BREMERTON, Wash., 26 April 2006. GHL Technologies Inc. has completed its acquisition of Emergency Vehicle Installation, Inc. (EVI), a third-party installer of GPS and other telematics systems in commercial and government fleet vehicles. In other news, GHL Technologies has entered the public markets and commenced trading on the Pink Sheets (GHLT). The company's management team believes both events will help GHL Technologies gain market penetration in the GPS space and position the company well in the expected GPS/telematics revolution.
Based in Bremerton, Washington, EVI employed 13 Certified Master Installers in 2005. Installation professionals are certified as Master Installers by the Mobile Electronics Certified Professional (MECP) program of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and regarded as the elite 12-volt installers in the mobile electronics installation industry. Currently, fewer than 100 master installers exist in the United States.
According to numerous industry sources, global GPS and telematics sales are expected to exceed $16 billion by the end of this year, with the demand for real-time track and trace applications growing exponentially.
In addition to thriving demand from the logistics, homeland security, and military sectors, market opportunities are emerging in the consumer automobile and insurance sectors, as well as for personal systems to be used in distance exercises such as biking, skiing, or hiking.
Nearly 32 percent of trucks and about 25 percent of truck trailers are anticipated to be equipped with telematics systems by the end of 2012; and virtually all commercial vehicles are expected to be equipped with GPS/telematics systems in the foreseeable future. Industry revenue from both hardware and services in the long-haul, local fleet, and trailer-use segments alone is expected to surpass the $6.5 billion mark in 2012.
"At present, only about nine percent of the overall projected marketplace is utilizing the benefits of this cutting edge technology, leaving more than 90 percent potential market penetration with no clear-cut leader across all market categories. Research confirms that the GPS/telematics space is poised for an explosion of growth activity - similar to that of the wireless phone industry in the early 1990's," says Gene Hew-Len, CEO of GHL Technologies."
