By Jamie White – Head of Communications
The new location for Vodafone Automotive has been officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire following a major refurbishment of the 1000 sqm site.
Centred in Burnley and now the home of both the Secure Operating Centre and customer service operations for the UK, it is the first time these two business services have been combined in one building.
Vodafone Automotive is the new name for Cobra following Vodafone’s acquisition of the Cobra Group in August 2014. It combines Cobra’s 40 year heritage in vehicle security and telematics, with Vodafone’s reputation as a world leading telecoms brand.
Over the coming months, the Secure Operating Centre will be audited by the National Security Inspectorate and accredited to NSI Alarm Receiving Centres (ARC) Gold approval standard. The Secure Operating Centre will also earn ISO 27001 accreditation for its information security standards, and will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week from later this year.
The customer service centre will also be accredited to a number of industry recognised standards, including Investors in People and ISO 9001. As part of the move, recruitment for 30 new positions is currently in progress.
As a leading provider of connected car products and services, Vodafone Automotive provides Telematics, Stolen Vehicle Tracking and Usage Based Insurance solutions for fleets, vehicle manufacturers and logistics providers.
Andrew Smith, Managing Director, Vodafone Automotive UK, said: “The opening of our facility in Burnley signals the start of the next chapter for Vodafone Automotive. These are exciting times to be part of the Vodafone family, and we are gearing for growth across all of our business sectors, including usage based insurance, telematics and stolen vehicle tracking.”
The UK is just one of 10 Vodafone Automotive businesses around the globe including Italy, Germany, Brazil, China, France, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland which collectively employ approximately 880 employees.
