Omniplus at Busworld Europe 2023 - Omniplus: sustainable, safe, digital and featuring innovative services

• Genuine remanufactured parts– an ecological alternative
• Omniplus 3D printing licence shop: pioneers in the automotive industry
• Second life for high-voltage batteries
• More flexible service contracts
• Omniplus On monitor Performance Analysis for greater safety and sustainability
• Optimised charging processes thanks to Omniplus On Remote Charge Control
• Transport operators benefit from data streams and packages
• Comprehensive vehicle monitoring and analysis data as well as evaluations
• Omniplus On Uptime pro: improved vehicle availability for bus fleets
• New ways to transfer data streams
• TiGR data interface according to international ITxPT standard for Omniplus
• Omniplus eShop and eProcurement: solutions for the digital procurement process
• Omniplus Training also available for hydrogen and high-voltage systems
• Retrofitting digital tachographs

Omniplus, the Daimler Buses service brand, will be showcasing new and proven service solutions at Busworld Europe 2023 in Brussels. In line with the demands of bus and touring coach customers, the service offer focuses on sustainability, safety and digitalisation.

Sustainability doesn't just start when the vehicle is in operation, for example by saving energy. Omniplus has also developed sustainable solutions for the manufacturing process of genuine parts, such as the remanufacturing of parts, 3D printing or a second life for high-voltage batteries. Omniplus training courses which are also part of the Omniplus presentation at Busworld Europe 2023 serve to safeguard the safety of vehicles, passengers and drivers. The new Premium Dynamic and Premium Regional Dynamic service contracts, which allow for dynamic monthly service rates based on the actual mileage of the vehicles, ensure both safety and economy.

Another important focus for Omniplus is digital services, which in the meantime have become an indispensable tool for many bus and touring coach fleet operators to improve availability and economy in the customers' fleets. From the new Omniplus On Performance Analysis and Omniplus On Uptime pro, the service offer for businesses operating their own workshop, to remote-controlled charging management for electric buses, Omniplus is constantly enhancing its digital services and will be showcasing numerous new services at the Busworld Europe 2023 trade fair.

Genuine remanufactured parts – an ecological alternative

With sustainability in mind, it can make sense to operate vehicles for longer. This can lead to an increase in demand for spare parts. However, Omniplus also has a solution ready for this: remanufacturing, or "reman" for short. Genuine parts that have already been used are reconditioned by the manufacturer and given a warranty so that they can continue to be used as genuine remanufactured parts for a long time. In this process, all wear parts and accessories are replaced by genuine new parts. At the same time, careful consideration is given to which components can be reused. Reman parts meet the very highest quality standards and their good environmental balance is also impressive. At the same time, each Mercedes‑Benz or Setra bus or touring coach remains an original after the installation of a reman part from Omniplus. This kind of remanufacturing saves raw materials and reduces CO₂ emissions compared to the production of a new component.

Genuine remanufactured parts from Omniplus enable cost-effective and sustainable repair in line with the current market value of the respective bus or touring coach. Omniplus provides reman parts including engines, transmissions as well as parts and components that are subject to high degrees of wear in buses and touring coaches, such as the air compressor or alternator. The existing range of Omniplus reman propshafts has recently been supplemented by additional models.

Omniplus 3D printing licence shop: pioneers in the automotive industry

When it comes to industrial 3D printing, Daimler Buses is a pioneer throughout the entire automotive industry. Since 2016, the company has been focusing on the opportunities digital manufacturing technology has to offer. In this time, the Omniplus service brand has defined around 40,000 Mercedes‑Benz and Setra bus and touring coach spare parts as 3D-printable and is gradually digitalising them. This creates a kind of digital warehouse that is being continuously expanded. It includes both common genuine parts and rarely required parts to deal with special customer requests.

With 3D printing licence management, Omniplus is taking it one step further. By acquiring a licence, owners of Mercedes‑Benz and Setra buses and touring coaches can quickly and cost-effectively produce numerous spare parts in-house. It merely takes a certified 3D printer, a one-off registration and a purchased licence for the required part in the desired quantity to create a mini parts factory at the bus or touring coach operator's premises. The Omniplus digital warehouse already offers more than 250 of the currently more than 2000 different 3D-printable parts on licence. Further genuine parts as digital licences will follow. Companies without an own 3D printer or operators requiring a part that is not compatible with their existing printer can also contact the nearest Omniplus service partner and communicate their specific needs and requirements. The service partner then acquires the corresponding licence and assumes responsibility for the printing process.

Thanks to the data and the individual assembly instructions (the so-called digital twin) stored in the digital warehouse, and the provision of encrypted 3D printing licences, it is possible to make genuine parts available globally as fast as possible and exactly where they are needed at a specific point in time. The advantages from both an economic and ecological perspective are obvious: faster parts availability, shorter supply chains and cost savings as well as a significant reduction of the CO₂ footprint.

Second life for high-voltage batteries

The life cycle assessment of an eCitaro already scores very high marks throughout its life cycle. However, its CO₂ footprint can be optimised even further, for example by sensibly reusing old batteries as part of the charging infrastructure or in a stationary battery solution on solar and wind farms and, not least, by reclaiming the raw materials for the production of new batteries. Even once the residual capacity of the high-voltage batteries in the eCitaro has dropped to around 80 percent after its specified use and is thus too low for further use in a vehicle, the batteries are still more than adequate for use in stationary systems. In particular batteries boasting NMC technology like those used in the eCitaro are ideally suited for such an application in stationary systems. Together with customers and partners, Omniplus is currently developing a return system to be able to give the high-voltage batteries used in the eCitaro and eCitaro fuel cell a second life in the future.

More flexible service contracts

Omniplus service contracts offer professional service for buses and touring coaches at predictable costs. The optimum service scope for the bus and/or touring coach fleet can be configured individually and in accordance with requirements. Omniplus is breaking new ground by offering the new Premium Dynamic and Premium Regional Dynamic service contracts.

The Omniplus Premium Dynamic Service Contract meets the requirements of bus and touring coach operators for more flexibility to face today's and tomorrow's changes in the bus and touring coach business. Instead of permanently agreed, fixed costs, the monthly rate adjusts to the actual mileage throughout the term of the contract. The dynamic contract structure allows bus and touring coach operators to increase their liquidity as any dips in utilisation rates are automatically reflected in lower service costs – this is a crucial advantage, especially for touring coach operators providing seasonal services at specific points throughout the year.

In addition to maintenance, the Premium Dynamic Service Contract also covers repairs to the entire vehicle and the driveline – including all wear-and-tear repairs, 24h Service and Omniplus On Uptime. Tyres and statutory inspections can be included as additional packages.

With the exception of the 24h Service and Omniplus On Uptime, the Omniplus Premium Regional Dynamic Service Contract covers the same scope of services, but limits the included maintenance and repair work to two regional Omniplus service centres that are defined upon conclusion of the contract.

Omniplus On monitor Performance Analysis for greater safety and sustainability

The Omniplus On monitor Performance Analysis provides fleet managers with a tool that enables them to keep an eye on their drivers' driving style. In this process, the system analyses information about acceleration and braking processes as well as the use of driver assistance systems or idling times during standstill periods when the vehicle is not moving.

The evaluation with so-called scores, divided into EcoScore and SafetyScore, is intended to help identify potential for improvement among the drivers and provide driving recommendations for a more economical and safer driving style. Thanks to the universal assessment with scores, fleet managers can directly compare the driving styles. This is less about controlling the driver and more about increasing passenger safety as well as reducing operating costs. The Performance Analysis can be added in the digital Omniplus On monitor service. It is available for city and intercity buses as well as touring coaches. A version for electric vehicles such as the eCitaro or the eCitaro fuel cell is in the pipeline.

Transport operators benefit from data streams and packages

eBus services from Omniplus are specifically geared towards electric mobility with city buses and supplement the traditional service portfolio by digital solutions. The focus is on continuous and comprehensive monitoring of the entire vehicle technology as well as the operating status and infrastructure down to the last detail to guarantee safe and economical operation. Services adapted and specifically tailored to the eCitaro form the basis.

Omniplus On makes data streams usable for transport operators so that operations run at optimum efficiency. The eCitaro and eCitaro fuel cell communicate with the control centre and vice versa in real time. Whether it's the monitoring of an individual bus or touring coach throughout every second of its operation or the comprehensive analysis of an entire fleet – the continuous flow of data makes it possible.

The Omniplus On portal is the hub in which information on tour data or the current technical status of a bus or touring coach is made available. This includes, for example, energy consumption, the state of charge or the condition of the batteries. Data points can also be integrated by using an interface to companies' existing fleet management systems as well as to the ITCS (Intermodal Transport Control System), used to control route cycles and schedules.

Comprehensive vehicle monitoring and analysis data as well as evaluations

Continuous monitoring of all electric vehicles in real time also includes timely warnings in the event that the battery charge level drops – so that, for example, unforeseen traffic issues or diversions do not lead to a failure as a result of a low charge level.

Consumption analyses not only compare the power consumption of individual vehicles to each other. The available information can also be used to derive causes, such as increased energy consumption during longer standstill periods when the vehicle is not moving and the doors are open in winter or summer, or a low recuperation rate.

Another classic is the continuously ongoing identification of the energy consumption and the energy level on board. In the case of electric city buses, however, this is of much greater importance as a result of the demand from transport operators for more transparency relating to the use of their electric vehicles and a better understanding of the new drive type.

Omniplus On Uptime is on the road to becoming a classic as the continuous monitoring system for all essential technical components. For the eCitaro, Omniplus On Uptime has been supplemented by specific electrical components, such as monitoring the batteries to prevent damage. Comprehensive, detailed monitoring of every single bus is already a reality for the eCitaro today.

Omniplus On Uptime pro: improved vehicle availability for bus fleets

The Omniplus On Uptime pro service is aimed specifically at transport operators running their own workshop. This digital solution provides both fleet management and the workshop with important diagnostic information. Omniplus On Uptime pro permanently monitors all relevant vehicle systems in Mercedes‑Benz and Setra buses and touring coaches. All models available since 2018 can be integrated into Omniplus On Uptime pro.

The Omniplus On Uptime pro service enhances visible data and analyses to include detailed diagnostic data for the company's own workshop, which can thus optimally prepare for upcoming activities, bundle repair and maintenance operations and thus optimise service times. In the web-based Omniplus On portal, workshops are provided with a complete remote diagnosis, showing all active and stored faults as well as environmental data, without having to physically connect the bus to the diagnostic device as before. In addition, dispatchers or fleet managers can rely on real-time information about all the messages and notifications in the driver's display as well as critical status values in the respective vehicle – this significantly reduces misunderstandings between drivers and the backoffice staff.

The user-friendly display in the Omniplus On portal prioritises the analysis data of the entire fleet according to severity and also recommends specific actions. In this way, in the event of non-critical faults, there is firstly no need for complex and expensive vehicle replacements in running operation and, secondly, the system is capable of preventing consequential damage and reducing the extent of damage. Identifying faults remotely also makes life easier for the workshop personnel and cuts service times, as diagnosis no longer has to be carried out manually in the event of a fault notification and there is no longer the need to be physically present at the vehicle.

New ways to transfer data streams

Demand from transport operators for additional vehicle data is growing rapidly, especially in the context of electromobility. Consequently, the current FMS interface in vehicles is no longer able to provide this huge amount of data. Omniplus On provides operators with different data packages according to their individual demands. Customers can choose from 90 to over 350 data points. In addition, a full remote diagnosis can analyse the health status. Transport operators can thus integrate the vehicle data relevant to their needs into their own systems via an interface – easily and without the need to retrofit additional hardware.

The data points have been extensively tested. They meet the highest quality standards and are certified according to the latest cyber security standards, which will become mandatory as from mid-2024, in order to be further processed in the operators' system landscape and used for analysis purposes by them and also by the telematics providers commissioned by the transport operators. More than 13 major European telematics and ITS providers have already incorporated this pioneering technology for data transfer and processing.

TiGR data interface according to international ITxPT standard for Omniplus

Daimler Buses is one of the first vehicle manufacturers in Europe to offer its customers a data interface for remote bus and touring coach monitoring that has been certified according to the universal international standard of ITxPT: the virtual data interface TiGR (Telediagnostic for intelligent Garage in Real Time). Thanks to the harmonised interface with a universal transfer protocol, transport operators can now simplify vehicle analyses and receive a homogeneous data basis for their entire fleet.

Since June 2023, Daimler Buses has been offering the Omniplus On ITxPT TiGR data package for all Mercedes‑Benz and Setra buses and touring coaches. With this new virtual data interface, transport operators now have optimum communication with all ITxPT-compliant devices in the back office. A further advantage is that essential data points, such as fuel and energy consumption, are already calculated before being made available. This facilitates data processing and increases added value. In addition, the virtual interface provides more data than the physical FMS interface and therefore forms a good basis for analyses and more efficient fleet management.

With the standardised TiGR vehicle data interface, local public transport operators can handle different telematics and analysis systems more flexibly. The compatible system opens up more opportunities and, at the same time, saves costs on additional hardware. As more and more telematics service providers are already ITxPT-certified, the connection between the interfaces is established in no time at all and ensures cost-effective integration into the system environment for transport operators. The TiGR standard ensures that the data volume transmitted is always of the highest quality. It can therefore be used both for comprehensively analysing data and for integrating third-party systems.

The new interface has been developed and tested in cooperation with and in line with the demands of many local public transport operators together with the ITxPT organisation co-initiated by the UITP. It goes without saying that the TiGR interface also meets the highest data privacy and security standards.

Optimised charging processes thanks to Omniplus On Remote Charge Control

With the new digital, bidirectional Remote Charge Control service, Omniplus On offers operators of electric bus fleets operational vehicle preparation. This means that electric buses can be charged and preconditioned to be ready exactly when they are needed with hardly any effort. The digital service for electric bus fleets runs independently of the charging infrastructure and helps boost the vehicle's range and the batteries' service life thanks to preconditioning. It is also possible to set a certain maximum battery charge level to protect the battery, as well as define the scheduled departure time of each individual bus in line with preconditioning in order to have the full battery charge available for operation.

With Remote Charge Control, fleet managers are provided with an efficient service tool to make sure quickly and easily that the electric bus fleet is ready exactly at the point of time when they need it. This also includes selecting the type of preconditioning, i.e. heating, cooling or ventilation. The vehicle is preconditioned at the depot so that it starts the day perfectly prepared. This means that all batteries are charged on time at the start of operation and the vehicle interior has already been preheated or precooled to the desired temperature. Economic benefits: batteries can be charged more sparingly and this extends their service life. In addition, more energy is available from the start, which makes longer scheduled route cycles possible. This also brings about added passenger comfort: thanks to optimally adapted temperatures in the vehicle interior, passengers immediately feel at home.

Remote Charge Control is an optionally available Omniplus On digital service component. It allows certain vehicle functions to be controlled remotely. Functions are accessed using a digital interface (API) that is also compatible with third-party systems if they support V2ICP. Remote Charge Control can also be used without the V2ICP standard, as the control system also runs independently of the charging infrastructure. However, compatibility with the existing charging technology must be verified in individual cases.

Omniplus eShop and eProcurement: solutions for the digital procurement process

For the past four years, Omniplus has been successfully offering customers and service outlets efficient solutions for the digitalisation of procurement with the Omniplus On digital service platform. The Omniplus eShop offers a convenient shopping experience to identify and order the correct spare parts from the entire Omniplus spare parts portfolio. Customers can use several ordering channels, such as the integrated BusParts Catalog, and are shown the availability and the customer-specific price directly in the ordering process. Since its relaunch in 2019, the Omniplus eShop has undergone continuous further development and offers customers an e-commerce platform based on state-of-the-art technology. This includes components such as global and country-specific campaigns, packages or intelligent part suggestions in order to make customers' and service outlets' purchasing processes as efficient as possible.

In terms of eProcurement, Omniplus is also gaining popularity throughout Europe. Thanks to the integration of up to four digital interfaces, bus and touring coach customers can now connect their ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning) to the Omniplus eShop. As a result, genuine parts for buses and touring coaches can be identified and ordered directly from the ERP system. Digital interfaces make the purchasing process easier and even more efficient.

In addition to a catalogue interface to the Omniplus eShop for parts identification and the order interface to send orders as part of an automated process, the Omniplus eProcurement portfolio will, in future, include two new interfaces: a net price and an availability interface, which will particularly support customers when restocking. Using the net price interface, individual prices for genuine parts can be requested from Daimler Buses Service Centres with the Omniplus BusWorld classification. The information is directly displayed in the ordering system. The system takes customer-specific conditions and promotional discounts into account, so that the correct price is guaranteed. In addition, the availability interface at authorised Omniplus service outlets can be used to check the currently available stock before placing the order.

When implementing eProcurement interfaces, the focus is on the individual procurement processes. This is why competent and experienced teams of Omniplus experts support every connectivity project in order to respond flexibly to customer requirements and implement the interfaces into the customers' systems in the best possible way as part of efficiently structured projects.

Nowadays 70 percent of all procured spare parts are handled digitally using Omniplus On.

Omniplus Training also available for hydrogen and high-voltage systems

The Omniplus ExpertHandling Training teaches drivers how to interpret and make optimum use of vehicle systems. Thanks to the consistent use of state-of-the-art driver assistance systems in the new Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro fuel cell, this bus makes an additional contribution to the economic efficiency of bus operators. This training course is intended to familiarise participants with the opportunities and functions of these new technologies and to apply them correctly.

Repair and maintenance work in workshops requires workshop staff to always be highly qualified and up-to-date in terms of the latest technical developments. At the Omniplus WorkshopTraining, participants benefit from the knowledge and qualifications of the bus experts – this ensures smooth and economical workshop operations as well as a bus fleet in top shape.

As from 2024, existing Omniplus high-voltage training courses will be supplemented by new training courses relating to hydrogen. The exact training content and training dates are available on the Omniplus website at https://www.omniplus.com/de/support/training/workshoptraining/. These training courses will be held at the new Mannheim Customer Campus and in the training centre in Dortmund.

Retrofitting digital tachographs

As from autumn 2023, Omniplus will offer retrofit solutions for the latest generation of digital tachographs (DTCO 4.1). The background to this is an EU regulation according to which trucks as well as buses and touring coaches operating across borders and still fitted with analogue or digital tachographs of an older standard must be retrofitted with digital tachographs meeting the new standard by December 31, 2024. Exceptions are vehicles that are used in cross-border operations and already have a first-generation intelligent tachograph (DTCO 4.0) installed; the period to convert these is longer (September 2025 at the latest).

Retrofitting is offered at all certified Omniplus service workshops. If certified workshops take care of the conversion, this already promises high quality and efficiency in order processing and, above all, guarantees a faultless integration into the vehicle electronics.

However, the new, smart tachograph itself also offers a number of advantages. In addition to improved performance, increased anti-tamper protection and automatic documentation on the driver card, it also offers the option of being much easier to operate later on by means of a Bluetooth interface using an app compared with the current process involving the four control buttons on the device. The implementation of the currently applicable legislation as well as the automatic and accurate identification of the vehicle's position using the new GNSS sensor also simplifies cross-border operations.