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Masternaut Limited is a British telematics company specialising in fleet and asset management. It is a subsidiary of Michelin. The company was listed on the Sunday Times Tech Track 100, a list of fast-growing UK technology firms, in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014.[1] Masternaut has around 400 employees based in the UK and France.
Masternaut was founded in France in 1996 by Serge Deleau as SDM. Its competitor, Cybit, acquired Thales Telematics from Thales Group[2] and Amatics[3] in 2007. Cybit made a further acquisition in 2008 of Truck24, a German telematics provider, for €4 million.[4] In 2009, private equity firm Francisco Partners acquired Cybit Holdings plc in a £23 million deal, taking the company private.[5] Cybit also acquired Oxloc, a provider of non-powered asset tracking devices, that year.[6] Meanwhile, Masternaut acquired hosting and data company Fibre-City for £6 million.[7]
In 2011, Francisco Partners merged Masternaut with Cybit in a £100m deal.[8][9] In 2013, the combined company acquired Three X, a mobile workforce software business, from GE.[10] Masternaut also signed a partnership with Telefonica in 2012.[11]
In 2014, Masternaut was sold to Summit Partners and Fleetcor.[12] The company appointed Dhruv S. Parekh as CEO in 2015.[13][14] The company launched its SaaS platform, Masternaut Connect, and expanded its product range with a driver mobile application, a cold chain solution[buzzword], and a plug-in telematics device. It formed partnerships for factory-fit telematics (Vauxhall, PSA, Renault)[15] and for pre-equipped leased vehicles (Fraikin, Petit Forestier, Lex).[16]
In 2018, Masternaut underwent a company rebranding with a new logo and the slogan the unseen advantage.[citation needed] A data science team was also formed.[citation needed] Michelin acquired Masternaut in 2019,[17] making it their third major acquisition in fleet telematics.[citation needed]
Masternaut offers telematics services that use various technologies. These services use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track vehicle or asset locations, which are then transmitted via GPRS and GSM mobile networks to Masternaut's data centres. Customers can view their fleet's data on the company's software platform, Masternaut Connect.[citation needed]
Masternaut can connect to fleets through the CAN bus, OBD port, or cigarette lighter port, which can be integrated as part of a mixed fleet service. The company's patented CAN clip provides real-time data and is less intrusive[citation needed], whereas the OBD-II device is typically easier to install. A third option is a device that plugs into a vehicle's 12V outlet, making it easy to transfer between vehicles.[citation needed]
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