Off-highway OEMs must exploit modern telematics solutions to remain competitive
Welcome to the fourth industrial revolution – Are You Keeping Pace?
Executive Summary
The pressure on modern businesses to increase revenues and profitability while reducing costs is unrelenting, and smart players are leveraging every asset at their disposal.
Savvy OEM’s in the off-highway space are exploiting the valuable insights modern telematics delivers to drive financial performance, increase efficiency, and deliver real benefits to their end-users.
Similarly, organizations that fail to keep pace with technologies such as telematics are likely to get left behind in today’s intensely competitive, globalized marketplaces.
This white paper explores what constitutes a state-of-the-art Telematics Solution, which features are critical to success, and summarizes the many benefits an OEM (and their customers) can derive from partnering with the right Telematics Solution Provider.
Exploiting modern telematics is becoming less a matter of choice and more a necessity for OEMs who want to remain competitive in an environment where even a small edge can make the difference between success and failure.
The fourth industrial revolution
We’re accelerating towards an era unparalleled in our human history where everyone and everything is connected. This “connectivity” fueled by Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, The Internet of Things, Robotics, and Telematics Solutions holds the key to securing a competitive advantage across multiple industries and vertical markets.
In our rapidly changing world, the advances that open the floodgates to exploitable intelligence (big data) are happening right now and widely referred to as the fourth industrial revolution.
Rapid advances in computing during the 1980s led the previous (3rd) Industrial Revolution preceded by electricity and steam.
In the fourth Industrial Revolution, the right Telematics Solution, developed with an experienced partner, delivers measurable benefits such as cost reduction, revenue generation, enhanced security and exploitable insights across your entire organization.
A practical example
Remote diagnostics in real-time delivers cost savings by reducing the time service personnel physically spend on site. Instead of collecting diagnostic information in the field, the service technician can remotely connect to the electronic control system of the heavy-duty mobile machinery remotely via the service tool.
Furthermore, revenue generation opportunities open up via new service contracts based on usage, and security through preventative maintenance and remote ECU (Electronic Control Unit) updates. Insights inform predictive maintenance and give valuable information on actual machine usage.
The OEM Value Matrix
Telematics data can be utilized by nearly every business unit and hence should be introduced to the entire organization for a complete digital transformation. The following value matrix sets out how various departments across the entire OEM business benefit from a modern Telematics Solution. It specifically looks at Service, Sales, and Engineering and highlights some additional benefits that the OEM‘s customers will appreciate.
Explore the advantages of a modern telematics solution. For both you, the manufacturer of mobile machines, and your customers, a connectivity solution offers new opportunities for you to position your business for success in the age of digital transformation.
Now let’s explore the Components of a state-of-the-art Telematics Platform in detail, including the features that deliver real benefits and inform decision making across the entire OEM business.
Components of a State-of-the-Art Telematics Platform
The flow of data from collection to visualization and management by end-users is as follows:
A hardware gateway, which is installed in the machine, receives the raw data from the machine’s ECUs directly via the CAN bus. This data is then transmitted via the celluar network to a cloud platform, where it is processed, stored and analyzed. Any data can be retrieved via a well-defined application programming interface (API). By utilizing the API, the machine data and fleet data is served to user interfaces such as a web portal or mobile app, and to be integrated with any other 3rd party solutions or cloud-to-cloud integrations. Note that the data flow is bi-directional, allowing a user (or application) to also send commands or files from the cloud directly to the hardware gateway.
In summary:
- Hardware Gateway for edge computing and data transmission;
- Telecoms SIM Provider for cellular connection;
- Cloud Platform for data processing and big data storage;
- User Interfaces for user interaction.
The diagram below graphically illustrates the components found in a state-of-the-art Telematics Platform.
6 critical features of a State-of-the-Art Telematics Platform
For OEM’s in the off-highway space to truly benefit from the valuable insights a state-of-the-art Telematics Solution delivers, certain end-to-end features should be inherent in the platform, for example:
Cloud-based
A robust data platform built for enterprises and to perform at scale with global access to your machines‘ CAN data via the internet.
Edge computing
Allows for the data to be filtered and processed on the device before it is sent to the cloud to overcome network latency, enable autonomous computation, and reduce bandwidth cost.
End-to-End Security
Strong cybersecurity protocols are vital for safe serial production roll-out.
Open API-based access
To unlock the full potential data needs to be accessible to different consumer systems, including Apps, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Business Intelligence (BI).
Bi-directional Data Communication
Essential web-to-device communication needed to unlock services and perform parameter changes, remote over-the-air updates (FOTA, COTA) and remote CAN diagnosis (real-time).
Real-time Communication
Critical for remote diagnostics, for example to connect directly to the machine’s CAN bus via an OEM service tool.
Keeping pace with the fourth industrial revolution
The right Telematics Solution, developed with the right partner, can deliver real and measurable benefits to OEMs, including cost reduction, revenue generation, enhanced security, and valuable, exploitable insights.
Forward-thinking OEM’s in the off-highway space are keeping pace with developments in modern telematics and seizing the opportunity to stay one step ahead of their competition.
The question now is, do you have the right partner to help you keep pace with the fourth industrial revolution?
Proemion, the naturally preferred Partner
We understand that as an Off-highway OEM, you must choose your perfect partner carefully.
They should be positioned to help you fully exploit modern Telematics Solutions to generate value across the various departments of your business and generate a competitive edge.
We believe Proemion is uniquely qualified to deliver value to your organization, and, to illustrate this, here are answers to some of the questions you may be asking yourself right now:
Proemion has been at the forefront of telematics for more than 30 years, and we continue to lead the way in the development and operation of secure telematics devices, software, and services.
We empower our global customer base to control their vehicles and machinery securely from anywhere in the world.
We offer all the components required for a complete “end-to-end” Telematics Solution; we believe this makes us the perfect partner.
Proemion has the experience and human resources to work on any telematics project from conception, to design and from implementation to hand over.
Our high-end, customized services include:
- Sharing best practices, white papers, legal templates, developing custom code & algorithms, and more;
- Utilizing sales and FAE groups to provide additional advice to customers covering diverse areas of expertise;
- An ongoing program to build centers of competence with dedicated industry experts, such as in the field of Cyber Security, Artificial intelligence, or legal, to benefit our customers
The hardware gateway comes with a global roaming contract that covers many countries in the world. If the machine is temporarily out of mobile coverage, the gateway can internally store data points.
Proemion has long been recognized as an industry leader when it comes to delivering Telematics Solutions securely and in line with industry best practices. Our organizationwide Security Program helps us uncover and address potential security issues as early as possible, ensuring we provide our customers with a high level of assurance in the delivery of our Telematics Solutions.
Questions?
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