Officialized on December 2, 2025, the acquisition of Ocean by Shiftmove is a major new operation in the world of telematics. It allows the German-Swiss company to reach 730,000 vehicles managed in Europe, including 380,000 in France. The ambition is to pass one million in 2027.
It's official, Orange Business is selling its subsidiary of telematics Ocean to Shiftmove. The discussions between the various parties had been made public at the end of April 2025. They had already begun several months ago. This operation is part of a massive movement to consolidate the telematics sector in Europe, in which Shiftmove intends to become a major player.
The German-Swiss company, supported by the American investment fund Battery Ventures, emerged on the market at the end of October 2024 with The acquisition of Optimum Automotive, a company then managed and owned by Daniel Vassallucci. At the end of this first takeover, it claimed nearly 550,000 vehicles under management at European level, for 250 employees and 18,000 client companies.
730,000 vehicles managed in Europe
With the acquisition of Ocean, Shiftmove enters a new dimension, in particular by adding 180,000 vehicles and 8,000 customers to its portfolio. The group created in 2023 from the merger of Avrios and Vimcar now employs more than 500 employees and supports 27,000 customers in the management of 730,000 vehicles in Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Switzerland, Italy and France) in Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Switzerland, Italy and France), including 380,000 in France. The goal of one million set for 2027 is no longer far away.
Francine Gervazio, CEO of Shiftmove, is amused by the fact that a year ago,”Nobody knew us in France“ . “Now, she continues, we are the leader in telematics in the country, we want to change the situation. The arrival of Ocean strengthens our ecosystem and accelerates the transition to connected, intelligent and largely automated fleet operations.”
For the manager, the margin for improvement in France is colossal. “Only 20% of businesses use telematics“, she recalls. The acquisition first of Optimum and then of Ocean gives Shiftmove an unprecedented strike force. In addition, Avrios is a fleet management software that competes with Gac Technology in particular. The conquest system is in place.
For Ocean, the benefits of such an operation seem less obvious at first glance. But Stéphane Peycelon, its managing director, paints a clear picture. “Orange Business bought Ocean ten years ago, it starts. Since then, we have integrated ourselves into the group's other offers, while remaining fairly independent. We have never really succeeded in benefiting from synergies, whether technological or business, with Orange Business. This was the reality that jumped out at me two years ago when I arrived..”
Ocean by Shiftmove
This observation was undoubtedly shared at the level of the group, which decided to”refocus on its main activities, which are connectivity, cybersecurity and mobility“, confides Stéphane Peycelon. Once the decision was made to sell Ocean, the objective was to join forces with a Pure Player of telematics and Fleet Management in order to”finally be able to develop synergies“.
“The scale of Shiftmove, its technological power and its ambitious vision naturally reinforce Ocean's role on the French market. Together, we will be in a position to bring more innovation, richer data analyses and solutions capable of adapting to the future challenges of fleets, in France and in Europe.“, continues the CEO of Ocean.
Stéphane Peycelon therefore declares to be”Very happy that this deal is finally coming“and adds that”the Ocean teams are eager to start in this new group“. The synergies will obviously not be immediate, as the merger of the two entities is only just beginning. However, the first visible change is that of the name. Ocean becomes Ocean by Shiftmove, as was the case before for Optimum. A first step towards a future meeting under the Shiftmove banner.
This operation reminds us how the telematics sector is changing. Shiftmove is no stranger to this, but other structuring buyouts are in progress. Recently, Geotab, the world's largest, announced it was acquiring Verizon Connect's global business operations in Australia and Europe.
Posted on December 2, 2025 | By Damien Chalon
