ROBIS reduces non-starts
Battery maintenance and service specialist Rotronics has outlined the potential benefits for fleets and workshops of its recently-launched web-based ROBIS dashboard and reporting system, which collects battery and electrical data from national and regional workshop sources to help reduce unnecessary battery-related costs.
Rotronics – part of automotive component technology provider Rubery Owen and UK partner for battery management equipment providers Ctek and Midtronics – suggests that the high incidence of battery problems leading to vehicle non-starts could be mitigated if batteries were looked after, tested and charged regularly in workshops.
ROBIS was developed to “move batteries to the front of workshops’ minds”, the firm says – the aim being to save businesses money and allow users to access clear measurements for fleet battery performance, to ensure that they can closely manage their processes and budgets.
ROBIS will help workshops save money and reduce their battery budgets by reducing roadside defects, contends the firm, as well as delivering return on investment by supporting workshops’ battery management programmes and allowing the implementation of uniformed testing practices across the business.
ROBIS will also boost customer satisfaction and reduce potential ‘lost miles’ or missed delivery penalties, Rotronics says, because operators “can make sure that vehicles are where they should be, when they should be”.
Ken Clark, managing director at Rotronics, added: “ROBIS will be central to helping fleet managers and owners evaluate exactly how their batteries perform across the fleet and can gather national/regional data to one source. This is a great tool to help reduce unnecessary battery-related costs in a workshop budget.
“Our customers have been extremely positive so far; they are amazed by the level of data and information that can be extracted from our battery management process.
“ROBIS offers under-the-microscope battery performance data and can support battery suppliers with valuable trend analysis. ROBIS will show real-time cost savings in the proactive use of the Rotronics battery management programme.”
Key features include a centralised dashboard showing regional and national key performance indicator (KPI) output of workshop battery test performance, and early detection of vehicle and battery-related performance issues.
Users can gain instant online access to current and historical workshop battery test results, while a user-uploadable fleet information list enables vehicle performance and trend analysis.
Further features include tracking of equipment usage across multiple locations, benchmarking of regional and national test result comparison and league tables, and auditing of technician input, to measure and identify any training needs required.
Users can also benefit from active vehicle database exception reporting of vehicles not being maintained, and monitoring of battery performance issues and trends, to understand the quality of the batteries fitted to their vehicles. They can additionally actively manage and process their warranty claims via the system.
The dashboard works on any internet-capable PC, tablet or mobile phone, with access gained via a personalised, secure login.
The workshop and management team can manage both workshop maintenance and vehicle reliability trends with their personalised reports, says Rotronics, which will help them identify individual training needs within the overall battery maintenance process.
ROBIS can provide a comprehensive overview of the battery health and lifecycle performance if fleet information is uploaded into the database, the firm adds, which will assist with warranty adjudication for both user and supplier.
