How Mercedes-Benz Trucks adds further value to the truck of the future through consistent networking – for the benefit of all those involved. A look behind the scenes
Overview 8
Disruptions due to digitalisation, Big Data and automation, increasing goods flows and future legal requirements – how Mercedes-Benz Trucks responds to the changes and harnesses the technical progress for its customers
How Mercedes-Benz Trucks adds further value to the truck of the future through consistent networking – for the benefit of all those involved. A look behind the scenes
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- Digitalisation, Blockchain, Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as driving forces in the logistics sector
- With Fleetboard, Mercedes-Benz Trucks uses the technologies to develop customised solutions to overcome the daily challenges customers face in road freight transport
- Mercedes-Benz Uptime offers real-time diagnosis of the vehicle's technical status, including the trailer
Robots working in the warehouse, process management via Blockchain, useful analysis of unimaginable data quantities via algorithm – the change in the logistics industry is in full swing. New, agile ways of working, such as Scrum or Design Thinking, modern communities, innovation hubs, and start-ups are also playing a part in this. Rarely before have there been so many disruptive developments that all market players have had to deal with, especially in the transport and logistics industry.
These changes are particularly sweeping due to ever-continuing digital networking. Connectivity is already omnipresent in road freight transport, with telematics being the key word here: in the medium term, everybody will communicate with each other, and all devices will share information with each other – for the good of all. When all those participating in this tight-knit communication network receive the correct information at the right time and in the right place, those responsible at Mercedes-Benz Trucks will have achieved their objective.
Fleetboard: a finger on the pulse of time
Connectivity has been part of every truck delivered by Mercedes-Benz since 2013. In terms of connectivity between heavy-duty commercial vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Trucks leads the way with its Fleetboard telematics service. Thanks to around 400 sensors, a modern truck already generates countless pieces of information: its software contains 100 million lines of code – more than in an intercontinental jet. These data can be used to develop services that make road freight transport more effective and efficient.
Mercedes-Benz Uptime grasps the opportunities of the connected transport world
Whereas the Fleetboard telematics service currently focuses on optimising transport and logistics processes and urges drivers to adopt a fuel-saving and powertrain-friendly driving style, Mercedes-Benz Uptime improves vehicle availability and predictability. Mercedes-Benz Uptime is available on the market; however, it will be improved continually in future thanks to increasingly intensive data exchange. One-and-a-half years on from its launch, the trailer's initial technical parameters have already been incorporated, meaning that the vehicle spends as much time as possible on the road and downtime in the workshop is avoided. Mercedes-Benz Uptime continuously monitors the truck's technical status via the on-board Truck Data Centre. The gathered data are analysed automatically and sent directly to service partners and customers along with recommended actions. This can take place at regular intervals on an accumulated basis, e.g. to allow better bundling and optimised scheduling of upcoming repairs and maintenance. This can happen very quickly within just a few minutes: if there is a serious threat of a truck breakdown, the customer is informed immediately. This means that a workshop visit can be arranged along the truck's already planned route, for example – ideally during one of the driver's rest periods and at a workshop that has the required spare parts in stock as this information is included with the recommended actions. Mercedes-Benz Uptime is therefore an ideal example of how digital networking can pay dividends for Mercedes-Benz Trucks customers - in the form of increased vehicle availability.