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| Guidepoint products are manufactured in Houston, Texas on state-of-the-art assembly equipment. |
With all the uncertainty that surrounds Chinese-made
products today, dealers and customers of vehicle tracking devices made by
Guidepoint Systems are enjoying an extra degree of confidence since the
company’s hardware is designed and manufactured in the United States.
“We’ve been having a lot of conversations with existing and
potential customers during the past several months about Chinese-made tracking
devices, where they’ve voiced concerns ranging from their rising cost due to
tariffs to availability to security concerns,” said Chief Technology Officer
and Vice President of Marketing Tom Gafford.
“I’d like to say we’ve been brilliant about our sourcing product
in the U.S. due to the Trump administration’s initiatives, but we made the
switch seven years ago to domestic manufacturing to better control our supply
chain and manage overall costs.”
Some dealers and customers are worried about availability of
Chinese-made electronics due the on-again, off-again ban involving Chinese
telecommunications giant ZTE, which designs and manufactures vehicle tracking
devices sold in North America under private labels.
In April, the federal government banned American companies
from selling critical components to ZTE after it was discovered the company
made false statements about disciplining executives for shipping U.S. goods illegally
to Iran and North Korea. ZTE reached a
settlement on June 7 with the U.S. Commerce Department to pay a $1 billion
penalty and shake up its corporate board to regain access to the U.S. market.
But some U.S. Senators have asked to have the ban reinstated due to national
security concerns about Chinese-made devices being used to steal data,
eavesdrop on U.S. citizens and launch cyberattacks.
“Aside from the ZTE situation, the cost of Chinese-made
vehicle tracking devices are subject to a 25 percent tariff that is scheduled
to take effect on July 6,” Gafford said. “That’s caused some dealers and
customers to wonder how much they will be paying for product in the near future.”
Gafford said there’s little question that it’s easier to
have the devices designed and manufactured in China due to the sheer number of
companies that serve the electronics industry. “We have a long-standing
relationship with a contract manufacturer in Houston, and its worked out well,”
he said. “But the United States doesn’t have nearly the same number of
assembling companies as China.”
Either through its own brand or private labels such as Mopar
EVTS and Nissan VTRS, Guidepoint provides hardware and software solutions to
dealers of Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda,
Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes, Mercury, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru,
Toyota and other vehicle brands.
“We make all of our own product in the USA, so to a good
extent we control our destiny,” Gafford said. “While we took that tack to
improve our supply chain management, it’s also given us an advantage if things
continue to heat up on the foreign trade front. It’s a good place to be.”
Guidepoint Systems, with headquarters in Detroit and main
operational facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, owns and operates response centers
staffed 24/7/365 in the United States and Mexico to provide a wide range of
services for rental car companies, dealerships, commercial fleet managers and
individual vehicle owners. Guidepoint customer service representatives
personally handle notifications of impact, theft, driver emergencies and
concierge services.
To learn more about Guidepoint systems for the individual
and commercial markets, please call (877) 477-3463 or write to
marketing@guidepointsystems.com.
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