BEFORE THE AUTONOMOUS CAR: THE GROWING USE OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) IN THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR, AND RELATED CHALLENGES

Meeting innovative manufacturers and service providers feeds DuckerFrontier’s core business – to seek out and provide the industry’s best insights to our clients. Based on our presence at the Bosch Connected World earlier this year, and at the VivaTech show that just occurred in Paris – and coupled with DuckerFrontier internal data and expertise in the automotive sector – below are some key thoughts related to the use of IoT in this sector.

As most devices today provide connectivity features, the anticipated next rung in this evolution – and a big step toward an expected fourth industry revolution – is Connected Experience and device-to-device communication. A good example of this is found in vehicle-to-vehicle technology.

Although a disrupting factor for established business models, it reveals immense productivity and cost-saving potential throughout a variety of industries, such as mobility, agriculture, healthcare and logistics. Numbers are impressive: one leading German logistics company was already able to achieve a 15 percent increase in productivity by using Augmented Reality in their warehousing, which transformed their delivery system.

How Can Your Company Benefit from IoT?

There’s a rising trend of new players – disruptors – entering established markets that are outside of their core areas. They gain a tremendous business advantage when they create new concepts and dominate market segments, and they’re seen by consumers as a refreshing change. However, the IoT offers great opportunities for established companies as well. Services and related functions are areas where we see many OEMs and suppliers transforming their businesses.

Led by vehicle manufacturers BMW and Daimler, supplier Robert Bosch is moving into the mobility area with the acquisition of SPLT (a carpooling-app provider), and creating partnerships – like the one with Daimler on automated valet-parking concepts.

How to Be Successful at Using the IoT as a Transportation Company

Seeing the ongoing transformation of the automotive sector, Robert Bosch unveiled their new Connected Mobility Solutions Division at the beginning of 2018. Focusing on vehicle markets, connectivity is a potential breakthrough technology for the electrified-vehicle industry. Mobility is evolving into various use-types, and user experience is a major differentiator as products and services are becoming commoditized. New electric vehicle providers aren’t bound by the same customer expectations that established players are facing. Therefore, they can often develop more efficient and simplified concepts, and bring them to market more economically. Two examples are Deutsche Post’s Streetscooter GmbH – just entering the market – and the RWTH e.Go EV, which has a low break-even. Several other non-automotive companies – such as Dyson – have announced they’re also entering the market, with plans for new vehicle concepts. Despite signs of disrupting factors, the market still offers opportunities for new, as well as established players. There’s growing potential in services and user experience, as well as in aftersales concepts, like predictive maintenance.