Schmitz Cargobull Telematics Geared for growth

Modern logistics- and fleet management is no longer imaginable without telematics. Transport companies, forwarding- and shipping agents need clear and reliable data in order to organize their supply chain. Schmitz Cargobull Telematics has been aware of this situation for a long time and has continued to develop the telematics system Trailer Connect. Deutsche Telekom and Bosch are also on board. „We have reinvented our telematics solution, so to speak,“ says Karl-Heinz Neu, managing director of Schmitz Cargobull Telematics. He adds: „We have completely set up the frontend, our Trailer Connect portal, the backend, the data center structure and the service level.“

He is speaking about the newly developed trailer control unit, amongst other things. It now collects more data and is used as central trailer gateway for all possible subsystems like brakes, tires and cooling units. Furthermore, it is furnished with a technology that allows the control unit to get by for several weeks without an external power source like EBS or the cooling unit.

Independent of the EBS

„We have succeeded in utilizing a precision odometer independent from the electronic braking system (EBS) with the new terminal device; our own patented development, which determines a precise mileage via its own ABS-sensor,“ explains Dieter Honkomp, technical director at Schmitz Cargobull Telematics. Tire pressure sensors provide exact data on tire temperature and pressure to the inherent control unit. Additional brake lining abrasion sensors determine the coating condition and record it for each wheel position.

Certified data logger

Temperature recorders often play a crucial role for temperature-controlled transports. The new Trailer Connect hardware makes it possible to forgo a recorder, because the control unit is licensed as a certified data logger. Furthermore, interfaces for conventional temperature recorders and the well-known cooling units still exist. Consequently, the driver is prepared for all contingencies.

Wiring is important for trailer telematics, which is why Cargobull Telematics has upgraded here as well. CAN- and LIN-bus systems link the trailer. This means that the company can offer additional safety sensors and actuators, which transfer data to the central control unit independently of the other systems. The control unit therefore also serves as a central „data gateway“. A SIM-card plays the role of communicator to the telematics database. The company utilizes a WiFi-interface for the direct transmission. All information can thereby be delivered to any number of terminal devices. This also includes the inherent cooling unit. On the display, all the „smart“ trailer‘s data can be seen at a single glance. Additionally, the driver is able to receive them on his smartphone via WiFi. Also included is all relevant information concerning the trailer‘s maintenance and repair. „By receiving and analyzing all information on the trailer‘s condition, the client is able to plan workshop visits at a fitting time and keep them as short as possible,“ says Neu. During the development of the new generation, Schmitz Cargobull also once again paid a lot of attention to the system‘s availability and therefore its robustness. „Our vehicles are subject to extreme conditions in some instances,“ says Honkop. The client decides how and to which extent this happens, since he only knows which data he wants, for which purpose he needs it and how he can optimize his processes with it. Schmitz Cargobull Telematics now aids their customers with analysis. „We have expanded our counselling and support customers in lowering costs,“ says Neu. For this reason, the company has also expanded their team and is now able to program software applications themselves. „It simply makes us faster and we are able to help our customers individually,“ the managing director emphasizes. This also applies to the interface toward third-party systems, because it doesn‘t matter to the telematics company which of the leading transport management systems the customer works with. „We‘re open to all systems and offer easily integrated interfaces. The customer needs only a few days to incorporate our data,“ says Honkomp.

Three clicks to the target

Schmitz Cargobull Telematics has rebuilt their own telematics portal Trailer Connect. Trailer Connect 2.0 now possesses a new design. „Our portal is intuitively operable and is uploaded via the browser,“ Honkomp explains. „The stipulation was that you arrive at the desired conclusion with three clicks,“ Schmitz Cargobull Telematics wants to achieve a lot with the new system in the coming years and has laid out the overall system‘s capacity for the planned growth across the coming ten years. This also offers the customer his necessary investment reliability.

 Tire pressure sensors provide the inherent control unit with exact data

„We have succeeded in utilizing a precision odometer independent from the electronic braking system (EBS) with the new terminal device; our own patented development, which determines a precise mileage via its own ABS-sensor,“ explains Dieter Honkomp, technical director at Schmitz Cargobull Telematics. Tire pressure sensors provide exact data on tire temperature and pressure to the inherent control unit. Additional brake lining abrasion sensors determine the coating condition and record it for each wheel position. Temperature recorders often play a crucial role for temperature-controlled transports. The new Trailer Connect hardware makes it possible to forgo a recorder, because the control unit is licensed as a certified data logger.

Furthermore, interfaces for conventional temperature recorders and the well-known cooling units still exist. Consequently, the driver is prepared for all contingencies. Wiring is important for trailer telematics, which is why Cargobull Telematics has upgraded here as well. CAN- and LIN-bus systems link the trailer. This means that the company can offer additional safety sensors and actuators, which transfer data to the central control unit independent of the other systems. The control unit therefore also serves as a central „data gateway“. A SIM-card plays the role of communicator to the telematics database.

The „smart“trailer‘s data can be seen at a single glance on the display

The company utilizes a WiFi-interface for the direct transmission. All information can thereby be delivered to any number of terminal devices. This also refers to the inherent cooling unit. All of the „smart” trailer‘s data can be seen immediately on the display. Additionally, the driver can receive it via WiFi on his smartphone. Included therein is also all relevant information concerning the trailer‘s maintenance and repair. „By receiving and analyzing all information on the trailer‘s condition, the client is able to plan workshop visits at the fitting time and keep them as short as possible,“ says Neu.
During the development of the new generation, Schmitz Cargobull also once again paid a lot of attention to the system‘s availability and therefore also its robustness. „Our vehicles are subject to extreme conditions in some instances,“ says Honkop. The client decides how and to which extent this happens, since he is the one who knows exactly which data he wants, what he needs it for and how he can optimize his processes with it.

Trailer Connect 2.0 with a new Design

Schmitz Cargobull Telematics supports their customers with analysis. „We have expanded our counselling and support customers in lowering costs,“ says Neu. For this reason the company has also expanded their team and is now able to program software applications themselves. „It simply makes us faster and we are able to give individual support,“ the managing director emphasizes. This also applies to the interface toward third-party systems, because it doesn‘t matter to the telematics company which of the leading transport management systems the customer works with. „We‘re open to all systems and offer easily integrated interfaces. The customer only needs a few days to incorporate our data,“ says Honkomp.

Die Funktionen

• Sattelzugidentifikation
• Tür-Schließsystem
• Türsensor
• Koppelsensor
• Bewegungssensor
• Temperaturrekorder
• Betriebsdaten
• Kältemaschine
• Fernsteuerung Kältemaschine
• Batteriewächter
• TanksensorBetriebsdaten EBS
• Reifendruckkontrolle
• Bremsbelag-
• Verschleißsensoren
• Präzisionskilometer-zähler
• Telematik Akku
• Verfügbarkeit
• Robuste Bauweise
• Neue Applikationen, ein Display mit allen Infos