GRAPEVINE, TX — WABCO addressed its customers’ endless push for uptime with a slew of hardware and software announcements at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week 2020, which comes shortly after the manufacturer concluded its distribution deal with Meritor Inc. New offering include an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) retrofit kit and highly dependable remanufactured air compressors on the equipment side, and on the service side, new diagnostic software that expedites data entry and a parts ordering portal that allows customers to access all WABCO replacement parts. The multilingual service team at the Hebron, Ky., distribution center has also expanded and improved to resolve issues faster.
“Being a true partner with customers is who we are and how we operate within WABCO,” said Jon Morrison, president of WABCO Americas. “We are demonstrating our commitment to customers by significantly expanding our aftermarket portfolio, adding new distribution infrastructure and logistics capabilities, and creating an enhanced customer experience team for OE service providers, aftermarket parts distributors and fleets seeking to maximize vehicle uptime.”
Morrison recalled WABCO’s beginning as part of George Westinghouse’s empire 150 years ago, making air brakes for trains, which required a heavy amount of partnerships.
“It was about saving lives, and it was about making transportation better,” Morrison said. “We really do things in the same way today. So partnership really is in our DNA.”
Abe Aon, North America aftersales, service & support leader explained that all these new facets and upgrades will keep fleets on the road, and when service is required, part availability and training with technicians are not preventing uptime.
“WABCO is looking at ways to reduce that downtime,” Aon said. “And the way that we're able to do that is by part availability, utilizing our distribution partners, but then also going through and creating a service partner network with certified technicians to drive that decision making and diagnostics down into the field, closer to the failure mode.”
Aon noted that detecting faults is more software driven.
“No longer can you physically view something and see a failure mode,” he said. At the same time, the industry is lacking enough qualified service technicians who can work on newer, more sophisticated gear.
“One of the challenges is finding certified technicians and getting them information to be able to maintain and diagnose electronics,” Aon said.
The subscription-based ToolBox Plus diagnostic software connects the necessary data and customer information t the specific service partner so they don’t have to rely on WABCO’s customer care center. It is available in one, two, or three-year increments.
ToolBox Plus supports new releases such as Intelligent Anti-lock Braking System (iABS) for trailers, Modular Braking System Platform (mBSP) for trucks and TailGUARD reverse collision avoidance system for trucks and trailers.
And when those service partners can’t resolve an issue, a WABCO expert can hop on the phone or answer questions virtually. Aon is confident whatever the problem is, the customer care team has the resources to resolve it. The team comprises 25 highly skilled technicians that take about 200 calls a day.
“If there's something we can't resolve on the phone, we can go immediately to engineering, we can go immediately into our level two people that are field service technicians, we can go into quality and we can start to identify that,” Aon said. “And that's a critical component of our support network.”
An online WABCO Academy will offer online self-learning, webinars and in-person one-on-ones, will be available to all customers and internal people to learn how to maintain and diagnose issues that could possibly spring up, Aon said.
The new regional customer portal will be available in March 2020.
More details on the product offerings:
- OnSide ADAS retrofit kits for major OEM vehicle applications: Now available for several additional applications, WABCO OnSide retrofit kits enable fleets to enhance the safety of existing equipment by adding blind spot detection technology. WABCO also offers OnGuardACTIVE and OnLane ADAS retrofit kits for an array of popular vehicle applications.
- Genuine remanufactured air compressors: The WABCO Reman Solutions product offering has been expanded to include premium remanufactured air compressors guaranteed to provide original equipment (OE) equivalent performance in even the most demanding operating conditions.
- Expanded air dryer and cartridge offerings: WABCO now offers three ranges each of replacement air dryers and cartridges to meet the performance and cost-per-mile demands of commercial trucks at each stage of the ownership lifecycle. Available air dryers now include System Saver premium OE; WABCO Reman Solutions; and new ProVia quality aftermarket units. The company’s air dryer cartridge offering now comprises System Saver premium OE; new WABCO Essential mid-range; and Provia quality aftermarket cartridges. Each range of dryers and cartridges is engineered to offer best-in-class performance and value.
