nectivity Cover Story | Vehicle connectivity is defi ned by its ecosystem of interconnections – assets, applications, systems and people across fl eets, dealers, OEMs, breakdown/call centers and other service event participants. Illustration courtesy of Bosch Properly monitoring vehicle and driver performance used to require a signifi cant investment in costly infrastructure and solutions, and interconnected fl eet management systems were only economical for large fl eet operators due to the high cost of implementation, says Jason Lewis, national sales manager, Panasonic, a provider of mobility solutions (www.panasonic.com). “With the proliferation and rapid development of IoT technology, smaller fl eets can now deploy devices and applications that can optimize operations and compete more eff ectively alongside larger fl eets,” he continues. “IoT levels the playing fi eld, as fl eets now have low-cost mobility alternatives that can participate on many diff erent networks without having to be a planned part of the system.” Fleets have the ability to access up-to-date records of an individual vehicle, regardless of its home base, says Jake Schell, product manager, Commercial Vehicle Group, Mitchell 1, a soft ware service provider that specializes in online automotive repair information, vehicle maintenance, automotive diagnostic data and labor estimating solutions (www.mitchell1.com). “What was recorded in a maintenance facility in one location is instantly available in another,” Schell says. “Th is removes the risk of duplicating maintenance eff orts, as well as provides a record of potential ongoing issues as vehicles travel across the country.” Real-time, contextual data about an asset (i.e. telematics, warranty, service bulletins, preventive maintenance status, detailed build information, service history, etc.) can not only help improve effi ciency and downtime, it also can help reduce complexity and stress. While IoT is a key driver of vehicle connectivity, it is far from the only one. AN ECOSYSTEM OF CONNECTIONS “It’s not just about IoT,” says Michael Riemer, vice president of products and channel marketing, Decisiv, a provider of Service Relationship Management (SRM) solutions for commercial assets (www.decisiv.com). “It’s about an ecosystem of interconnections -- assets, applications, systems and people across fl eets, dealers, OEMs, breakdown/call centers and other service event participants. Th is combination delivers real value across the entire service supply chain.” Advancements in technology and the rise of the Internet of Th ings (IoT) are providing fl eets with realtime information about their vehicles. Th rough instantaneous communications and cutting-edge sensor technology, commercial vehicles can work in concert with the Internet to provide a wealth of data related to safety, effi ciency and performance. How eff ective fl eets are at collecting, analyzing and interpreting this data will go a long way toward determining how well they can leverage it to improve effi ciency and performance, as well as keep their vehicles up and running. REAL-TIME INFORMATION allows for informed maintenance decisions. Continued Page 10 VehicleServicePros.com ❚ JUNE 2016 ❚ FLEET MAINTENANCE 9
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