South Africa has been fortunate to see the introduction of so many different vehicle tracking systems, a situation driven by the high levels of vehicle theft and hijacking and the often rapid transfer of the vehicle across one of our many borders with neighbouring countries.
One of the more innovative companies is Matrix, which was driven and established in 1996 by Stefan Joss who was then with the Control Instruments Group and who remains to this day the managing director of Matrix. After searching the world to find the right technology, he adopted the concept of using GSM and partnered with MTN. Matrix was established in 1996 with Radiospoor, Plessey and Control Instruments all having equal shareholding. For various reasons, all of these companies disinvested over time and the company is now privately-owned with Joss a significant shareholder. Key differentiators are the Matrix focus on the 'safety of people' rather than vehicles, and along with its world-class technology. The company recently celebrated the fact that it has now exceeded 100 000 subscribers.
Matrix has realised that while most people initially purchase tracking systems for insurance purposes, hijacking has become one of the favoured ways to steal vehicles in South Africa, and thus personal safety, an issue often ignored by its competitors, has to be addressed. For private transport, Matrix offers a full range of devices with increasing levels of security and safety features. All of its solutions incorporate the unique Matrix FastTrac technology, which is GSM-based and allows for the accurate location of a vehicle within 30 seconds. Recovery of the stolen vehicle is effected through the Matrix 24/7 Call Centre.
The competitively priced entry level device, the MX1, does not offer an early warning function, having been designed primarily as a theft recovery system. For activation of the recovery service, the owner of the vehicle calls the National Operations Centre, which activates the device and initiates the tracking and recovery process. The probability for recovery of a vehicle that has been hijacked or stolen is approximately 91%, although statistics published in May 2005 indicate that this increases to 94% for private vehicles. In all cases, the vehicle recovery operation is effected at no additional cost to the customer.
The MX2 and MX3 are the preferred options where personal security is an issue. These devices retain the convenience and simplicity of the MX1 but with several enhanced features. The MX2 incorporates an early-warning feature (with an automatic alert being transmitted to the control centre) that encompasses tampering with either the battery or the vehicle ignition system. In addition, a panic button and Internet tracking is provided. The latter allows the customer to track their own vehicle over the Internet using the Matrix website. This service can be used by customers 30 times a month completely free of any extra charge.
The premier private vehicle product is the MX3, which has all the features associated with the MX2 but also incorporates the company's Geoloc as well as combining GPS with GSM to pinpoint location. The function of Geoloc is that once the vehicle is parked, a simple one button process on the owner's cellphone arms the unit. If the car moves before being disarmed, the control centre is immediately alerted. Another feature of the MX3 is that it comes pre-programmed with 'No-Go Zones'. Should the vehicle enter one of these identified high-risk areas, a signal from the device will immediately alert the control room, setting into motion a search and recovery operation. All installations are tested automatically by Matrix every six months.
Matrix is also involved in fleet management technology with its MX3 Fleet. Besides being an excellent recovery system this device can be used to track the vehicle in realtime, and SMS messages transmitted can also record date and time, location, speed, status and direction. This data can be delivered to the customer in a number of ways including a diginet line or an Internet link. The historical movement of the vehicle is then recorded and Matrix itself backs up all historical data for 30 days. Certain situations, which could be regarded as emergencies, can be programmed into the system, one example being that a trailer has been unhitched. Forbidden or no-go zones can also be programmed.
The in-house development team is highly skilled in introducing new innovations to the product range. Earlier this year a major new unique feature was added to the MX3 in the form of a crash detector. This will not respond to a minor bumper bash but with a really major impact or roll, an accident signal will be transmitted to the control centre. Matrix has signed an agreement with a medical response company and they will respond immediately to this call.
All of the Matrix products are designed in-house, and are manufactured locally to high levels of quality. As a tracking, personal safety and recovery operation, Matrix does not consider manufacture to be core to its business. Rather, well-trained fitting agents are critical and are located countrywide, providing excellent service for customers.
For the benefit of its potential customers, Matrix has its own '7-Star' rating guide. In terms of this: 1 rates as poor, 3 as fair, 5 as good and 7 as excellent. In terms of its products they all fall into the 'excellent' rating in terms of the defined functionality and the customer's choice is really driven by cost and the increased levels of personal security required.
Matrix currently operates mainly in South Africa with a small operation in Nigeria. Discussions are in progress to introduce the Matrix system into Malaysia, but with its GSM-based technology and the rapid expansion of cellular technology into the rest of Africa, Matrix is ideally positioned to capture major market share in the rest of the continent as its network will already be in place.
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