AirIQ Inc. and eDispatch.com Wireless Data Inc. are joining force to take their show on the road.
AirIQ specializes in fleet management through the transmission of information to and from the vehicles of its more than 14,000 subscribers. EDispatch, on the other hand, makes a mobile workforce management solution.
Miguel Gonsalves, vice-president, commercial transport for AirIQ Inc., says the merger is a win-win for both.
“When you look at the whole solution that’s required to look after companies that have to manage mobile resources, whether they be personnel or assets, both become a total solution. From a market point of view, that’s one huge reason why the merger with eDispatch makes sense,” says Gonsalves.
“We’re both application service providers (ASPs), we’re both in the wireless space which presents more opportunities because we don’t actually compete in what we offer.”
Gonsalves adds they don’t share any customers.
The two ASPs announced they had entered into a merger agreement as equals on Thursday. The new board will include an equal number of people from each company and will be chaired by eDispatch CEO Peter Bradshaw. Donald Simmonds, AirIQ president and CEO, will take on both roles for the new company, which will be headquartered at AirIQ’s facility in Pickering, Ont.
Mergers often result in layoffs, but Gonsavles says this will not be the case. “This is to fuel growth. We’re certainly going to a capitalize on operational synergies, but there are no plans to layoff staff.”
AirIQ was formed in 1997 as a joint partnership between Bell Mobility, Lenbrook Inc., and Veridian Engineering Inc.