This year Aplicom is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Aplicom has during this 20-year period sold over 80 % of its smart traffic products and services outside Finland. In this time we have seen many changes in a rapidly developing market. Twenty years ago we talked about mobile data terminals and fleet management systems. We did not have the internet, digital mobile data networks (GPRS, 3G,/4G) or cloud services. Today, we are talking about our changing environment with terms such as IoT, connected vehicles, digitalisation of traffic and Mobile as a Service concept in traffic.

Aplicom has provided hundreds of thousands of telematics units for heavy trucks, cranes, busses, various service vans and passenger cars. The key to Aplicom’s success has been its way of developing partnerships, its quality approach, the flexibility of its software functionalities and services as well as its values for open communications between people.

One of the biggest changes that has been taking place in general is the increased importance of services. Digitalisation and rapid connectivity technology development have affected the introduction of mobile apps with new services.

Today we can see a new approach with service dominant logic – services define how the market moves. However, quality hardware platforms and devices are a must for good and reliable telematics services. Customer requirements are looked at from the service point of view. At the same time, the role of our telematics value networks are developing and changing.

Within a rapidly changing world, Aplicom is changing as well. This year is not only an anniversary for Aplicom, it is also a year for Aplicom to take a major step forwards in enhancing our service approach. Telematics devices remain as our core offering and competence, but we are looking to bring our customers and partners continuously new and improving services – and better integration of our products for the end customer’s service offering.

Aplicom offered its first cloud service for the remote download of the digital tachograph service with the A1 MAX RDL unit three years ago. New services and software functionalities related to our hardware will follow. With devices like A9 we will bring more capacity to functionalities and services along with a lower cost structure. New services will help remote diagnostics with OBD connectors among other things. This will enable us to enlarge our markets through new connected car applications that will allow closer ties with passenger car related customers.

All this will be achieved with Aplicom’s partners, some of which, like Skycom from Luxemburg, have been working with us already for the whole 20-year period.

In addition to the success in co-operation and business Aplicom has also developed and provided products, which has made traffic more efficient, safer and more eco-friendly – and created work for many in Finland and abroad.

We wish dearly to thank all our partners, customers and employees in bringing us this far. We will have new and interesting challenges ahead.