MAN Automotive South Africa, locally representing both VW and MAN heavy commercial vehicle brands, has recently demonstrated the overarching value that can be derived through establishing cross-market partnerships, specifically in the telematics industry.
As a business that supplies vehicles to fleet managers operating across the commercial spectrum, MAN hasn’t traditionally been involved in the end-customer’s use of telematics systems. Users of MAN and VW vehicles previously used a variety of telematics and fleet management systems, and the OEM originally only used fleet management systems to track stock vehicles for Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) and insurance purposes.
In 2015, the paradigm changed. A partnership with leading fleet management, insurance telematics and SVR provider, Cartrack, has seen advanced telematics technology become part of the MAN chassis production process and extended business solution model. The move has boosted MAN Truck SA’s business by offering new value to end-users.
Today, MAN offers fleet management systems to customers as an essential part of the vehicle purchase, resulting in customers acquiring a lot more than a truck. Included in their purchase are crucial telematics business support services such as MAN ServiceCare SA and MAN TeleMatics SA.
The solutions support MAN’s philosophy of delivering appropriate fleet solutions to companies operating in the unique Southern African context. Through partnering with a single telematics supplier from the vehicle assembly stage, MAN now gives customers access to a range of long-term benefits, thanks to the optimal use of information sent from the vehicle’s Controller Area Network (commonly known as the “CANbus”).
“By building telematics into the construction of the vehicle and offering a single solution to clients, MAN has significantly decreased the potential fragmentation of vital information,” says Andre Ittmann, Cartrack SA CEO. “The telematics structure compliments the existing value suite they already offer to clients, which, in turn, drives value for the MAN business as a whole.”
