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Copyright © 2001 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission from the publishers. Views published are not necessarily those of the publishers. |
FleetWatch publisher and editor,
Patrick O'Leary, returned recently from the IAA Show in Hanover, Germany, with a box-load of brochures announcing the arrival of Fleet Management/Telematics Systems marketed under the banner of truck OEMs, most notably DaimlerChrysler, Volvo, MAN, Scania, DAF and Iveco.
Paul Collings asked three of South Africa's leading FM system developers for their comments on what could be construed as a serious threat to their market share. Deon du Rand, DigiCore: OEMs have been trying for many years with limited success to add Telematics on an OEM-fitted basis or as an optional product. The fact is that very few fleets are uniform, meaning that the fleet manager and his operators have to be trained to use and support a number of fleet information systems within fleet vehicles and on the desktop. The big advantage with a comprehensive 3rd party system like the DigiCore C-track system, is that a client has one system and a uniform information base, irrespective of the vehicle type or the C-track unit installed in a particular vehicle. Baden Wehmeyer, CI-OmniBridge: Fleets are most often mixed and not tied to a single OEM. Aftermarket OBCs are specifically designed to 'fit' any truck/vehicle out there, and the functionality is built with the needs of the fleet operator or manager in mind as apposed to being crafted around the specific features of the truck itself. OEM-based OBCs are more suited for built-in safety, infotainment, navigation and remote diagnostics. The fleet management requirements of driver behaviour management and vehicle usage are not the primary focus for these OEM solutions. Charl Alberts, Observer Technologies: Fleet operators would love having their FM system OEM-fitted and included in the cost of the vehicle. They would prefer not to have two software systems to operate the FM systems in their fleets, but right now, they don't have a choice.
Jacques Brummer, Power Protect: One will find that most of these OEM-fitted systems will initially be limited to the upper end of the truck market so the impact on our market might not be that large. Secondly most large-scale operators are currently using existing systems and to incorporate these OEM systems may prove very difficult.
FW: With many of the afore-mentioned companies (OEMs and FM system providers) enjoying ongoing partnerships in South Africa, will the new competitor technologies jeopardize these business relationships? DdR: DigiCore's performance has shown it can successfully combine technology and customer relations into a solid, growing business. We can obviously not rest on our laurels, and intend to lead again with innovative solutions should these new technologies become a threat to our company. BW: These competitors are helping us progress by creating more awareness about the benefits of the technology, but they have a long way to go before being able to establish real business value to fleet owners. The compelling solutions do not lie within the isolated realm of the OBC and its 'hard-coded' functionality, but rather in offering an open, extensible, complete service solution. The black box is just part of such a solution. CA: The way the respective companies address the situation will determine the impact of new competitor technologies. I foresee an opportunity for local FM companies to integrate their operating software with OE-fitted units, offering a single package.
JB: Forward or backward integration by any company always runs the risk of jeopardizing business relationships. The real issue for me lies in the ability of these systems to integrate into the FM/tracking industry. Adoption of new competitor technologies ultimately lies in the hands of consumers and generally they will not run two separate systems. They will want a new system to integrate with the systems they are currently using, bringing added functionality without any hassles. This being said, keeping close relationships with OEMs is important to ensure our systems remain compatible with their vehicles.
FW: The development of CANbus technology by truck OEMs has promised aftermarket system developers a standardised platform and protocol (the FMS-Standard). Word from many local Fleet Management System developers is that CANbus systems are not easily 'plugged into' by 3rd party devices. What has your experience been getting locally supplied Fleet Management Systems to integrate with today's 'technology truck', its CANbus/OBC and what have the ramifications been as far as warranty issues are concerned of 'tampering' with the truck's factory-fitted 'black box'? DdR: DigiCore has integrated its C-track system with number of CAN-based engine management units and at least one OEM has officially verified and signed off a DigiCore integrated system and the information acquired via the vehicle CANbus. Not all suppliers support the full J1939 CANBus specification, thus every unit type must be verified before the information can be used. BW: Mainstream adoption of CAN is a relatively recent event, however only some OEM consortiums are conforming to implementing common protocol standards above the physical and transport layers; FMS is one consortium. Passenger vehicles, including bakkies and vans, do not implement the same CAN standard as found in commercial trucks. Implementations even differ within a single automaker. Also, interpretations of parameters continue to vary. What's more, new vehicle 'bus' standards (alongside CANbus) are emerging, such as Flexray and MOST. OEMs are not keen to provide 'open' CAN interfaces for aftermarket fitments as it adds to the total complexity and cost of their platforms. Some, such as Volvo, do offer a Gateway at a hefty cost. For each OEM implementation, we as designers of a common platform, now have to do very specific integration projects and provide OEM specific packages for Scania, Volvo, MAN, etc. CA: To date, it has been virtually impossible to get any CAN-bus information from the vehicle manufacturers. In most cases the local technicians do not have the detailed knowledge about the data protocols required, and in other instances the manufacturers are loath to disclose information about their product.
JB: CANbus isn't that new and the integration is relatively simple. We have a FM system that was developed in 1997 that provides for this type of link. The issue remains more with the OEM giving us the strings to enable systems integration. The other issue is that each OEM uses different formats that also differ from model to model. Regarding the warranty issue, it is relatively simple for the OEM to install a repeater that duplicates all the information in a secure one way environment where the CANbus only sends information with no commands sent to it. This would resolve any warranty issues.
FW: Should local FM system developers work closer with truck OEMs to 'piggyback' on their CANbus platform, or should they steer clear of integration with engine management systems and fit their own 'stand-alone' monitoring devices to the vehicle? DdR: As mentioned above, the CANbus integration is feasible and recommended since it improves the reliability of the onboard system and leads generally to more consistent data. Taking the Integration one step further allows the fault codes and engine diagnostic information to be reported. BW: It will become increasingly more difficult for makers of aftermarket black boxes to be competing in the future without having strategic alliances with OEMs. Most of the FM OBC black box businesses will move away from providing their own hardware into providing software modules that run on the OEMs on-board computers. This is why AutoSAR will become more and more important over the next decade. CA: The FM system developers must work closely with truck OEMs because pretty soon no analogue signals will be available on the new vehicles to monitor. Most FM systems require speed/distance and RPM pulses and some vehicles already have the information only available on the CANbus. JB: The real benefits of FM technology will leap frog from where they are now, by integrating with the OEM's CANbus system. There will be far-reaching positive information for the client and the expanded real-time management capabilities of these FM systems will really bear fruit. The benefits would include proactive maintenance, reduced downtime, reduced driver abuse and much more.
FW: In your opinion, will OE-fitted FM systems threaten our local FM/Tracking industry to any great extent? DdR: We believe that the OEM-fitted units will affect the smaller FM and black box suppliers, companies that sell electronic hardware. DigiCore, through is Bureau, Communication Gateway and C-track system, provides an end to end Fleet Management, tracking and SVR service, allowing a logistics company to have full access to real time, historical and trend information without getting its hands dirty with onboard units, GSM networks and IT problems. BW: As I have said before, yes, and, no. Yes, with regards to electronics, and no, with regards to full service solution provisioning. In short, the business of FM providers is moving more and more towards services. CA: They will hamper sales of FM systems for new trucks, but there will always be vehicles to be fitted with aftermarket FM systems. However, it is obvious that future opportunities lie in working in partnership with the OEMs. JB: We do believe the initial impact will be very small and local FM companies that are looking to improve on their value offering will need to respond accordingly and be pioneers in embracing the benefits these imported technology offerings. The only threat would be ignorance on the part of any party concerned. OEMs need to fully understand the capabilities of their systems and not sell vague functionalities, and customers need to be aware of what is on offer, ask questions and demand full delivery on promises made.
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