Pointer Telocation

Pointer Telocation was an Israeli company specializing in vehicle-location technology, fleet-management systems, stolen-vehicle recovery, and roadside automotive assistance. Its business combined technology products with service operations. The technology side used radio-frequency and GPS/GPRS communications to locate vehicles and support command-and-control functions for commercial fleets, while the service side operated through Shagrir, an Israeli roadside-assistance subsidiary serving motorists. The Pointer name began as a product developed by Nexus Telecommunications Systems and marketed by Eden Telecom. Eden was established in 1999 as a joint venture involving Motorola, Nexus, Poalim Investments, and Clal, and the product name was reportedly inspired by the Pointer dog breed. The company’s corporate identity evolved through a sequence of name changes and transactions. Eden changed its name to Pointer in 2002. Nexus Telocation Systems acquired Pointer in 2004, and Nexus Telocation Systems changed its own name to Pointer Telocation in 2006. Pointer’s offerings addressed several connected-vehicle use cases. Automatic vehicle-location systems helped customers monitor vehicle positions and movements. Fleet command-and-control tools supported operational oversight and tracking, while stolen-vehicle-recovery services used location technology to assist in recovering vehicles. Through Shagrir, the company also provided roadside assistance, creating a business model that combined telematics infrastructure with direct automotive services. The company was publicly traded and had a changing shareholder structure. Eurocom Group, associated with Shaul Elovitch, began accumulating Pointer shares in 2008 and held a reported 14.66 percent stake from December of that year. DBSI Investments was reported to control 37.27 percent of the company. Pointer’s shares traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Its Tel Aviv Stock Exchange listing was discontinued until 2012 and resumed in April 2016. Pointer underwent several management changes during its development. Giora Inbar became chief executive of Eden Telecom at its founding in 1999 and left in connection with the 2004–2005 transaction involving Shagrir and Pointer. Danny Stern was appointed chief executive officer and president in 2005 and left those roles in 2011. David Mahlab then became chief executive officer and president. Pointer Telocation ceased to exist as an independent company in October 2019, when it merged with I.D. Systems, Inc. The transaction created PowerFleet, a company focused on connected-vehicle and fleet-management technologies. Accordingly, Pointer Telocation is best understood as a predecessor business and brand within the development of PowerFleet rather than as a currently operating standalone company.

Pointer Telocation developed from an Israeli vehicle-location product and a sequence of corporate reorganizations. The Pointer product was originally developed by Nexus Telecommunications Systems Ltd. and marketed by Eden Telecom Ltd. Eden was founded in 1999 as a joint venture involving Motorola, Nexus, Poalim Investments, and Clal. Giora Inbar, formerly associated with the Israel Defense Forces’ Lebanon Liaison Unit, became Eden Telecom’s chief executive at its formation. The Pointer name was reportedly inspired by the Pointer dog breed. In 2002, Eden Telecom changed its name to Pointer. Two years later, Nexus Telocation Systems acquired Pointer. The transaction also involved the integration of Shagrir, a roadside-assistance business. In the period around 2004 and 2005, Inbar left the chief executive role as part of the deal to merge Shagrir with Pointer. Danny Stern was appointed Pointer’s chief executive officer and president in 2005. The corporate naming history continued in 2006, when Nexus Telocation Systems changed its name to Pointer Telocation Ltd. By this stage, the company’s activities covered two related areas. Its technology operations supplied automatic vehicle-location systems using RF and GPS/GPRS communications, together with command-and-control tools for fleet management and stolen-vehicle recovery. Its service operations, conducted through Shagrir, provided roadside assistance to motorists. Pointer’s technology addressed the growing need to monitor vehicles, manage mobile assets, and recover stolen cars. Its systems could support location tracking and operational control for fleets, while its recovery services applied the same general location capabilities to vehicle-security use cases. The Shagrir business gave Pointer an additional consumer-facing automotive-services activity beyond software, communications equipment, and fleet technology. Pointer was publicly traded. Its shares were traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market and were also listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange during specified periods. The company’s ownership structure included strategic and investment shareholders. Eurocom Group began accumulating Pointer shares in August 2008 and was reported to hold 9.03 percent at that stage; by December 2008, its reported holding had reached 14.66 percent. DBSI Investments was reported to control 37.27 percent of the company. Pointer’s Tel Aviv listing was discontinued until 2012 and resumed in April 2016. Management changed again in 2011, when Stern left the chief executive and president positions and David Mahlab became Pointer’s chief executive officer and president. The company continued operating across telematics, fleet management, vehicle recovery, and roadside assistance until the end of the decade. In October 2019, Pointer Telocation merged with I.D. Systems, Inc. The combined company became PowerFleet. The merger marked the end of Pointer Telocation as a standalone corporate entity and placed its vehicle-telematics and fleet-management activities within PowerFleet’s broader connected-vehicle business. Pointer is therefore historically significant as an Israeli telematics company and as a predecessor to PowerFleet, rather than as an active independent brand.

• 2019

  Merger creates PowerFleet

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Pointer Telocation merged with I.D. Systems, Inc. in October, forming PowerFleet.

• 2016

  Tel Aviv Stock Exchange listing resumes

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Pointer Telocation was listed again on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange beginning in April 2016.

• 2011

  David Mahlab becomes chief executive

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  David Mahlab became Pointer’s chief executive officer and president after Danny Stern left those positions.

• 2008

  Eurocom Group builds a significant holding

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Eurocom Group began accumulating Pointer shares in August and was reported to hold 9.03 percent initially, increasing to 14.66 percent by December.

• 2006

  Nexus Telocation Systems becomes Pointer Telocation

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Nexus Telocation Systems changed its name to Pointer Telocation Ltd.

• 2004

  Nexus Telocation Systems acquires Pointer

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Nexus Telocation Systems acquired Pointer in a transaction associated with the integration of the Shagrir roadside-assistance business.

• 2002

  Eden Telecom adopts the Pointer name

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Eden Telecom changed its corporate name to Pointer.

• 1999

  Eden Telecom is established

  [1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Eden Telecom was founded as a joint venture involving Motorola, Nexus, Poalim Investments, and Clal, and marketed the Pointer vehicle-location product.

A vehicle-telematics and automotive-services provider combining location technology, fleet oversight, stolen-vehicle recovery, and roadside assistance.

• Vehicle telematics

  RF automatic vehicle-location systems

  Pointer supplied radio-frequency-based automatic vehicle-location technology for monitoring and locating motor vehicles. The systems formed part of the company’s broader telematics portfolio and supported vehicle tracking, command-and-control functions, and vehicle-recovery applications.

• Vehicle telematics

  GPS/GPRS vehicle-location systems

  The company also provided GPS/GPRS-based systems that communicated vehicle position and related data for fleet-management and control purposes. These systems addressed commercial fleet monitoring as well as stolen-vehicle-recovery use cases.

• Fleet management

  Fleet command-and-control systems

  Pointer’s command-and-control systems helped fleet operators oversee vehicle locations and operations. They were associated with the company’s automatic vehicle-location business and were designed for customers requiring centralized visibility over mobile assets.

• Automotive security

  Stolen-vehicle-recovery services

  Pointer used its vehicle-location capabilities to support the recovery of stolen vehicles. This activity complemented its fleet-tracking business by applying location and communications technology to automotive-security situations.

• Roadside assistance

  Shagrir roadside assistance

  Through its Shagrir subsidiary, Pointer provided roadside assistance to motorists. This service business broadened the company beyond vehicle-tracking technology into direct automotive support and was connected with the corporate transactions that shaped Pointer’s structure in the mid-2000s.

• 2019

  Merger with I.D. SystemsM&A

  Background

  Pointer Telocation operated in vehicle telematics and fleet-management markets, while I.D. Systems was also active in connected fleet and vehicle-management technologies.

  Action taken

  Pointer Telocation merged with I.D. Systems, Inc. in October 2019.

  Aftermath

  The combined company was named PowerFleet, and Pointer Telocation ceased operating as an independent company.

  Source

• 2006

  Corporate rebranding as Pointer TelocationStrategy

  Background

  After Nexus Telocation Systems acquired Pointer, the group had consolidated its identity around the Pointer vehicle-location business.

  Action taken

  Nexus Telocation Systems changed its corporate name to Pointer Telocation Ltd.

  Aftermath

  The new name represented the company’s combined focus on vehicle telematics, fleet control, vehicle recovery, and roadside assistance.

  Source

• 2004

  Acquisition of Pointer by Nexus Telocation SystemsM&A

  Background

  Pointer had developed from Eden Telecom’s vehicle-location product business, while Shagrir provided roadside assistance. Nexus Telocation Systems pursued a transaction that brought Pointer into its corporate structure and was associated with the integration of Shagrir.

  Action taken

  Nexus Telocation Systems acquired Pointer, with the Shagrir roadside-assistance business merged with Pointer during the 2004–2005 period.

  Aftermath

  The transaction contributed to Pointer’s development as a combined telematics and roadside-assistance company, and Giora Inbar left the chief executive role.

  Source

• 2019

  Pointer Telocation merges with I.D. Systems to form PowerFleet[1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Pointer Telocation merged with I.D. Systems, Inc. in October 2019. The combination created PowerFleet and ended Pointer’s existence as an independent publicly traded company.

• 2016

  Pointer Telocation resumes trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange[1]Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Pointer Telocation was listed again on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange beginning in April 2016, after a prior period in which its shares were not listed there.

1. 1Pointer Telocationen.wikipedia.org