TAILORING TELEMATICS FOR OEMS

Built-in telematics is a trend to stay and not every original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is interested in reinventing the wheel by learning it all from scratch. For telematics service providers, this presents a chance to become a perfect business partner.

Reinforcing the opportunity, the market potential looks highly promising. Based on Berg Insight estimates, the total shipments of embedded OEM telematics systems stood at impressive 59.3 million units worldwide in 2023 and are expected to reach 82.9 million units by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.9 percent.

To cooperate with an OEM manufacturer successfully, a tailored strategy is needed rather than just copying the approach used for fleet owners, even the biggest ones. Here are the important factors to take into account from our experience.

APPLICABLE IN MULTIPLE COUNTRIES

OEM companies can have quite a vast geography: several manufacturing facilities with a distribution network across different countries or even continents. The key questions to answer are: Where will the vehicles or the bikes with telematics be shipped to? Is it a final country of distribution or not? What are the major differences between the markets where telematics will be deployed?

The solution has to be easily applicable in or have versions for all the locations the OEM is planning to sell it to end clients. At Teltonika, we make sure to have 4G Cat 1 and Cat M1 devices with a choice of regional modems and local certifications, allowing to deploy our solutions anywhere in the world.

READY FOR FACTORY IMPLEMENTATION

Unlike its after-market counterpart, OEM telematics is normally deployed during the manufacturing process and should be provided in a way that makes the installation during assembly as efficient as possible. It means offering both clear installation instructions and a right device setup.

In this regard, the things to consider include: where inside the transport the device should be installed, how much space is available, what level of device protection is required, and how to assure the device’s access to cellular network and satellites.

For instance, in order to meet e-bike OEM telematics requirements, we designed a special version of FTC305 – a PCB-only device with no casing to be mounted inside e-bike frame, while external cellular and GPS antennas are secured outside the frame.

FOCUS ON COMPLIANCE

OEM businesses pay close attention to certification in their provider’s hold and normally maintain a list of prerequisites for potential business partners. Before approaching OEMs, it is worth undergoing software penetration tests to demonstrate client data security as well as considering to obtain ISO certification.

There is no doubt that industry-reputed certification will help to go through due diligence process faster and easier. Here at Teltonika’s telematics division, we comply with the following four ISO standards: ISO 9001 (Quality system), ISO 14001 (Environmental system), ISO 45001 (Safety system), and ISO 27001 (Information security management system).

UNIVERSAL IOT CONNECTIVITY

When it comes to connectivity solutions for an OEM business, it is impossible to provide a personalised plan for each end client – be it a private vehicle owner or business. Rather than managing a diverse plan portfolio, OEMs are interested in solutions that do not require an individual set up and can be activated automatically.

To assure hassle-free IoT connectivity, we recommend having a plan that fits the geographical coverage of the OEM’s distribution network, comes with a predefined amount of traffic, and supports automatic activation once telematics device is powered on – like Teltonika Global plan.

What is more, the provider’s connectivity solution should be implemented together with telematics devices at the transport assembly stage. At Teltonika, we offer SIM card insert services – our products are shipped to clients already with the SIM cards inside. Alternatively, we provide our clients with SIM chips soldered inside telematics devices, the technology known as eSIM module, which means no need to insert anything manually.

CUSTOMISATION AT THE CORE

Working with an OEM means having unprecedented access to OEM vehicle data that should be supported by both the IoT hardware and software. Thus, being open to customisation and data communication protocol support is a must.

There can be different ways to address the need for customisation: giving an OEM client a solution flexible enough to be modified by the client or ensuring all required data support and development to provide the client with a fully tailored solution.

At Teltonika, we embrace both approaches. For vehicle and bike data reading, we provide our clients with devices that support manual CAN functionality, allowing to configure what parameters from raw CAN data should be collected and how often. As another option, we can develop custom firmware based on a client’s use case and make sure that our solution is fully ready for all the company’s needs.

Moreover, Teltonika is ready to adapt by providing accessories that are designed specifically for the OEM manufacturing process – for example, custom harnesses to connect tracking devices right on the assembly line.