What is FTI?
VERY important answers to VERY important questions by Wade Beebe.
Wade Beebe is Firstech’s Technical Support and Product Manager, and oversees the development of FTI solutions. Wade has over 20 years of 12-volt industry experience and all-around nice guy.
What does FTI stand for?
FTI stands for “Firstech Integration”, which represents Firstech’s new lineup of FTI Harnesses for BLADE applications. These harnesses will be compatible with all CM-7 and CM900 control modules installed with a BLADE-AL bypass module.
Firstech Integration Harnesses were developed in-house by our award-winning technical support team whose members’ combined retail and installation experience exceeds 100 years! We know our sh-tuff. Stuff. We know our stuff!
Every FTI Harness was designed with a focus on install efficiency, peace of mind, and consumer protection. We wanted to offer more bench prep options, while reducing the amount of time that installers spent under the vehicle’s dash during an install. Each harness also utilizes optimal power and ground locations, eliminating concern of disabling a vehicle in the event of an issue.
Why should I care about FTI Harnesses?
If you’re a seasoned, veteran installer with 15+ years of experience, you may not be interested in FTI Harnesses, which is 100% OK with us. However, consider three facts facing our industry.
- Good, well-trained installers are hard to find
- The remote start season is getting shorter as winter starts later in the year
- Customers coming back to the store with complaints cost everybody time and money
If your business has been negatively impacted by any of these three facts, FTI Harnesses may be beneficial for your team for these three simple reasons:
- FTI Harnesses are easier to install, making them a great solution for greener, younger installers to ease into the complexities of remote start
- Faster installs means more jobs done in less time. Great for packing in appointments during your busiest months. Plus, many shops will sell t-harnesses as an installation upgrade “designed for the customer’s vehicle”.
- Reliable and optimized connections to greatly reduce installation error and thus, reduce customer complaints
Who is Firstech?
Firstech was first started as a retail store in Anchorage, Alaska in 1998. Our company’s founder, Jason Lee, saw an opportunity to improve a product in remote starter, which were a necessity during the cold Alaskan winters. Over the past 20 years, our company has committed to providing the best product experience for our customers, installers, and partners.
Today, Firstech is headquartered in Kent, Washington about 15 miles south of Seattle.
How and when can I buy some FTI Harnesses?
We’ll start shipping FTI Harnesses in September 2019 in limited quantities, and they will be available from us directly on www.myFirstech.com or from your regional Firstech distributor. Contact your Firstech Sales rep for more info.
Will 2020 be the year that you shave your legendary beard?
Not a chance.