Bendix Divests SafetyDirect® System And Operations To Rand McNally

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix), a North American subsidiary of Knorr-Bremse, has announced that the company finalized the sale of its SafetyDirect^® connectivity product line, portal, and operations to Chicago-based Rand McNally, a TELEO Capital Management, LLC (TELEO) portfolio company.

Effective immediately, SafetyDirect team members who have accepted an offer of employment from Rand McNally will become employees of that organization. The transition involves approximately 42 employees at Bendix’s Irvine, CA-based Development Center; select staff at the company’s Avon, OH, headquarters; and the remote SafetyDirect technical sales and product team.

The sale has no impact on the robust existing portfolio of Bendix braking, steering, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Rand McNally will continue to offer SafetyDirect and its integration with Bendix ADAS and brake systems.

“Bendix will provide marketing, data, and product integration support to Rand McNally, helping to enable a cohesive, coordinated approach for optimized customer solutions,” according to a press release. “To foster continued alignment between the organizations, Bendix will receive an equity stake (ownership position) in Rand McNally/SafetyDirect operations and hold an observer seat on the Rand McNally Board of Directors.

“SafetyDirect^® provides fleet operators with comprehensive feedback on their fleet and drivers, along with videos of severe events. Using data from Bendix advanced driver assistance systems, including Bendix^® Wingman^® Fusion^™ and the Bendix^® ESP^® Electronic Stability Program full-stability system, SafetyDirect gives fleets key insights into common driving behaviors and trends across their operations. Safety system data is wirelessly transmitted off the vehicle to the SafetyDirect back-office servers that populate the secure web portal. The encrypted and password-protected portal is the source where each fleet can access their driver performance information and event-based data — video, vehicle, and sensor information from a vehicle’s J1939 network — equipping them with additional inputs aimed at helping enhance their safety program.

“The divestiture reinforces Bendix’s continued desire for increased focus on its core competencies — in particular, the always-expanding braking and ADAS product portfolios.”

“Delivering value to our customers is at the core of all we do and the driver behind this action,” Piotr Sroka, president, CEO, and chief operating officer at Bendix, said. “Connectivity and data access are essential parts of Bendix’s strategy for our evolving ADAS solutions suite. The sale supports our desire to deliver enhanced functionality and more rapid and robust technology advancement under a partner well equipped to deliver on that need.”

The release added: “Bendix acquired the SafetyDirect system and operations in August 2011. Effective with the sale close, Bendix and Rand McNally will begin a detailed, phased shift of operations and systems. The full changeover is expected to be completed over a period of up to one year.”

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