CoinAfrique was to begin with established in Benin in 2016 by Matthias Papet and Eric Genetre, and it promptly grew into other francophone African international locations. The company now has a presence in 10 countries in the area which includes its 2 biggest economies—Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. 

Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox

Over the yrs, CoinAfrique has grown to grow to be the amount 1 labeled marketplace for francophone Africa, enabling businesses and people to seamlessly buy and provide motor vehicles, electronics, genuine estate, and other merchandise. According to a assertion shared with TechCabal, the CoinAfrique app has been downloaded additional than 2 million times, with 800,000 month-to-month energetic people and 60,000 new products listings per thirty day period. The CoinAfrique web-site, on the other hand, gets more than 1.5 million visits for every thirty day period. 

CoinAfrique, which was a undertaking-backed startup and has elevated about $3.1 million in funding, was in the current market for either funding or a merger and acquisition (M&A) offer. Eventually it went for the M&A. According to Papet who spoke to TechCabal above a zoom simply call, the decision was based mostly on the “conviction this is the deal we will need to consider the corporation to the subsequent level”. 

Papet said CoinAfrique’s classifieds company will proceed to run throughout the various item categories, with a deep integration of Autochek’s vehicle financing item to generate entry to credit for automotive buys. He also explained 50% of the small business transacted on the CoinAfrique platform is now going on in the automotive category—this additional than nearly anything explains this deal—and now, leveraging on Autochek’s engineering, CoinAfrique can present obtain to automobile funding and other benefit-added expert services. 

“We are enthusiastic about the possibility to generate the penetration of car financing across francophone Africa and to assist the broader mission across Africa,” mentioned Papet. “We see quite a few alternatives to unlock worth for people throughout all the groups on our platform and to develop into new countries, and we are wanting forward to leveraging Autochek’s industry foremost loans item and expertise to deliver extra transformative encounters for our end users.”

Etop Ikpe, CEO and co-founder of Autochek, and Matthias Papet and Eric Genetre, the co-founders of CoinAfrique

“Matthias and Eric are pioneers of the classifieds product in Africa and they have constructed an exceptional system with numerous significant partnerships with auto

Read More... Read More

Novi’s Harman Acquires German Car Tech Firm, Introduces New Methods

Harman Global in Novi introduced the acquisition of German augmented and combined truth answers organization Apostera, along with the debut of numerous mobility methods. // Courtesy of Apostera

Harman Intercontinental in Novi, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., now introduced the acquisition of Apostera, a German automotive technologies business. Phrases of the offer have been not disclosed.

Apostera’s augmented fact (AR) and combined reality (MR) software program alternatives are envisioned to increase Harman’s automotive product or service offerings and place the organization at the forefront of automotive AR/MR working experience style and design.

“Harman is devoted to delivering in-automobile ordeals with the velocity and versatility of client technological innovation collectively with the trustworthiness and overall performance of automotive quality options,” says Christian Sobottka, president of  the automotive division at Harman. “By seamlessly blending AR with the bodily environment, Apostera’s blended actuality answer furthers this intention, transforming any screen in the motor vehicle into a richly contextual practical experience.”

Apostera’s mixed fact resolution brings together AR, equipment learning, pc vision, and sensor fusion in a hardware-agnostic program system. Blended with Harman’s digital cockpit products portfolio, these new software answers purpose to bridge the gap involving the physical and digital worlds.

“We are happy to sign up for Harman, a visionary chief in automotive technologies that has been central to the electronic transformation of the sector,” says Andrey Golubinskiy, CEO of Apostera. “The scale and achieve that Harman will provide to our systems will propel their adoption as the business benchmark and carry richer in-auto experiences to more drivers than ever just before.”

In associated information: Harman introduced two new acoustic innovations, Prepared Collectively and Software package Enabled Branded Audio, in the course of the company’s Investigate 2022 celebration.

Ready With each other works by using innovative acoustic technological innovation to streamline and boost in-motor vehicle conversation and leisure. Application Enabled Branded Audio is an on-need software package system that updates the sound good quality and feature set of existing unbranded car audio units with the touch of a button. The two solutions are prepared for in-car integration.

“At Harman, we stay hyper-focused on providing new in-vehicle alternatives that specifically resolve enjoyment, conversation and productivity ache factors for motorists and travellers alike, all though offering the similar shopper tech ordeals that they get pleasure from exterior the vehicle,” says Chris Ludwig, vice president, Epic Expertise team at Harman Worldwide.

“By featuring these experiences via automotive-quality applications, Harman can now present the entire spouse and children with their individual personal content material and space, although letting them to keep on being safely and securely related and engaged with some others although in the automobile.”

Completely ready Together provides better ways for the total household to be properly linked when experiencing shared or personalised amusement in the auto. It manages and optimizes capabilities like voice prompts, alerts, and tunes and media to function together as an built-in whole, for seamless data and conversation.

Crucial features contain:

  • Immersive audio experiences:Families can enjoy a
Read More... Read More

Samsung’s Harman acquires German automotive tech organization Apostera, Vehicle Information, ET Car

Munich-centered Apostera, founded in 2017, is specialised in software alternatives for augmented reality and combined truth, Samsung said, incorporating that the deal will help strengthen linked auto options company Harman’s automotive item portfolio.

Samsung Electronics on Friday stated its subsidiary Harman Global acquired an full stake in German automotive program firm Apostera to increase its company in the augmented truth and mobility technological know-how sector.

Munich-based mostly Apostera, started in 2017, is specialised in software solutions for augmented actuality and combined reality, Samsung stated, introducing that the offer will assist fortify related car or truck alternatives provider Harman’s automotive solution portfolio.

Samsung Electronics did not disclose the fiscal conditions of the offer.

Mixed with Harman’s electronic cockpit products choices, Apostera’s systems are expected to slender the hole between the physical and digital worlds, Samsung explained.

“Harman is focused to providing in-motor vehicle ordeals with the velocity and adaptability of customer technology alongside one another with the reliability and effectiveness of automotive quality alternatives,” Christian Sobottka, president of Harman’s automotive division, mentioned in a statement.

“By seamlessly mixing AR with the bodily ecosystem, Apostera’s combined actuality resolution furthers this objective, reworking any display screen in the car into a richly contextual encounter.”

Samsung, the world’s largest memory chip and smartphone vendor, completed its acquisition of Harman for $8 billion in March 2017 to expand into the rapidly developing in-car electronics marketplace, stories Yonhap news company.

At the Buyer Electronics Demonstrate (CES) 2022 last month, Samsung stated it experienced been searching tough for following acquisition targets in get to provide differentiated merchandise for its buyers and even more develop its business.

Also Browse:

“We are psyched about the integration and the synergies of Scouto with Spinny. By augmenting every single other’s abilities, we can accelerate towards building the country’s major and the most trusted used motor vehicle brand name,” mentioned Niraj Singh, Founder & CEO of Spinny.

Qualcomm Technologies will serve as Ferrari’s systems remedies company for its approaching Ferrari street cars, as very well as a high quality partner for the Scuderia Ferrari System 1 group and Ferrari eSports crew, the organization explained

Read More...

Read More

Epicor Acquires WMS Service provider JMO Business enterprise Devices, Growing Presence in Automotive Aftermarket and OE Parts Sectors

JMO indago™ WMS is the main decision of growth-minded parts distribution enterprises, complementing Epicor’s concentration on essential corporations that make, go, and offer

AUSTIN, Texas, January 18, 2022–(Organization WIRE)–Epicor, a world wide chief of business-specific company application to market business progress, currently declared it has obtained JMO Small business Programs Ltd., a leading service provider of warehouse management programs (WMS), organization mobility alternatives and similar companies for automotive aftermarket and original tools (OE) areas distributors. Monetary terms ended up not disclosed.

The JMO acquisition extends Epicor’s marketplace-foremost portfolio of business enterprise development answers to nearly each practical region of the automotive elements and provider field. Epicor gives an array of remedies and expert services for substitution areas manufacturers, plan teams, distributors, retailers, jobbers, OE dealership groups and many varieties of vehicle restore companies such as services chains, fleet upkeep stores, tire dealerships, oil and lube firms, and independent mend amenities.

“Automotive is a main organization for Epicor, and JMO indago™ is the gold normal in WMS know-how for sections enterprises, irrespective of whether they’re serving the aftermarket or OE support channel,” mentioned Epicor CEO Steve Murphy. “This acquisition is a best suit for our Automotive resolution set and for the buyers who rely on Epicor to assistance drive growth, performance and profitability.”

JMO indago WMS boosts users’ stock administration by growing precision, reducing order cycle time, improving get fulfilment, and delivering genuine-time operational details by means of major ERP systems, such as the Epicor Vision, Epicor Eagle and Epicor Best platforms. The answer also aids lessen annual bodily inventory necessities through highly exact inventory handle and genuine-time cycle counting.

“We are thrilled to be a part of a company that has the eyesight, dedication and assets to contribute to the extended-time period achievement of businesses at every single degree of the parts and provider field,” claimed JMO CEO John Oliveira. “JMO indago is a best complement to Epicor’s impressive automotive portfolio, and alongside one another we can present even greater worth to development-concentrated elements distribution companies.”

Founded in 1988 as a computer software consultancy, JMO wrote its initial WMS in 1996 as a custom made project for a substantial automotive pieces distributor. Based on the accomplishment of that product, the corporation designed indago WMS, which rapidly grew to become the predominant choice of aftermarket distributors through the U.S. and Canada. The corporation also provides an array of rugged, lightweight cellular scanners, wearable voice and facts cell computer systems, and cell and desktop printers engineered to boost the productiveness and accuracy of warehouse staff.

About Epicor

Epicor Software Corporation equips challenging-operating enterprises with enterprise alternatives that retain the globe turning. For approximately 50 several years, Epicor shoppers in the manufacturing, distribution, LBM, retail, and automotive industries have reliable Epicor to aid them do enterprise greater. Modern Epicor answer sets are carefully curated to suit buyer needs and designed to react flexibly to their quick-altering truth. With deep field expertise and working experience, Epicor accelerates each individual

Read More... Read More

Magna hires 120 engineers, acquires self-driving tech, from Boston AV enterprise Optimus Trip

Canadian supplier Magna Global Inc. struck a deal with Optimus Trip to hire extra than 120 of the Boston self-driving shuttle firm’s engineers and obtain its autonomous-motor vehicle technological innovation and intellectual property.

Terms ended up not disclosed in a statement introduced Tuesday.

Though Magna is not outright buying Optimus, the supplier has employed a bulk of its engineers as section of the transaction. A spokesperson for Magna reported the company despatched presents of work to extra than 140 “engineering-relevant employees,” with much more than 120 accepting.

The transaction usually means Optimus Ride has discontinued its professional things to do, which were being not component of the deal. The company experienced deployed autonomous shuttles in city, geofenced environments in Boston, New York, Virginia, California and Washington, D.C.

“Optimus Experience is not continuing those business routines, and they have been not element of the transition with Magna,” Optimus CEO Sean Harrington mentioned in an interview. “But the engineering crew and the fundamental technological know-how that we’ve developed — I am excited to see that get deployed in the context of Stage 2 and Amount 3 autonomy” at Magna.

Harrington claimed there were no “go-forward” options for Optimus Experience immediately after the transaction. The former Verizon government explained he would not be signing up for Magna and would get time to establish the future measures in his career.

The former Optimus engineers will keep on being in the Boston area, developing an “engineering centre and presence for Magna in a neighborhood loaded in engineering talent, foremost educational establishments and robotics,” Magna claimed in a information launch. The hires ended up helpful Jan. 1, according to the provider.

The hires occur as the business and suppliers these kinds of as Magna carry on to commit intensely in innovative driver-assist units and autonomous-driving know-how. Magna Electronics President John O’Hara claimed the addition of Optimus Ride’s engineers to its crew will assist to “speed up [its] path forward in a quickly growing ADAS industry.”

“As developments in autonomy carry on, we noticed an option to convey in supplemental abilities to assistance present-day packages as effectively as long term consumer requires,” he stated in a news launch.

Harrington explained Optimus Experience had formerly made a “pretty great relationship” with Magna, one particular that resulted in fruitful talks among the corporations in the latter 50 % of 2021.

“As a result of these discussions, it grew to become crystal clear that this was the best path forward for all stakeholders in the enterprise,” he reported.

Magna, primarily based near Toronto, ranks No. 4 on the Automotive Information listing of the top rated 100 worldwide suppliers, with around the world sales to automakers of $32.6 billion in 2020.

Read More... Read More