The integration of the Webfleet Solutions telematics brand and Bridgestone demonstrates a different spin on convergence in this field, a tyre maker integrating a telematics provider into its business.
/When the business formerly known as Tom Tom, became Webfleet Solutions, a short time after that business had become part of the the overall global Bridgestone business in 2019, the direction any development would take was not obvious. Now, after a period of transition the combination of Bridgestone and Webfleet Solutions is offering a wide ranging solution to trucking operators.
The breadth of this solution was on display at the recent Brisbane Truck Show. Bridgestone customers are no longer just truck operators buying tyres or tyre .management. The Webfleet Solutions integration with Bridgestone means the company is offering, what it cals, a full mobility solution.
This is a data driven solution, and not just a tyre data solution, but a solution utilising data about the whole vehicle and the behaviour of the driver.
Bridgestone has a strong relationship throughout the Australian trucking industry, a strong long-term database. On the other side of the coin Webfleet will generate more live data now and historical data over a period of time. Combining those two very different databases suggests the company will be able to speak with customers but also enable solutions to work effectively for the customer.
From the point of view of Webfleet, the starting point is, of course, the telematic system in the truck’s cabin,. However, as part of Bridgestone, the development is one of working its way all the way down through the system, as a tool for operators.
The difference here is that the entity to which Webfleet belongs is a tyre manufacturer with different priorities and a different way of looking at an operation. This different perspective does offer something different to the trucking operator. Much of Bridgestone’s business is driven by cents per kilometre and minimising that cost, and a trucking operator’s business is also all about tracking vital statistics like cents per kilometre.
“We have a commitment to working with our business partners and customers to solve and provide tyre and tyre-centric solutions, and our collaboration with Webfleet Solutions bolsters this capability,” says Heath Barclay, Director of Sales at Bridgestone Australia. “We’re in the infancy of our collaboration, but already we’re seeing the great potential for our customers in terms of utilising Webfleet Solutions for better insights into tyre requirements and scheduled tyre maintenance, helping them make more sustainable decisions for their business.”
On offer from Webfleet is both a software and hardware solution for trucking operators. The telematics and monitoring system supplies the hardware, which creates the data processed by software developed as part of a different spin on convergence of the two businesses.
This is a different spin on convergence where tracking is available for all elements in a truck in operation with the black box in the truck cabin, but also individual trackers on trailers and other bits of equipment. Asset trackers, like those fitted on the trailers, have a 90 day battery life, but when the trailer is connected to a truck it uses the truck’s electrical power to recharge the battery automatically.
The tyre pressure monitoring system is built into the tyre and connects via Bluetooth to a sender on the vehicle, which, in turn, connects to the Webfleet Solutions telematic system on board the truck.
