CalAmp is an Irvine, California-based provider of IoTsoftware applications, cloud services, data intelligence and networked telematics products and services. The company's technology includes edge computing devices and SaaS-based applications for remotely tracking and managing vehicles and consumer products. The company also owns the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System and provides connected car and lot management products.
History
CalAmp was founded as California Amplifier Inc. in Newbury Park, California in 1981, by Jacob Inbar and David Nichols, who worked together at a microwave division of Eaton Corporation. The company originally made amplifiers and other equipment used to transmit microwave signals for satellite video and broadband communications. The company began trading on NASDAQ in 1983. By 1986, the company had relocated to Camarillo, California, and stopped making amplifiers for the consumer market. In 1999, the company entered the direct broadcast satellite market by acquiring Texas-based Gardiner Group, a satellite dish component provider. In December 2003, the company acquired communications software company Vytek Corp, for $USD76.8 million. In March 2004, the company relocated to Oxnard, California. In August, the company changed its name to CalAmp Corp. In May 2006, the company acquired Montreal, Canada-based wireless radio company Dataradio, to expand its wireless data communications business for public safety and machine to machine applications. It also acquired the mobile resource management line from Carlsbad, California-based location tracking company TechnoCom to offer enterprise asset tracking and fleet management applications. In 2007, the company acquired the Aercept Vehicle Tracking business from wireless telematics service provider AirIQ. By 2010, the company was focused on selling IoT hardware and DBS solutions. In December 2012, the company announced the acquisition of Herndon, Virginia-based fleet management application provider Wireless Matrix Corp for $USD53 million. In February 2013, the company announced a stock offering that was intended in part to fund the Wireless Matrix Corp purchase. In April 2015, CalAmp bought telematics startup Crashboxx, a provider of a vehicle risk management system for insurance companies and fleet operators. The product is used for crash response and accident reconstruction to minimize costs and mitigate fraud. By 2016, the company had phased out its DBS business and shifted its focus to SaaS-based telematics products and services. In February, CalAmp announced it was acquiring stolen vehicle recovery company LoJack Corporation, for USD$134 million, and the deal closed in March. In April, the company announced it was moving its headquarters from Oxnard to Irvine, California, to take advantage of the area's tech environment. In September, the company introduced the LoJack LotSmart automotive dealer inventory management solution and LoJack SureDrive connected car app. In January 2019, the company launched a smartwatch-sized pet tracking device called Maven, in conjunction with logistics software company CargoSense.
Products and services
The company combines connected telematics products and cloud technology with Software as a Service applications to collect and assess data from mobile assets, cargo and companies. Micro services for specific tasks are delivered through the company's applications or as standalone services.
Connected telematics devices - the company develops telematics devices that capture and report information from remote and mobile assets. Telematics products include asset tracking units; mobile telematics devices; and fixed and mobile wireless gateways and routers that support CalAmp and third party software applications.
SaaS applications - the company's SaaS products include a range of applications designed for connected fleet and asset management, supply chain and automotive markets. The CalAmp Telematics Suite of applications includes AssetOutlook, FleetOutlook, GovOutlook and iOn Hours for fleet and asset management, as well as the SC iOn Command Portal, designed for supply chain visibility. Applications also include the flagship LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System, and brand extensions LoJack LotSmart, an inventory management system for automotive dealers, and LoJack SureDrive, a consumer connected car application.
Micro services - the company's micro services include Crashboxx, a crash response service that provides instant crash alerts and accident reconstruction reports used by insurance companies and fleet operators to reduce costs and minimize fraud. Other micro services include driver behavior management and predictive maintenance.
CalAmp Telematics Cloud platform - CalAmp's CTC platform is used to deploy the company's telematics applications and micro services. The platform collects and reports real-time data from its telematics devices and sensors, to facilitate fleet, asset and cargo management. The platform also allows third party application integration through open Application Programming Interfaces, and is designed to integrate with Mobile Network Operators to provide access to additional services.
LoJack Corporation
LoJack Corporation was founded in 1986 in Medfield, Massachusetts, by William Reagan, a former Medfield police commissioner. Reagan had patented the LoJack system in 1979, and chose its name to imply the opposite of "hijack". The system used a hidden car-mounted transceiver, and a tracking computer installed in police cars and aircraft, operating on a dedicated tracking frequency set aside by the Federal Communications Commission. Reagan served as the company's first CEO and Chairman. In 1998, the company began offering its tracking system to the heavy machinery and construction industry, including entering into an agreement with Caterpillar. In March 2012, the company moved its headquarters to Canton, Massachusetts. By 2013, the LoJack system was reportedly operating in 28 states and the District of Columbia and in more than 30 countries. The company reported that more than 1,800 U.S. law enforcement agencies had LoJack tracking computers in their police vehicles. In November 2013, the company announced they were expanding tracking capabilities to parents, auto makers and insurance companies. In March 2016, the company was acquired by CalAmp for $134 million.
