Gamber-Johnson, a manufacturer of rugged docking stations and vehicle mounting solutions, has announced plans to expand its customized product offerings into the transportation industry. The new product line will be launched in the second quarter of 2009.
Gamber-Johnson provides rugged vehicle docking stations and mounting equipment and currently serves the field force, government, military, public safety, telecommunication and utility markets through a nationwide network of resellers, system integrators, certified installers, installation engineers, technicians and support teams throughout the United States and Canada. Gamber-Johnson says its products are designed and tested for “ruggedness” according to MIL-STD specifications.
“We’ve researched the trucking industry for several years and are very aware of the productivity pressures fleet owners, service managers and drivers are facing in today’s tight economy,” says Tom O’Brien, product manager for Stevens Point, Wis.-based Gamber-Johnson. “We’ve monitored advances in the telematics industry and spoken directly with fleet managers and drivers. What we’ve discovered is that current mounting solutions have not kept pace with the needs of the industry. Laptops and telematic solutions are critical to helping fleets remain competitive, yet the industry lacks rugged mounting solutions needed for these components.”
Up until recently, telematic units were mounted to the dashboard of trucks or just thrown on the passenger seat, but the company says that due to added functionality, telematic units have become too heavy to be mounted to the dashboard. “You can’t expect optimum performance from an electronic unit that is not securely mounted,” O’Brien says. “When these units are subjected to the vibrations of driving and in-cab use, connections can come loose, and the internal electronics are subject to damage. Their poor performance under these conditions is one of the reasons the industry has been hesitant to adopt new telematic technologies. No one wants to invest in technologies that don’t work reliably or can’t be used properly.”
Gamber-Johnson says that in response to these needs, it will release a new rugged mounting solution in the second quarter of 2009. Designed using input from fleet managers and drivers, the system will secure telematic units and laptops. According to the company, the design will:
“Our mounts are built to outlast the trucks in which they’re placed,” O’Brien says. “They’re built to fit most semi- trucks and can easily be moved from one rig to another. That means that when the time has come to upgrade your vehicles down the road, the mounting solutions can simply be moved from one truck to another without additional cost.”
