Last week we were fortunate enough to attend the Telogis Latitude event at the absolutely gorgeous St. Regis Monarch Bay in Dana Point, CA, just south of Laguna Beach.
Given the explosion and evolution of telematics all around us, the event was eye-opening and insightful. Telogis, a key player in the telematics space, is moving quickly and growing rapidly – their technology being adopted by a host of OEMs, including Ford, GM, Volvo, Mack Trucks, Isuzu, and more – with even more possibilities for richer, deeper data points when their technology is built into vehicles from the beginning.
The audience was comprised of hundreds of Telogis customers, and main points of discussion included the importance of fleet vehicle uptime, the ever-evolving possibilities for safety, and the variety benefits made possible by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
There were dozens of engaging speakers, but three of the top favorites for the audience (and your editor) included Magic Johnson, and Scott Asplundh, CEO of Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
After a delicious lunch outside in the sun, Magic Johnson wowed the crowd as he talked about his journey from iconic athlete to one of the most successful businessmen in the U.S. Particularly inspiring was how he successfully brought Starbucks into urban America, along with much-needed jobs in those neighborhoods.
CEO Scott Asplundh’s company has been a Telogis customer for over five years now, and spoke of huge increases in productivity. Key highlights for Asplundh included a significant increase in the amount of time General Foremen spend on sites, a big reduction in fuel costs, and of no more stolen vehicles (because vehicles that are stolen are always found now). One exceptional statistic: Excessive speeding alerts (75 mph plus) are down from 1,885 in May 2010, to 116 in September of 2014.
All in all, it was an enjoyable and informative few days, in a beautiful setting – and we’ll look forward to attending next year’s Telogis Latitude.
