Aftermarket June 2022

JUNE 2022 AFTERMARKET 19 www.aftermarketonline.net Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/aftermarketmagazine industry needs to push digital transformation, and be seen to be embracing it, in order to entice a younger, tech- savvy, demographic to work within the sector. To provide both demographics with the skills they need to be part of the digital transformation story in a way that, ultimately, benefits customers, it’s worth considering the technology that they can use day-to-day to facilitate this. How assisted reality is driving real change One such example of the digital transformation technology needed in the automotive industry is assisted reality wearables. For those unfamiliar with this auto tech, it refers to voice-controlled wearable head-mounted displays (HMDs). A technician benefits from a micro-display that fits just below their line of sight which views just like a tablet computer. The technology enables the wearer to communicate via unified communications and collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams or Zoom for easy communication with remote-based colleagues. You can also follow guided workflows and experience data contextual visualisation of parts and data. It is unique in that it is entirely voice-controlled and therefore hands-free, a feature that is essential in automotive work environments such as garages or manufacturing areas. Using Teams for instance, the expert on the other end of the line sees what the worker sees (point of view) as he or she observes a specific scenario and can provide advice and expertise in-situ. For instance, if an auto technician was having issues removing a gearbox, using the HMD they could contact the manufacturer of the vehicle rather than waiting on an email or trying to fumble with their personal mobile device. Its technical team could then see in real-time what the technician was seeing, and advise them about the position of locating bolts. Or, via a secure cloud, the technician could access the manufacturer’s product information datasheets, and see them displayed in their line of sight, while their hands are left free to remove the previously hidden bolts. The convenience here is matched by the time saved; A job can be completed more quickly, with a lower labour charge for the customer. For fleet managers, the cost savings over time, and impact on employee morale, have the potential to compounded and catch the attention of the company’s leadership teams. The appeal of this technology is starting to filter across the sector as we are seeing with our own customer base in the UK, the USA, and beyond. Even in Turkey for instance, there has been widespread adoption of this technology by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz in Turkey rolled out wearable technology across all of its 56 authorised service centres in the region. Prior to the countrywide deployment, its process for vehicle after-sales and after-market repairs could include multiple in-person trips, emails, shared photos and videos and over-the- phone collaboration with subject matter experts to resolve some problems. With more than 240,000 customer vehicles on the road and the company’s commitment to high-quality service, following the wearable deployment it expects to benefit from an up to 80% performance increase in customer service centre technical problem resolution, and up to an estimated $100,000 in cost savings. With fewer onsite trips needed, it also expected environmental benefits that come from a 500-ton carbon reduction. Helping us bring these smart solutions to the sector, RealWear works with partners such as Autotech Group, who specialise in investing in the latest technology and equipment to bring advanced solutions to the aftermarket. Other use cases for the aftermarket include investigating warranty claims. In a scenario where a vehicle manufacturer has a warranty issue with an EGR valve or a certain clip, plug or connector, those on the garage floor can safely take photographic evidence of it, or, perhaps video in real-time and send it to the manufacturer, who could analyse the footage and identify the design fault quickly. There is also a compelling opportunity for assisted reality wearables to be utilised within the MOT testing process, too. By streamlining the MOT process, garages could potentially eliminate most fraudulent scenarios, as there are problems with garages giving out MOT certificates without ever testing the vehicle. In theory, with assisted reality wearables, you could take video photographic evidence of that vehicle in the bay, which would eliminate any of that fraudulent activity from going on. When the vehicle is on the ramp, the wearer can take a picture of the vehicle, pull through the DVLA information and then create workflow flows through QR codes, thus ensuring the legitimacy of the MOT. Long term, this authentication process could bring added peace of mind to consumers when buying used cars privately. Augment, not replace As stated by our partner, Gavin White, Chief Executive Officer at Autotech Group: “There are approximately 60,000 MOT testers in the UK and while we hope they are all conducting the MOT in the same way, the truth is that many of them have their own processes and are not consistent. This could jeopardise the general public’s trust of the MOT network. By utilising technology such as assisted reality wearables, there's a real opportunity to create a workflow where every MOT tester in the country follows the exact same process. There's also more MOT tests year on year now there's more vehicles on the road, but there are fewer testers. While we are implementing measures to increase the number of vehicle technicians and MOT testers entering the industry, the use of assisted reality will enable MOT testers to become more efficient. In turn this will give garages the chance to carry out more MOTs each day while reducing waiting time for customers.” There are many ways wearables can be used to augment, not replace, humans across the automotive ecosystem, irrespective of their skill set. By embracing digital transformation and providing data and real-time information to frontline workers, we can reduce the cost of servicing and manufacturing, and make the experience better, less expensive and less risky for the customer, too. The use of assisted reality will enable MOT testers to become more efficient ”