CalAmp

CalAmp is an Irvine, California-based provider of Internet of things (IoT) software applications, cloud services, data intelligence and telematics products and services. The company's technology includes edge computing devices and SaaS-based applications for remotely tracking and managing vehicles, drivers, cargo and other mobile assets. The company also owns the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System and provides connected car and lot management products. 
History.
CalAmp was founded as California Amplifier Inc. in Newbury Park, California in 1981, by Jacob Inbar and David Nichols, who worked together at a microwave division of Eaton Corporation. The company originally made amplifiers and other equipment used to transmit microwave signals for satellite video and broadband communications. The company began trading on NASDAQ in 1983.
By 1986, the company had relocated to Camarillo, California, and stopped making amplifiers for the consumer market.
In 1999, the company entered the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) market by acquiring Texas-based Gardiner Group, a satellite dish component provider.
In December 2003, the company acquired communications software company Vytek Corp, for $76.8 million.
In March 2004, the company relocated to Oxnard, California. In August, the company changed its name to CalAmp Corp.
In May 2006, the company acquired Montreal, Canada-based wireless radio company Dataradio, to expand its wireless data communications business for public safety and machine to machine (M2M) applications. It also acquired the mobile resource management line from Carlsbad, California-based location tracking company TechnoCom to offer enterprise asset tracking and fleet management applications.
In 2007, the company acquired the Aercept Vehicle Tracking business from wireless telematics service provider AirIQ. 
By 2010, the company was focused on selling IoT hardware and DBS solutions.
In December 2012, the company announced the acquisition of Herndon, Virginia-based fleet management application provider Wireless Matrix Corp for $53 million. 
In February 2013, the company announced a stock offering that was intended in part to fund the Wireless Matrix Corp purchase. 
In April 2015, CalAmp bought telematics startup Crashboxx, a provider of a vehicle risk management system for insurance companies and fleet operators.
By 2016, the company had phased out its DBS business and shifted its focus to SaaS-based telematics products and services. In February, CalAmp announced it was acquiring stolen vehicle recovery company LoJack Corporation, for $134 million, and the deal closed in March. In April, the company announced it was moving its headquarters from Oxnard to Irvine, California. In September, the company introduced the LoJack LotSmart automotive dealer inventory management solution and LoJack SureDrive connected car app.
In January 2019, the company launched a smartwatch-sized pet tracking device called Maven, in conjunction with logistics software company CargoSense. In March 2019, the company acquired two LoJack licensees, Car Track in Mexico, and Tracker in the United Kingdom. In April, the company acquired fellow telematics provider Synovia Solutions for $50 million. In March 2020, CEO Michael Burdiek retired, and was replaced by Jeff Gardner.
Products and services.
The company combines connected telematics products and cloud technology with Software as a Service (SaaS) applications to collect and assess data from mobile assets, cargo and companies. Telematics services for specific tasks are delivered through the company's applications or as standalone services.
LoJack Corporation.
LoJack Corporation was founded in 1986 in Medfield, Massachusetts, by William Reagan, a former Medfield police commissioner. Reagan had patented the LoJack system in 1979, and chose its name to imply the opposite of "hijack". The system used a hidden car-mounted transceiver, and a tracking computer installed in police cars and aircraft, operating on a dedicated tracking frequency set aside by the Federal Communications Commission. Reagan served as the company's first CEO and Chairman.
In 1998, the company began offering its tracking system to the heavy machinery and construction industry, including entering into an agreement with Caterpillar.
In March 2012, the company moved its headquarters to Canton, Massachusetts.
By 2013, the LoJack system was reportedly operating in 28 states and the District of Columbia and in more than 30 countries. The company reported that more than 1,800 U.S. law enforcement agencies had LoJack tracking computers in their police vehicles. In November 2013, the company announced they were expanding tracking capabilities to parents, auto makers and insurance companies.
In March 2016, the company was acquired by CalAmp for $134 million.