Telematics and fuel cards specialist Radius has acquired Australia-based Connect Fleet, expanding its territory and its technology further.

L-R: Adam Jervis of Connect Fleet, Alan Nicklos, managing director at Radius Telematics Australia & New Zealand, and Radius CEO Bill Holmes

Located in Queensland, Connect Fleet offers a wide range of solutions for any size of business. Technologies include IoT and GPS fleet management software, as well as workforce and operations management ERP solutions. It also provides funding solutions for technology and mobile assets and the Telstra expense management service.

Radius said the acquisition strengthens its current telematics business in Australia, adding both new customer verticals as well as a new geographical base.

CEO Bill Holmes commented: “Australia is a really important long-term market for us in the Telematics Division and this acquisition gives us more scale and capability to add to the organic base we have been building over the last 18 months.

“Connect Fleet has some innovative fleet software that we think can not only help us develop our local business more rapidly but also provide some wider functionality in other parts of our global business.”

It’s the latest in a long line of acquisitions for Radius, which acquired leading Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) telematics business CanTrack Global in April 2021 as part of its ongoing expansion programme.

Speaking at the time, Bill Holmes said Radius was pushing ahead with plans to build a telematics product set “unparalleled in the global marketplace”.

More recently, Radius signed a deal in June 2021 to buy app-based tracking and insurtech business Modus while in 2019 it acquired telematics firm Sure-Trak and expanded its focus to large fleets under a deal with Key Telematics.

Alongside telematics, Radius also offers a range of products and services, expanding from its origins as a fuel card company established by Bill Holmes in 1990. It also has telecoms, insurance and electric vehicle solutions divisions, selling to over 300,000 customers, and recent acquisitions have seen it fast expand in these areas too. These include deals with Macclesfield-based business telecoms provider Reliance Network, commercial insurance broker The Burley Group and telematics firm Sure-Trak while Radius has also expanded its focus to large fleets under a partnership with Key Telematics, as part of an ongoing programme of diversification.

Radius also took a share in ChargePoint Europe BV at the end of 2020 and has since launched a range of charge points for EVs under its new Radius EV division.