WABCO, a global supplier of technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, will introduce its remote diagnostics pilot for commercial vehicle fleets at Automechanika Frankfurt 2016 as part of its showcase of industry-leading technologies, products and service solutions. The event, known as one of the automotive service industry’s leading trade fairs, will take place from September 13-17, 2016 at Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany.
Remote diagnostics monitors the technical performance of medium and heavy duty commercial vehicles on the road. The system enables fleet operators to detect onboard system failure modes early and optimize vehicle maintenance schedules. WABCO’s remote diagnostics solution is the first in Europe to offer fleet operators a remote diagnostics platform that supports multiple brands of commercial vehicles and integrate it within a fleet management system (FMS). Therefore, WABCO’s solution simplifies fleet management by eliminating the need to learn, operate and support various remote diagnostic systems associated with corresponding commercial vehicle brands.
WABCO’s remote diagnostics leverages the unique synergies between WABCO, WABCOWÜRTH Workshop Services and Transics International, a WABCO company and the leading fleet management solutions provider in Europe. The system links data from WABCO’s world-class braking, stability and vehicle dynamics control systems for trucks and trailers with Transics’ industry-leading fleet management platform, and WABCOWÜRTH’s comprehensive, multi-brand diagnostic technology.
Co-developed with WABCOWÜRTH, WABCO’s remote diagnostics works with Transics TX-SKY on-board computers to monitor all electronic vehicle systems including engine control, braking, air suspension and driver assistance. Data is transmitted to Transics’ fleet management back office software platform, TX-CONNECT, which analyzes and translates it into easy-to-understand maintenance and service information within the FMS portal. Thereby, WABCO’s remote diagnostics solution helps to increase vehicle uptime by avoiding failures, reducing unplanned maintenance and optimizing service scheduling.
“WABCO and its partners are simplifying remote diagnostics for commercial fleet operators by enabling them to use one system seamlessly for multiple vehicle brands,” said Didier Nulens, Global Sales, Services and Marketing Leader, Transics International. “We are excited to introduce this latest innovation to enhance connectivity and help commercial fleets maximize asset utilization and improve operational efficiency.”
“WABCO’s remote diagnostics takes vehicle connectivity to the next level, making it possible to solve problems and apply solutions in real time,” said Christian Loidolt, General Manager, WABCOWÜRTH. “This system streamlines remote diagnostics for fleet operators, so they have more time to focus on their core business.”
“We are very pleased to be among the first to test WABCO’s remote diagnostics solution in a real-world environment,” said Andreas Manke, Fleetmanager and Controller, Bartkowiak GmbH, which is currently participating in WABCO’s Remote Diagnostics pilot program. “We are especially enthusiastic about moving from numerous different platforms to a single solution that works for all our vehicles from various manufacturers. As we gain experience with the system, we are discovering more opportunities to improve vehicle uptime and overall efficiency.”
Remote diagnostics represents an important step in bringing vehicle connectivity closer to a future model of predictive maintenance. Under a predictive model, data collected from equipment sensors provides the foundation for calculating future performance, enabling maintenance schedules to be determined by analysis rather than by a prescribed timeline. Predictive maintenance reduces downtime by identifying issues before failures occur, enabling efficient service scheduling, and streamlining root cause analysis.
