ZF, a global technology company that provides advanced mobility products and systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology, and Goodyear, a global manufacturer of tires for aviation, automobiles, vans, pickups, SUVs, trucks, and buses, announced today a strategic partnership that brings together advanced Fleet Management solutions, specifically for monitoring high-performance tires equipped on commercial vehicles and multi-brand road implements. For this, ZF has made available the SCALAR EVO Pulse, a technology capable of gathering data on transportation operations continuously and sending it in real time to the Goodyear Mobility Cloud, an information portal that will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from which alerts will be sent to fleet managers.
"The partnership debuting between ZF and Goodyear in Brazil combines the automotive and digital expertise of two of the largest companies in their sectors, creating value for fleet owners in safety and profitability," says Maurício Paguaga, Senior Manager of the Digital and Industrial Solutions Business Line at ZF Aftermarket.ZF's robust automotive engineering, combined with Goodyear's extensive knowledge of the tire universe, ensures a fully integrated offering tailored to the needs of fleet customers," completes the executive.
In addition to the TPMS – Tire Pressure Monitoring System – Real-time Tire Pressure Monitoring System, the partnership includes vehicle geolocation and odometer. To make this possible, TPMS sensors are installed on the vehicle, and the data is collected and transmitted by the SCALAR EVO Pulse to the monitoring service, Goodyear TPMS PLUS. Additionally, if the customer has the EBS braking system, a large set of data including braking alerts, stability control, total load, implement health, among others, can also be processed through ZF's SCALAR orchestration platform.
Together, the companies tested the solution in operation, and the results showed an average increase of 13% in tire mileage performance, along with other indirect benefits. Remote monitoring of tire conditions on trucks and trailers offers a number of advantages, from increasing their lifespan, preventing accidents, reducing the total cost of transportation operations through fuel savings, and consequently reducing CO2 emissions. Geolocation, in turn, will bring more security to the operations.
Market differentials
According to Maurício Paguaga, the solution package conceived between the two companies, and which will be offered by Goodyear to the market, brings a series of differentiators to the segment in Brazil. Starting with active management by Goodyear, which will monitor alerts in real time and contact the fleet manager whenever any action is necessary.
Another advantage is related to the lifespan of the components used in the solution. ZF sensors, for example, have a minimum lifespan of six years, as they are developed with armored material, resistant to weather conditions. "ZF has over a century of automotive engineering expertise. We bring this technical and quality knowledge to our products, which means they are designed and developed in accordance with the strict requirements of automotive applications," says Maurício Paguaga.
A differential is characterized by its independence from existing brands, models, and technologies in the vehicle, allowing it to be applied to various configurations and combinations of tractor units and trailers. Another benefit for the fleet operator is the internal battery installed in the ZF equipment, which allows information to continue being sent to the Goodyear Mobility Cloud portal for extended periods, even if the tractor unit is disconnected from the trailer.
"Goodyear conducted research in Brazil to validate the impact of technology and the preventive and corrective agenda on tire performance. As a result, we found an average of 13% increase in mileage performance in the tires tested in these studies, in addition to ensuring that the tires operated with correct pressure and temperature, positively impacting the preservation of the casing and consequently increasing the tire's lifespan even after recapping," says Fernanda Baré, Senior Manager of Services & Solutions at Goodyear Brazil. "Observing customer needs, Goodyear and ZF developed this value proposition – Goodyear TPMS PLUS, which allows customers to gain financial benefits and other indirect advantages. Additionally, the solution reinforces the commitment to sustainability, a theme increasingly central to modern logistics operations," concludes the executive.
