When Continental was seeking a UK-based customer to trial its new ContiConnect 2.0 platform, bulk haulage firm, G.Webb proved to be the perfect fit.
Continental Digital Solutions sees ContiConnect 2.0 Success with G.Webb
A long-time beneficiary of the Continental Digital Solutions range, the company had the practical knowledge and experience to support Continental in a critical stage of the system’s development.
G.Webb has Continental’s tyre pressure monitoring system, ContiPressureCheck, fitted to the vast majority of its fleet, with all new vehicles receiving the equipment upon delivery. Data from the company’s day trucks is gathered via a yard reader near the entrance of the site, while the long-haul and overnight vehicles are connected remotely to base through the ContiConnect platform.
“We have been a fan of the ContiConnect platform from the outset,” explains G.Webb’s Fleet Engineering Director, Paul Broker. “It has really helped us to keep tabs on the current tyre status of our trucks. It frequently helps us to minimise company-wide costs by giving us the information we need to stop a truck with a tyre defect before it escalates into a blowout or a breakdown.
“We were delighted to be asked to support Continental with the practical development stage of ContiConnect 2.0, as we were keen to start benefiting from the new system at the earliest opportunity. The new portal is clearer and simpler to interpret, and the issues are more explicitly displayed. That’s great for us in a busy office. We’re able to extract the vital information that we need quickly and pass this through to the workshop to begin repair preparations. It seems like a simple improvement, but it has a massively practical benefit to us.
With a large, diverse fleet to manage, opportunities to increase maintenance efficiency are eagerly welcomed by the G.Webb engineering team. One such gain has been achieved with ContiConnect 2.0’s enhanced mobile compatibility.
“The new app has been a great addition to the ContiConnect 2.0 offering and has already allowed us to refine how we do things,” Paul says. “Not only is the user experience great, but it allows us to reset our tyre sensors and make changes to each truck’s individual system remotely, rather than just in the workshop. It means that if a tyre is replaced at the roadside, we don’t then have to bring the vehicle into the workshop to recalibrate the system,we can do it there and then.
“I’ve also been able to grant access to our Conti360? Solutions account management team so that they can have live access to our fleet. It is certainly allowed us to be more widely connected and therefore be more versatile in our approach.”
Ian Jackson from Continental Digital Solutions worked closely with Paul to ensure the smooth and successful migration over to the new ContiConnect 2.0 system. Now that successful testing of the platform is complete, the two companies are collaborating further on future ContiConnect additions.
“When it came to trialling ContiConnect 2.0, the team dedicated lots of time to ensure that the system was fully operational and that I was fully briefed on how to use it,” adds Broker. “They were always on the other end of the phone if I had a question or query. That is not exclusive to trialling the new product, – the team are always supportive and happy to hear from us.
“The Continental Digital Solutions package has transformed the way we work. There is so much more predictability in workshop loading. We rarely get blowouts now, when once it was a frequent occurrence. Certainly, we could not go back to a time without it. Looking ahead, we’re still supporting Ian and the team with new additions to the platform, including the development of the next generation of tyre sensors. It’s exciting to think that, in the not-too-distant future, the system will be able to provide more data about tread depths, remaining mileage and general rubber condition. It will make an already excellent product even more appealing.”
Unveiled earlier this year, ContiConnect 2.0 is a new generation tyre management system that builds upon existing functions and puts the framework in place for future platform developments to be integrated. Customer data is continuously analysed within the cloud, with ‘big data’ and artificial intelligence helping to deliver precise forecasting and continue the drive towards predictive, rather than reactive maintenance. Users benefit from a new, multifunctional app that provides even greater operational flexibility for fleet engineers.
