SANTA FE SPRINGS CA (01.06.2020) – Accele is welcoming Bob Goodman as the company’s Channel Sales Director. Bob will be responsible for driving new sales and increasing revenue streams in specific sales channels and specialty markets.
Bob Goodman, Channel Sales Director, Accele Electronics.
Bob comes with an extensive history within the 12-volt industry. He has led successful sales efforts for many companies, most recently Rydeen Mobile Electronics. Prior to Rydeen, Bob managed sales efforts at Rostra Precision Controls, Myron and Davis, Sherwood America, AuraSound and JBL Mobile to name a few. During the past 10 years, Bob has focused on the ADAS and vehicle Integration category where he managed Rydeen Mobile and Rostra Precision Controls sales teams.
“We are excited to have Bob onboard. His experience and achievements speak for themselves. The ability to cultivate long term relationships seems to have become a lost art. I’m personally excited to have Bob bring that skill set as well as many others to our organization”. (Christian Way, VP Accele) “I’m excited to join this great organization, I’ve competed against Accele for most of my career and welcome the opportunity to augment their sales team and present this broad and quality lineup of solutions to my customers. Accele offers a true One Stop Shopping experience for any reseller in the 12 volt category,” said Bob Goodman.
LAS VEGAS, NV (01.03.20) – Friday January 3rd, the DS18 Team is traveling to Las Vegas, NV for CES 2020. Led by CEO Sasha Susterman, Team members Event Promoter Rob Ferro, Engineer Diego Navarro, Sales Manager Jonathan Garber, Marine Sales Consultant Luis Delgado, and Alex Cortex E-commerce specialist will set up in the Central Hall. Team members will show off all the new, and forthcoming, gear that DS18 will be offering for the year 2020.
Diego Navarro pictured with his 2015 Mustang outside Las Vegas. The RED MUS will rock in the DS18 Central Hall Booth.
DS18’s new Zumba Loud will be center stage with Diego’s world-famous Red Mus (2015 Mustang) on the show floor surrounded by loads of very cool DS18 gear that will be sure to have at CES talking! CES 2020 will once again be an amazing experience for all the DS18 Team and everyone who attends this very exciting yearly event. The strong DS18 Team, that consists of some of the company’s most experienced staff, will be in the booth to help the large crowd with info about all the new DS18 tech and upcoming products.
CEO Susterman stated “We would like to encourage our dealers and fans to drop by and hang out while we update them on all the awesome things just released and what will be arriving throughout the year. The large booth will be a spectacle to behold with Diego Navarro’s Red Mus taking center stage plus a plethora of all our newest and best-selling products”.
Large 4K TV’s will be spanned throughout the booth showing videos, music, and DS18 gatherings to bring perspective to all the attendees that wanted to see why DS18’s motto is ‘WE LIKE IT LOUD’!
Check out DS18 in the Central Hall Booth 18029 to see why all at DS18 say ‘WE LIKE IT LOUD!’
HOLLY HILL, FL (01.03.2019) – Metra Marine by Metra Electronics is introducing new transom LED lights and drain plug LED lights for boats at CES 2020. These products are designed for the back of the boat to light up the water and are constructed of stainless steel 316 housing and are IP68 certified to withstand the harsh marine environment. These high-output underwater lights come in a variety of sizes and range from 15 watts all the way up to 72 watts of light, designed for a surface mount. The transom lights are available in white, blue, RGB or RGBW (RGB LEDs with a pure white light option).
Metra Marine will also feature new drain plug LED lights for the transom, allowing the installer to add lighting using the existing drain plug holes to avoid drilling new holes into the boat. The drain plug lights are constructed with high quality materials and are IP68 certified. These underwater lights are available in two sizes. The small 9W drain plug is available in white, blue, green or RGB with a brass housing and the large 27W drain plug is available in RGB with stainless steel housing.
All of Metra Marine’s RGB and RGBW lights are designed for a hard-wired installation and work with Metra’s new RGB controller (sold separately) and smartphone app.
Metra’s marine product line is designed to help 12volt installers tap into the growing boating and powersports market with their reliable aftermarket marine accessories for audio, lighting, AV and more. Metra Marine’s high-quality solutions deliver both performance and value to installers who want the best for their customers with products that are built, tested and proven to withstand the harsh marine environment. They are designed in the USA and manufactured by Metra Electronics, The Installer’s Choice, for more than 70 years.
Product Specifications:
Blue Rectangular 90W Underwater Transom Light with (30) 3-watt LEDs ML-BLU90W
9W Small Drain Plug LED Light ML-DLWHT9W – White ML-DLBLU9W – Blue ML-DLGRN9W – Green ML-DLRGB9W – RGB (4-wire RGB) ● (3) 3-watt LEDs ● Brass housing
27W Large Drain Plug RGB LED Light ML-DLRGB27W ● (9) 3-watt LEDs ● 4-wire RGB ● Stainless steel housing
These new products will be shipping soon and can be seen on display at CES from January 7-10, 2020, at booth 5211 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center with Metra Electronics.
To see the new 2020 catalog available on the opening day of the show, visit MetraMarine.com
HOLLY HILL, FL (01.03.2019) – The Municipality Lighting Series from Heise by Metra Electronics will introduce a wide range of new automotive lighting solutions for government and commercial heavy equipment vehicles at CES. These 12 and 24 volt solutions are designed for larger fleets such as garbage trucks, snowplows, tow trucks, emergency vehicles, construction trucks and more. “Many 12volt installers are expanding services to include upfitting commercial fleets and Heise’s new Municipality Series provides them with a reliable source for long-lasting and durable safety LED lighting products,” says Jason Anderson, VP of Product Development at Metra Electronics. These new lights and accessories will be available soon and on display at CES booth 5211 with Metra Electronics.
Interior Flashing Lightbars Heise’s two new interior lightbars mount inside of a commercial vehicle and have a combination of white and amber LEDs with 16 different alternative flash patterns. Each lightbar comes complete with brackets, hardware and a 10-foot cable. The HE-MULB-WA is a 38.2” rear window lightbar with 32 LEDs designed for higher voltage applications that work with both 12 and 24 volt systems. The HE-MUWL-WA is a 9.84” windshield lightbar that has 8 LEDs and works with a 12volt system.
LED Work Light Camera Lighting up a work area is essential for efficiency and safety on or off the road and being able to record the lit area helps protect drivers and companies against liability issues. Heise’s new HE-WLCAM is a 60-degree flood beam work light with a built-in camera that can record at 700 TVL resolution. Rated IP69, this durable work light camera also features infrared LED lights for night time recording, 1,154 lumens of illumination and a 140-degree field of view. This product is in stock now and shipping.
LED Marker Lights in New Colors New marker lights in red and blue emergency colors add to Heise’s existing line of vehicle safety lighting along with new hidden strobe marker lights in a 1-inch size. These universal lights are designed for higher voltage applications, working with both 12 and 24 volt systems. With aluminum housing and a polycarbonate lens, Heise’s municipality marker lights are durable and built to withstand all weather conditions, year after year. Available in multiple styles and colors: 1” Hidden Strobe LED Marker Lights Featuring (9) 3-watt LEDs with 10 alternative flash patterns HE-MUHSR-W: White Strobe HE-MUHSR-A: Amber Strobe HE-MUHSR-B: Blue Strobe HE-MUHSR-R: Red Strobe
3.8” Single Color Marker Lights Featuring (4) 3-watt LEDs with 16 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MUMRK-4B: Blue Marker HE-MUMRK-4R: Red Marker
4.9” Single Color Marker Lights Featuring (6) 3-watt LEDs with 16 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MUMRK-6B: Blue Marker HE-MUMRK-6R: Red Marker
4.4” Single Color Marker Lights Featuring (6) 1.5-watt LEDs with 16 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MULTE-6B: Blue Marker HE-MULTE-6R: Red Marker
4.6” Single Color Light Head Featuring (4) 3-watt LEDs with 16 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MULH-4B: Blue Marker HE-MULH-4R: Red Marker
4.1” Single Color Grille Marker Lights Featuring (6) 1-watt LEDs with 16 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MUGRL-6B: Blue Grille Marker HE-MUGRL-6R: Red Grille Marker
4.9” Bi-Color Marker Lights Featuring (6) 1-watt LEDs with 19 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MUMRK-6BA: ½ Blue ½ Amber Markers HE-MUMRK-6BR: ½ Blue ½ Red Markers
4.4” Bi-Color Marker Lights Featuring (6) 1-watt LEDs with19 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MULTE-6BA: ½ Blue ½ Amber Markers HE-MULTE-6BR: ½ Blue ½ Red Markers
4.1” Bi-Color Marker Lights Featuring (6) 1-watt LEDs with 16 self-controlled patterns with memory HE-MUGRL-6BA: ½ Blue ½ Amber Markers HE-MUGRL-6B: ½ Blue ½ Red Markers
Installation Light Accessories Heise’s Municipality Series also includes essential installation accessories, ranging from switch panels to tubing, heat shrink accessories and more, for convenient ordering to complete any project. Heise’s latest additions include new wire loom install tools; the SLT-08 for 0.25” to 0.4375” tubes and the SLT-15 for 0.5” to 0.125” tubes. Heise has also added new heat shrink with solder accessories in blue, red, white and yellow.
Metra Electronics will have the new Heise Municipality products on display at the CES Show in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2020 at booth 5211 in the North Hall.
A new catalog for Heise Municipality products will also be available on opening day of the show at HeiseLED.com
SHREVEPORT, LA (01.01.2020) – January 1st 2020 marks the beginning of a New Year, and decade, filled with opportunities. Happy New Year!
The New Year presents an opportunity to start with a clean slate and implement a fresh set of goals for the year ahead. The upcoming CES 2020, and activities across Las Vegas, will provide a springboard for 2020.
Click to view on Instagram
There is an old saying “Nothing is more constant than change.” The fact that online commerce continues to capture sales from brick and mortar retailers has become a constant that won’t change – unless brick and mortar retailers change their approach to the marketplace. E-commerce sales during the 2019 holiday season were up nearly 20% over 2018. Between Black Friday and Christmas eve FedEx, UPS along with the US Postal Service combined to deliver nearly 2 billion packages. To be sure, not all of those packages were Christmas gifts. However, as online ordering surged, the majority were Christmas gifts.
US retailers are reported to have closed 9302 stores in 2019. That is an increase of 59% over 2018 according to Coresight Research.
In the evermore digital marketplace, all brick and mortar retailers must change their mindset and marketing approach to engage the consumer marketplace. To be successful retailers must create an overall experience consumers can not get from an online retailer. Hearing crisp highs, and feeling bass in the chest, just can not be experienced online. Seeing in-vehicle lighting plus power sports and marine installations first-hand will drive sales. Safety and convenience products, along with in-vehicle connectivity, are also categories where an exciting in-store experience can capture business for brick and mortar retailers.
Social media outreach is an extremely powerful vehicle through which 12volt retailers can develop a legion of loyal followers and engage consumers. Mobile devices are in the hands of virtually all consumers today. The smartphone is such a valuable tool for 12volt retailers to showcase their respective message to their followers and consumers. Visit instagram.com/12voltnews
New product arrivals, hot installations, new in-store displays and proactive staff members represent ideal content to highlight through planned social media posts. By the time the morning coffee is brewed a far sighted 12volt retailer could have made an engaging Instagram post for his followers to checkout. That post could feature a new product with an invitation to come into the store for an exciting demonstration. As the Instagram post was made that content could have been shared to Facebook and Twitter accounts also.
The Instagram Business Profile, which is free, features a contact tab. A follower can tap the contact tab and call the store from their smartphone as they view the post. Also, a follower can send an email to the store as well as get a map to the store. Making a post, with the opportunity to get an immediate response from a follower, is an amazing outreach 12volt retailers can’t pass up in today’s marketplace.
For the good of our 12volt industry, the community of suppliers must endeavor to inform the world of the benefits mobile electronics products offer consumers. It’s is well known the price driven “Race to Zero” has stripped marketing budgets. Recent emphasis on high end in-vehicle audio, along with power sports for UTV and marine plus lighting, is a terrific way to kick off the New Year.
“Again, Happy New Year and best wishes for a very prosperous 2020 and new decade ahead.”
SHREVEPORT, LA (01.02.20) – It’s a New Year and a New Decade. The 12volt Central Studios is using new technology and vehicles to deliver fresh industry news to the 12volt industry.
Click to view on Instagram
Utilizing Green Screen technology, the 12volt Central Studios is already posting booth setup videos from the LVCC North Hall. Coverage of prep activities for CES 2020, from venues across Las Vegas, will continue through this week. The curtain will rise for CES 2020 on Tuesday January 7th and the 12volt Central Studios has exciting plans for continuing coverage from Vegas throughout the run.
Word on the street is that overall CES 2020 attendance across the 12volt industry will, unfortunately, not meet past years. Let’s work to highlight positives from CES 2020 to extend the ROI on the huge 12volt industry investment in Vegas.
With a smartphone, Snap…Text…and Presto. A positive image of industry activities can be delivered to members of the 12volt industry.
“In reality ‘Marketing’ is a team sport. Manufacturers, representatives, distributors and retailers must work as a team to excite consumers about the wide range of products the 12volt industry offers consumers. In today’s marketplace the 12volt industry, working as a team, needs to adjust the game plan” I strongly feel.
The 12volt News delivers fresh industry news each business day with posts to 12voltnews.com and via social media posts of a feature article as well as 2 additional news articles. Additional posts are through the day on social media, Instagram and Facebook, highlighting positive industry activities.
The 12volt Spin-To-Win rolls each Friday morning at 10AM in Studio C. Spin caption
Surely everyone in the 12volt industry has a smartphone. That smartphone works with STP worldwide. STP is another tool in the 12volt Central Studios tool chest. Snap and Text an image this way. Presto! A staff member can post that positive activity to the 12voltnews followers on Instagram and Facebook. The 10,000+ social media followers on each platform are overwhelming industry members.
There are 4 studios in the 12volt Central Studios facility which is located in Shreveport LA under the intersection of I-20 and I-49 interstates. Most industry news activity originates in Studio A. Studio B is setup for industry members traveling in the area. Their visits are invited.
Studio C is the main studio for green screen and other video production. The weekly 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel rolls in Studio C each Friday morning at 10AM.
The 12volt Chevy Studio had been prepped for 2020 and ready to hit the road for industry members.
As a New Year and New Decade begin we wish all a very fun-filled and prosperous 2020, and beyond, from the 12volt Central Studios.
TORRANCE, CA (12.31.2019) – Rydeen Mobile Electronics has announced a new and unique 360-degree video rearview replacement mirror with built-in touch capable 10-inch HD monitor. Unlike other mirrors that can capture and record DVR video, the Rydeen Tombo360 DVR Mirror also houses a 360-degree 4K High Definition digital video camera. Tombo, which means “dragonfly” in Japanese, symbolizes the capability of All-Seeing-Vision. It provides a full view of both the inside and outside of the vehicle from the vantage point of the rearview mirror.
Rydeen will display the Tombo360 at International CES, January 7-10, 2020 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Suite 2230.
The stunning 10-inch frameless mirror embeds a full-length touchscreen that controls and displays streaming 4K video. The single 360-degree camera streams and records video from all sides of the car. Users can then choose to display the front of the car, sides of the car and the rear seat, for monitoring passengers.
The mirror can also work with a backup camera with HD video quality.
Users can swipe left and right on the mirror to view the particular perspective they wish to see. They can also set the mirror to show split screen views of multiple angles (including left and right-side lanes or front view plus backseat). See quick video clip:
When the DVR mirror is off, it becomes a normal reflective mirror, however, the video recording can continue in the background.
What makes this product so unique is that the Tombo360 can show a 360-degree view simultaneously on all multiple view selections for complete viewing coverage. The Tombo360 mirror can also stream video from behind the car and automatically switch to a rear view when the car is in reverse.
In the future, Rydeen will add 4G/5G capability to the Tombo360, so that it becomes a “virtual technology hub” for any car, including older vehicles. With the optional wireless 4G/5G connection, parents can check on teen drivers in real time, viewing both the car cabin AND the surroundings of the car, or owners may view a parked car’s condition and surroundings at any time. If a car was damaged while parked overnight, the owner can view video footage of the incident directly from the mirror or on their smartphone or tablet from the cloud storage.
Rydeen Mobile Electronics CEO and Founder Phil Maeda said, “Even older vehicles can benefit from cutting edge technology with the Tombo360 mirror. This is the only automotive mirror of its kind that combines both streaming video and a 360-degree camera for views in and around the vehicle,” he continued, “The Tombo360 now becomes the base platform for adding future technology; not only 4G or 5G, but also facial recognition or unattended vehicle security.”
Unlike other 360-degree cameras that present a rounded, “fish-eye,” distorted image, the Tombo360 uses internal processing to flatten the image and present a bright, clear, and realistic view.
Our system uses a Sony Hi-Res CMOS sensor with advanced HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, adjusting lighting conditions for clarity and perfect resolution in any situation. This is important when the outside lighting is bright and sunny, but the inside cabin lighting is darker. Rydeen has overcome this lighting challenge, which continues to plague most other systems.
Users may change the camera angle to face the front. Then the Tombo360 mirror can view the right and left views beyond the A-pillar of a vehicle to see the outside view without obstacles. It can automatically change the screen view for blind spot elimination. The mirror also automatically triggers the optional rear camera when the car is placed in reverse, offering a seamless system for all driving directions.
“This is the first generation of our platform, which will continue to incorporate industry leading technology,” added Maeda.
Rydeen will display the Tombo360 at International CES, January 7-10, 2020 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Suite 2230.
Contact Rydeen at 310-787-7880 or sales@rydeenmoble.com to arrange a meeting or demonstration.
MIAMI GARDENS, FL (12.31.2019) – One of the things DS18 is well known for is their abundance of options for enthusiasts to choose from. The company has a plethora of speakers in every size to provide near unlimited solutions for every possible thought that may come to mind for your install.
The next evolution of their super tweeters is the very sleek PRO-TW920 which handles 150w RMS and 300w maximum power. These are the big brother of their very popular TW-82. These super tweeters are larger, louder, and handle more power.
These monster tweets safely play anything from 2000hz to 20khz to bring the full high range of concert venue sound to your vehicle of choice. They come in sleek black aluminum with black bullet centers with threaded mounting shafts. The shafts are threaded so you can have a flush tweeter or use the shaft to create a directional sound like a more traditional horn driver.
These tweeters come in 4-ohm DCR, have a neodymium magnet, and a sensitivity of 106DB. This correlates to a very loud tweeter on low power and can handle more power much more efficiently.
RINGWOOD, IL. (12.30.2019) – Race Sport Lighting will recognize their top performing dealers, distributors, and sales representatives at their Annual Meeting held on Monday, January 6th, during The CES Show in Las Vegas. Winners will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to CES.
Here are this year’s award categories:
Dealer of the Year
Rep Firm of the Year
Distributor of the Year
Tint World Dealer of the Year
MESA Dealer of the Year
The AAM Group Distributor of the Year
The meeting will also include a rep calibration training. This training will update the Race Sport Lighting sales force on industry trends and deep dive specifically into the lighting category. The training also will cover new technologies and tools Race Sport Lighting will be equipping their reps with in 2020 to continue to deliver valuable assistance to their dealers and distributing partners.
NEW PRODUCTS AT CES
Race Sport will also be releasing three new products at CES. Namely, their new “chasing” LED strips (RS5M5050IP68-C), mini LED spotlights (RS10WMP-S, RS10WMP-F, RS2LED3120), and 7 inch round headlight conversion with multi-color LED accents (RS7RGBBC).
CHATSWORTH, CA (12.30.2019) – CRUX has introduced the CSS-41 – a universal 4 channel video switcher made for front, rear, & side-view cameras for OEM & aftermarket infotainment systems.
UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY: The CRUX CSS-41 is designed to allow for universal compatibility with aftermarket & factory systems (OEM requires interface)
Key Features:
4 camera inputs
Automatic left and right turn signal triggering
Automatic backup to front camera switching
Includes an RF remote control for force viewing of the cameras
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