u-blox expands production capacity to South America

ublox, a leading supplier of embedded wireless and global positioning semiconductors and modules, has expanded contract manufacturing capacity for its' LEON GSM/GPRS module to Brazil. The new production line is intended to meet the rapidly growing demand for wireless modems used for Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) amongst other applications. Utilizing a combination of GPS positioning with mobile communications, AVL is a powerful tool for tracking, managing and recovering vehicles and other goods.

"The Brazilian government has mandated that new automobiles sold in Brazil must have an AVL tracking device builtin", said Nikolaos Papadopoulos, President of ublox America. "As LEON is a critical component for AVL systems, we have commissioned a largescale production line in Brazil to accelerate our response to our AVL customers, lower costs and simplify logistics."

In 2007 there were over 3 million new vehicles sold in Brazil. In the same year, there were over 380,000 stolen cars with only an estimated 50% recovery rate (source: GPD consulting). In addition to AVL installed in new cars, there is also an aftermarket sector of over 18.5 million existing vehicles in Brazil. AVL is intended to deter vehicle theft, prevent roadtax fraud, and lower insurance costs.

For more information about LEON, visit our website or, contact the ublox sales representative nearest you.