W angielskojęzycznym magazynie "The Warsaw Voice" ukazał się wywiad z szefem działu marketingu LOJACK. Cały materiał możesz przeczytać poniżej.
Selling a Sense of Security
Wojciech Kalinowski, marketing director of LOJACK Polska Sp. z o.o., talks to Bartosz Grzybiński.
Despite the fact that car owners use all kinds of security devices, several cars are stolen every day in Warsaw alone. The LoJack system is one of the ways to locate and retrieve them. How does it work?
The Lojack system greatly aids the recovery of stolen cars. It uses a two way radio module. The small Motorola module is installed in a car. When the car is in use, the module is inactive. After a theft has been reported to LoJack Operations Center, the module is activated by radio. The signals received at the Center and in tracking computers installed in police cars aid the speedy location of the stolen car.
Does this mean that the system is used by the police?
Yes, the police force is the only organization authorized to pursue criminals. LoJack is an efficient tool that helps their efforts. Last year we signed contracts with 14 provincial police headquarters. Based on these contracts, our company equipped several police cars with tracking computers for free. Thanks to LoJack, an Opel Vectra that was stolen in Warsaw last year was retrieved. This year as many as eight cars equipped in our module have been returned to their owners.
A handful of returned cars doesn't sound highly efficient.
In our case, efficiency is 100 percent. Among the cars equipped with the LoJack system, nine were stolen and all of them were retrieved. Everything went smoothly and efficiently, without any damage. Recently cars have been stolen every several days. The number of stolen and retrieved cars depends on the popularity and the extent of the system's use. In the places where LoJack is commonly used, its efficiency is very high. In the United States, where the system was created in 1986, it's over 90 percent. Similar figures were reported from other countries in which the system is used. Over a million cars are equipped with LoJack modules.
Is the Polish market competitive in this field?
There is practically no other system with similar efficiency.
What is the difference between LoJack and other systems, like satellite GPS? What are its advantages?
The LoJack radio system has one goal: to retrieve stolen cars. It was developed using police experience and it operates on the basis of cooperation with the police. The sending-receiving module is hidden in a car and is resistant to interference. It works equally efficiently in open and in closed areas, including underground garages or metal containers. The point of the module's installation in a car is chosen arbitrarily, and only mechanics from authorized garages know where that is. Even the owner doesn't know its location. Cars using the system aren't specially marked. It increases the chances of getting a car back in a good state. It is important that the system doesn't pursue a car non-stop. It's activated after the theft. For many people, discretion is an extra argument.
Could it be possible that LoJack doesn't have any weak points?
That depends on what you consider to be a weak point. As far as technology goes, LoJack is equipped to the highest level. The small percentage of cars that were not retrieved were damaged, either burned or sunk. It's a natural risk. The system cannot protect cars against such accidents. There are also cases of insurance fraud, where owners worked together with thiefs. But I want to stress that in Poland, all cars have been retrieved. The cost of installment of the system, PLN 1990, is an advantage for some and disadvantage for others. In our opinion, the system is worth the price as it guarantees certainly and safety.
Maintaining the system's readiness must cost. Where do you get the money?
Of course it does. That's why we have a monthly subscription fee. It's PLN 79 gross. This is not much, compared to the loss incurred if the car gets stolen.
What are your plans connected with LoJack's presence on the Polish market?
In the near future, we are planning the further development of our sales network. We would like to make sure that every new car that leaves a showroom is equipped with the LoJack system. Today, when a client installs the LoJack system in his car, he can get discounts from insurance companies. We are still negotiating to make conditions as advantageous as possible for our clients in this area.
Źródło: The Warsaw Voice
