Continental Commercial Specialty Tires (CST) will unveil a new telematics solution at TOC Europe 2015, entitled the ‘ContiFlexBox’.
PTI previously reported on the launch of Continental Tires’ ContiPressureCheck, which will be complimented by the new solution by collecting and deploying tire-and vehicle-referenced data, and forwarding it on to a central server.
This new addition seeks to expand on Continental’s comprehensive product portfolio to include a telematics solution for the efficient management of vehicle fleets.
The ContiFlexBox will be suitable for use in vehicles operating in a huge range of different industrial sectors. In particular port operations, where fast loading times and short downtimes are vital, the new telematics system provides many advantages including the minimisation of costly tire and vehicle damage.
Julian Alexander, Business Line Manager of Material Handling at Continental, said: “Telematics rank among the growth drivers in port logistics. Efficient analysis and utilisation of data enable fleet managers to optimise their processes and reduce their operating costs.
“With our new combined package, the ContiFlexBox and ContiPressureCheck™, we will offer our customers a tailored system that synergizes the measurement of tire data with telematic capabilities to optimum effect, and ideally supplements our unique port tire portfolio.”
The ContiFlexBox is mounted in the driver’s cab of a vehicle, and powered via the engine’s ignition. The ContiPressureCheck tire pressure monitoring system provides the automatic collection of data on tire pressure and temperature using sensors placed inside the tire.
With the new telematics solution, fleet managers, drivers and the maintenance team are kept continuously informed of relevant tire-and vehicle-referenced data.
Provisions will also be made for forwarding the data to mobile terminals such as tablets or mobile phones. This will allow drivers, technicians and fleet managers to be alerted by SMS or email when the air pressure has to be corrected, thereby reducing downtime since the risk of tire damage is minimised.
The new solution is simple to install, and will be handled by a team of experienced technicians, ensuring fast deployment and minimised downtime in daily operations.
The combined system, comprising of the ContiFlexBox and ContiPressureCheck, will be available from 2016.
