Every issue we print discusses a different telematics system—each with its own line of benefits and ease of use. It wouldn’t make sense to try them all to decide which is best, so we’re here to break it down for you. Eitan Kirshenboim, CMO at ERM Telematics and leader of the company’s global marketing activity and business development, shares his insight into what helps ERM stand out from other telematics solutions.
MWS: TELEMATICS ARE A HOT TOPIC THESE DAYS, WITH NEW TELEMATICS SYSTEMS POPPING UP LEFT AND RIGHT. HOW IS ERM’S SYSTEM DIFFERENT FROM ITS COMPETITORS?
KIRSHENBOIM:
ERM has vast experience in developing telematics solutions for the global automotive world. The fast-evolving telematics market requires us to develop innovative solutions that are flexible to answer the different needs of our diverse partners and customers all around the world. To do so, ERM adopts and uses a wide range of technologies and hardware solutions for Fleet Management and Stolen Vehicle Recovery Service Providers. That is in addition to new technologies we develop and patent for the benefit of our partners, enabling them to extract the relevant information to improve fleets’ operation and save money.
ERM’s advanced solutions include: solutions for tracking and vehicle security; driver and passenger safety features; vehicle diagnostics; fuel monitoring and integration to a variety of sensors and add-ons. We try our best to support our partners in their local market, quickly and professionally. This way we find ourselves investing significant parts of our R&D time in customization and creating new features in order to do so.
Also, the fact that we own the full line of production—design, development and manufacturing of the technology, the hardware products, and the fact that we have a very dynamic and adaptive chain of command allows us high flexibility and fast reaction to the market requirements. These assets are highly appreciated and allow us to maintain very long relationship with all our partners.
MWS: UPCOMING INNOVATIONS TO ERM’S TELEMATICS SYSTEM INCLUDE ADVANCED ANALYTICS CAPABILITIES ENABLING AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURERS TO PREDICT UPCOMING EXPENSES AND USE THESE REPORTS TO BUILD CUSTOMIZED PROPOSALS FOR FLEET OWNERS AND FLEET MANAGERS. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR IMPLICATIONS THAT COULD OCCUR FROM A FLEET OWNER’S PERSPECTIVE?
KIRSHENBOIM:
ERM’s innovations integrate our CAN Engine technology, which the company developed and continues to maintain to provide a full vehicle diagnostics solution to numerous vehicle types. Our upcoming innovation will also integrate wireless communications and diverse add-on sensors interfacing technologies, both ours and from third parties, to offer more flexibility and a solution with richer features. As part of the diagnostics solution, ERM’s telematics technology enables the reading and enquiring of data from the vehicle CAN bus and from the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) plug. In combination with ERM StarLink technology for telematics applications products, this diagnostics solution retrieves and conducts smart analysis of the vehicle’s operation in real time and sends alerts of predefined events to the service provider’s server.
Many of the fleet management implementations in the world end with failure due to long and hard implementation process into the customer’s fleet and personnel. ERM’s technology and flexible solutions will grant fleet owners greater control over the fleet’s operation, increase safety, and cut expenses in the day-to-day operation, while making the implementation process easier. The fleet owner will be able to request pre-set rules based on any combination of events and be alerted only when the specific combination of events occurs. For example, customers receive an alert when any of their drivers are not wearing a seatbelt and drives at a speed over 80 mph for more than two minutes. ERM will provide the tools and fleet owners will use them to support their operation and assist them in gaining better control.
MWS: WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF DESIGNING STARLINK AS A MODULAR SOLUTION?
KIRSHENBOIM:
ERM’s StarLink technology is designed to be modular to support our partners’ changing needs. The StarLink is the “heart” of our solutions, and when integrated with different add-ons and accessories, it can provide the fleet owner valuable information about the driver, the vehicle, and the road. The fast-evolving telematics market requires us to develop innovative solutions to support more and more applications. As a developer and manufacturer, we want to provide as much flexibility as possible to support many combinations of technologies and features in a variety of hardware products to meet our partners’ field requirements.
MWS: ASIDE FROM DIAGNOSTICS SERVICES, WHAT ARE NEW DEVELOPMENTS COMING OUT OF ERM?
KIRSHENBOIM:
As an industry leader, ERM is constantly working on developing new technologies and solutions that benefit our partners in creating new revenue opportunities and help our customers solve more pain points while thinking ahead and predicting market trends.
We are currently working on new developments and expansion of the current developments for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for better fuel monitoring, wireless communications, and more combinations of embedded features. We are also working on expanding our solutions for logistics and asset tracking. These new developments will enable the fleet owners and drivers themselves to get more information about their vehicle, their trip, and the road ahead, while gaining better safety, better service, and more customized offers designed specifically for them.
ERM also develops solutions for connected car, such as the StarLink TrackerWi-Fi, that will launch soon, and is equipped with Wi-Fi Hot Spot, Bluetooth, and 4G cellular communication capabilities, representing the ultimate solution for connected cars, as well as fleet management and other functionalities the market needs.
Look for part 2 of Eitan Kirshenboim’s insight in the next issue of MWS, where he’ll discuss ERM’s vision, the role it plays in the work truck industry, and how it can affect other industries such as insurance.
MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: JUNE 2018 ISSUE
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