PFK is withdrawing from direct sales for its innovative Telematics product range, leaving sales in the capable hands of its national and international partners and distributors.
Instead, it will focus wholly on design, development and manufacturing of its world class solutions through their current and future partner network.
Marco Valente, PFK’s chief sales and marketing officer, explains: “PFK’s successes have always been a result of a strong channel developed through deep local and international partnerships. We have seen huge success and won local and international awards in our Interlock, vehicle security, telematics and OEM businesses through these partnerships.”
PFK wants to replicate this model in its telematics business, dedicating itself to bringing not only design and manufacturing expertise to its telematics partners, but ground-level technical support and warranties, should partners choose not to handle that internally. “This means that the telematics market locally and abroad can take advantage of PFK’s locally-based design and manufacturing expertise, to leverage world-class tracking and telematics products through our OEM approved manufacturing facility in Pietermaritzburg.”
Valente adds: “The response so far from current and future partners has been amazing – especially when they visit our facilities and witness our OEM quality capabilities at market leading prices. This move just makes sense – it brings us back to our core design and manufacturing strengths, while empowering our partners through our ‘Powered by PFK’ Accredited Partner Programme.”
The latest development is a decision of practicality. Ben van Rooyen, the CEO of PFK’s telematics division Autowatch Telematics, adds: “More and more companies are approaching PFK to sell its products, particularly its world leading video telematics device, as well as for PFK to manufacture tailor-made products for their end client requirements.”
PFK’s direct sales efforts meant competing with its partners, disincentivising the channel and fracturing the market. PFK plans to channel those resources back into managing partner relationships while providing some of the best research and development, design and manufacturing ability in South Africa and the World.
“This will ensure our partners can continue to meet their customers’ demand for increasingly innovative products and services,” Van Rooyen says.
PFK’s Telematics product range is already world class, combining fleet and vehicular monitoring, driver behaviour technology, tracking and analytics, integrated telecommunications technologies, road safety, rapid response security and a centralised command and control hub into a powerful end-to-end solution stack.
Valente comments: “Some partners will look to take what we’ve already built and white label for resale through their own direct to market bundles or offerings, whereas others will want to design and build their very own product offerings through our facilities, leveraging the benefits of a local, world class, rand based manufacturing facility that has over 30 years’ experience in electronic design and manufacture.”
PFK will continue to support its direct customers and will introduce the right partners to these clients, as and when applicable – all new engagements going forward will be exclusively through the channels that PFK already has or is in the process of building.
