The future of the commercial vehicle industry is going to be dictated by three global megatrends – autonomous, connected and electrification. WABCO, a leader in braking and control systems, offers solutions right from conventional braking systems up to advanced technologies like ABS, EBS and more. While WABCO’s leadership position in braking systems is well known globally, were you aware that the brand offers one of the most reliable, comprehensive and fool-proof telematics solutions that have helped fleets achieve significant savings around the world?
Foray into Telematics
In 2013, WABCO acquired Transics which marked its entry into the world of telematics. The company unveiled its first WABCO-branded telematics product in 2015 and soon started making in-roads in the segment. Two years later, in 2017, WABCO acquired AssetTrackr, a telematics solutions provider in India which gave it added expertise in the field and more importantly, access to a large customer base of fleets across the country.
Leveraging its engineering capability, WABCO India has launched a telematics solution tailor-made for the Indian market, that has been indigenously designed, developed and validated in Europe. The WABCO approach involves creating a digital ecosystem around its Fleet Solutions through which requirements pertaining to spares, diagnostics & repair, productivity enhancement, and many other aspects are addressed. In short, WABCO’s aim is to offer fleets a differentiated range of solutions that connects the entire ecosystem. The company is striving to create unique value by helping road transportation become radically leaner, greener and safer.
A solution fleets can rely on
The heart of the WABCO FMS is its telematics ECU which is the data collection unit fitted on the vehicle. The unit is connected with the engine, transmission, brake and other important systems in the vehicle and comes with provisions for integration of additional sensors.
In the Indian context, driven by the AIS 140 regulation, many players offer a low-cost telematics device that is basically just a track and trace unit. On the other hand, leveraging its strength in data analytics, WABCO is able to provide a much more comprehensive solution that delivers tremendous value to fleets.
From a safety perspective, not many realize the criticality of the telematics unit, given the fact that it has a battery within. WABCO being an expert in vehicular safety has included many safety features within its telematics solution for maximum protection. Also, the WABCO telematics hardware is a purely automotive-grade unit while many others in the market are industrial grade devices which are more susceptible to damage due to the high levels of vibration in the vehicle. From a data security angle too, the WABCO device is completely tamper-proof, making it arguably the most dependable solution available in the market today.
Another aspect where WABCO scores an edge over the competition is the authenticity of the data and information it provides since it has direct access to data from the vehicle ECU and also from the sensors of different control systems in the vehicle. Most of the other telematics solution providers face a serious roadblock in this regard.
Focus on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) reduction
With the Indian CV market indicating a clear paradigm shift of from the initial cost to the total cost of ownership (TCO), more fleets are understanding the importance of equipping their vehicles with a reliable telematics device which might cost higher up front but deliver greater value in the long run through significant cost savings. Such a change is perfectly in sync with WABCO’s approach since its solutions focus on reducing the TCO for fleets.
Since all the data and devices pertaining to WABCO’s Fleet Solutions are connected on cloud, the company has the flexibility to offer a pay-per-use model through which fleet customers can add/remove features at any point of time as per their choice without modifying the hardware. WABCO India also has an ISO 27001 certified Data Centre in Chennai where its back-end team offers a service of monitoring vehicles on behalf of its customers and provides them alerts in case anything goes wrong.
Runaway success
WABCO India’s Fleet Solutions have been deployed across different vehicle application segments including trailers, school buses, logistics, car carriers, and general haulage, to name a few. Over 15,000 vehicles equipped with WABCO telematic systems are running successfully pan-India, with strong after-sales support through the company’s 260+ authorized service centers across the country.
The results WABCO India has achieved with fleets have been remarkable. For starters, it has proved that by optimizing fuel filling pattern, fleets can save around one percent fuel. Based on the company’s market experiences thus far, it has claimed that telematics can help fleets reduce about two to five percent of their expenses only through fuel savings.
Tyres are the second biggest cost driver of a fleet and every manager looks towards optimizing this cost. WABCO India’s FMS solution integrated with WABCO tyre pressure monitoring system can help fleets to extend tyre life by 10 percent and also bring additional fuel savings.
The company’s Fleet Solutions have also helped fleets overcome common problems such as fuel pilferage and detecting driver behavior and vehicular defects, which are presented to customers as facts substantiated with data and potential cost savings.
While it has seen runaway success with fleet operators, on the OEM side, WABCO India’s FMS solutions already running on two leading global OEMs vehicles in India. One of the OEM’s has even integrated the FMS solution with their ERP system, providing an end-to-end visibility and benefits.
The bottomline is quite clear. Through its Fleet Solutions, WABCO is helping enhance the efficiency of the CV industry, reduce accidents and thereby save precious lives, all of which contribute in a big way in improving the country’s GDP. Though relatively new in the field of telematics, growing awareness among fleets is helping WABCO gain better traction in the market.
WABCO’s Fleet Solutions have been built around five pillars:
- Maintenance management: Remote diagnostics, repair solutions, collaborative cloud network, connected service chains, etc.
- Load & cargo management: Weight & volume sensing, remote door lock, trailer telematics, freight brokerage etc.
- Driver management: Driver engagement, driver behavior, driving training and ADAS integration, etc.
- Planning management: Route optimization, operations management, enhancing productivity, last-mile delivery planning, etc.
- Fuel management: Monitoring fuel consumption, fuel filling pattern, fuel smart payment, etc.