MAN Digital offering drives up efficiency
Vehicle manufacturer MAN offers a variety of telematics functionality via its MAN DigitalServices portfolio, which has expanded in recent years with a range of new features and services.
MAN DigitalServices includes the areas of vehicle tracking, driver support, over-the-air software upgrades, maintenance and repair management, tachograph and time management, economical driving, and charging and battery management.
In the sphere of tracking, the Geo system stores data from the last 25 months to enable route planning. Points of interest and geofences can be created individually. In addition, the ‘Position sharing’ function allows location data of vehicles and vehicle groups to be easily shared with customers via a link. With the free Pocket Fleet app, customers always have an overview of all the status information of their vehicles and drivers.
Maintenance and repair management is supported by the MAN ServiceCare, which allows customers to reduce workshop visits and keep tabs on the maintenance status of their fleet.
Customers can choose between the MAN ServiceCare S and MAN ServiceCare M packages. As part of the basic S package, vehicle uptime is improved thanks to the optimised vehicle maintenance status and predictively bundled workshop appointments.
“Customers save time by outsourcing administrative planning to the MAN service outlet,” said the manufacturer.
“In addition, they also receive the best possible support in the event of a breakdown thanks to location-independent vehicle diagnostics.”
With the M package, the customer can also keep an eye on the condition of individual components.
“Thanks to detailed and individual monitoring options for vehicles and components, customers can decide which maintenance or repair work they carry out themselves and which they have carried out by MAN. The ability to integrate vehicles from other manufacturers also increases flexibility.”
To promote economical driving, the Perform service can be used to create meaningful vehicle analyses and comparative driver evaluations. This allows uneconomical driving styles to be identified and the driving performance of drivers to be increased in a targeted manner.
“In this way, customers optimise the performance of their fleet and sustainably increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their fleet by reducing fuel costs, CO2 emissions and total cost of ownership,” said MAN.
The MAN Connected CoDriver service offers live coaching directly in the driver’s cab. An MAN Coach provides tips for an efficient and forward-looking driving style via telephone.
The Compliant and Timed features, part of the tachograph and time management area, make data from driver cards and tachographs available at any time. Compliant stores the information, while Timed supplies all driver activities (e.g. driving times and rest periods) in real time.
The MAN eManager S and MAN eManager M services enable precise vehicle and battery monitoring, charging with timer function and climate preconditioning of the MAN Lion’s City E electric bus.
The free MAN Driver App is compatible with all Apple and Android devices. The app offers guided digital pre-departure checks including damage report in the event of a breakdown, time manager with insight into driving times and rest periods, individual driving style analysis, a digital manual and quick guide to the vehicle functions, remote control function for the multimedia system, MAN Dealership Search, MAN Mobile24 breakdown call, Trucker’s World News, and video tutorials with MAN experts.
Further features of MAN DigitalServices include the MAN eReadyCheck for electric trucks which allows customers to calculate vehicle range by setting various parameters, such as body type/semitrailer, average daily temperature and the proportion of city, country and motorway journeys. Specific trips can be created on an interactive map and the customer is informed whether and how this trip can be electrified, and how large the required battery should be in the vehicle.
With the MAN Now service, customers receive selected software upgrades for new vehicle functions over-the-air, i.e. via mobile Internet. This means that they can adapt their vehicles to business requirements anywhere and at any time – without having to stop at a MAN service outlet.
Meanwhile, in development in Munich, MAN SimplePay allows a truck to become a ‘digital wallet’, enabling automated contactless and secure payment processes when refuelling, without the need for cash, physical credit cards, or the need to leave the truck to pay in the filling station shop.
