Tata Motors and Microlise to develop telematics system

Indian auto major, Tata Motors has announced a partnership with UK-based company, Microlise for the development of telematics and fleet management services. The two companies have signed an agreement for an initial period of 5 years. While Microlise will provide the technology and solutions, Tata Motors will integrate them in its commercial vehicles and use its widespread network for service delivery. The services will be marketed through OE fitment as well as through the aftermarket route.

Tata Motors introduced FleetMan Telematics and Fleet Management services in India two years ago. The model introduced was basic and now the company has decided to increase its scope with the addition of applications for fleet rroductivity improvement, fuel management, driving assessment and safety.

Here's a glance at some of the new features that are being planned for introduction:

Emergency SOS: A panic button will be provided in the vehicles through which the driver can send an SOS message to the transport owner in an emergency.

Trip Management: This is a tool to track and evaluate individual vehicle trips in real time against a standard in a multi-level, multi-user framework. It is expected to help in improving fleet utilisation and reduction of communication costs and idle times.

Driving Assessment: This solution continuously evaluates drivers on a range of parameters impacting safety and economy. Based on the findings, the overall fleet economy and safety record can be improved through suitable consultancy and retraining the drivers.

Vehicle health management: This is a solution which can only be deployed in electronically driven vehicles. It helps in remote monitoring of a vehicle's health including quick fault detection and rectification before it can lead to consequential failures. It also generates information on maintenance and fault trends that is necessary for product planning and warranty cost reduction measures.

Along with the introduction of service products in these areas, the partnership with Microlise will also develop the next-generation Tata FleetMan system.