DETROIT, Mich., November 18, 2019 — Detroit-based vehicle telematics firm Guidepoint Systems today announced it has hired Robert C. Jones, a veteran automotive engineering executive, as its new Director of Technology Strategy.
Jones brings three decades of experience directing Tier 1 automotive-supplier programs for global OEMs including Ford, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota, Nissan and Tesla.
A graduate of General Motors Institute (now known as Kettering University), Jones has guided engineering teams and product-line management on a wide variety of high-volume automotive electronics systems, including safety, air-bag controls, child-detection sensors, body control modules, remote keyless entry systems and commercial SPC software.
Jones joins Guidepoint from Farmington Hills, Mich.-based ZF, where he was responsible for Japanese OEM safety applications. Previously, Jones spent 18 years at engineering and technology supplier Robert Bosch LLC, where he directed programs supplying passive safety electronics and sensor electronics. He also served in senior engineering and operations management roles at Detroit-area automotive suppliers including ZF-TRW, Kelsey Hayes Company and Code-Alarm Inc.
“We’re very pleased to have Robert join the team,” said Tom Gafford, co-founder and chief technology officer of Guidepoint. “His background working with Tier 1 supplier companies, especially Bosch, provides additional leadership as we expand our work with global OEMs and accelerate our development of automotive CAN bus-enabled applications.”
“I’m excited to join the Guidepoint team because they’ve been a pioneer and innovator in the telematics industry,” Jones said. “The company’s founders and executives have worked in the auto industry for decades and have put Guidepoint in a unique position to serve OEMs, dealerships and drivers with vehicle-centric technology and solutions that go far beyond concierge services and tracking.”
Founded in 1999 as an aftermarket supplier of GPS tracking and stolen vehicle recovery, Guidepoint has evolved into a leader in vehicle telematics. The Detroit-based firm specializes in collecting vehicle, driver and environmental data that can be optimized by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), car dealerships, fleet managers and vehicle owners. Guidepoint’s roots in automotive electronics and its experience supplying hardware and software solutions to automotive OEMs has served it well as it develops solutions built around vehicle data.
“Collecting and uploading vehicle data is fast becoming the Holy Grail for automakers, but it comes with a variety of challenges because of the increasingly complex and proprietary nature of automotive networks,” Gafford said. “Robert’s addition to the Guidepoint team will help us build on our track record of supplying OEM-level data solutions that integrate hardware, software, cellular networks and emerging CAN FD technology.”
About Guidepoint: 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 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), dealerships, commercial fleet managers, rental car companies and individual vehicle owners. Guidepoint customer service representatives personally handle notifications of impact, theft, driver emergencies and concierge services. To learn more about how automotive OEMs and vehicle dealerships can use Guidepoint, contact the company by calling (877) 477-3463 or visiting GuidePointSystems.com.
