Proudly South African!

There was only one stand at the IAA that was serving biltong. It was, of course, MiX Telematics – which also dished up the latest fleet management innovations. CHARLEEN CLARKE discovers that local is indeed lekker

Finding a South African accent at the IAA is like discovering Castle lager in a German brauhaus; it generally ain’t going to happen. Having said that, I did once discover a pub in Germany that served Castle and I was even more delighted to encounter the South African accent at the IAA yet again.

I say “yet again” because the 2014 fair represented the fourth time that MiX Telematics had participated in the world’s most important transport show. And, once again, the company did South Africa proud!

“Focus areas at this year’s IAA are telematics and connectivity. This comes as no surprise considering that operators are increasingly reliant on proven systems that boost efficiency and safety levels,” Charles Tasker, chief operating officer at MiX Telematics, told FOCUS.

“As a business, we remain mindful of this fact – and committed to continue partnering with fleet owners, in Europe and around the world, to help them achieve significant benefits that are sustainable; such as increased efficiency, reduced risks and safer operations.”

Exactly how does MiX Telematics intend achieving this? Well, the company showcased
a bevy of innovations at the IAA … here is a nibble of the treats on its stand.

MiX Vision

MiX Vision has been enhanced to incorporate audio, infrared and 3G. Also, videos of incidents can now be viewed alongside a timeline within MiX Fleet Manager, adding a richer context to incident scenarios for fleet owners.

Instead of waiting until incidents negatively impact the business, the enhanced MiX Vision enables fleet operators to be proactive in limiting the damage caused by incidents. This may include driver training, for instance.

MiX Vision consists of a road- and driver-facing tamper-resistant camera unit, attached to the inside of the vehicle’s windscreen. The camera, which integrates with MiX Telematics’s fleet management solution, now triggers the automatic upload of a high-resolution video clip. Footage of the incident includes views of the road and the driver before and after an incident occurs.

In addition, fleet managers have access to all footage at the end of each completed trip. Footage is recorded on a 72-hour rolling buffer and can be used for driver training purposes.

“More information and higher-quality footage allows fleet managers to make more informed decisions around incidents that involve their vehicles. The solution places operators ‘at the scene’, enabling them to improve safety and lessen their business risk,” explained Tasker.

MiX Rovi display

The latest addition to the MiX Rovi family is a rugged in-cab terminal that is designed specifically for demanding working environments. It comes with proven features such as jobs and messaging, navigation and driver feedback. The intuitive in-cab display features a seven-inch colour touch screen and runs the Android operating system.

HOS and remote tachograph solution

The MiX Telematics Hours of Service (HOS) and remote tachograph data download solution is a comprehensive electronic toolkit, which enables the efficient monitoring of drivers’ working hours in real-time, as well as the automatic calculation of remaining driving times according to European law. The solution is built on MiX Telematics’s new software platform and provides a fully integrated driving hours and fleet management solution.

MiX Go

Also on display at the show was MiX Go, an Android-based field services app offering real-time workflow management not only for fleet owners, but for all businesses with a mobile workforce.

“Keeping tabs on business-critical factors like deliveries, completed jobs, customer satisfaction and pre- and post-trip inspections has great value for any business owner in today’s fast-paced and competitive climate. MiX Go is our response to this reality,” says Tasker.

“We are really enjoying demonstrating our latest technology and seeing how the market responds. The IAA is a great opportunity for us to showcase these innovations with like-minded businesses and operators that shape the industry,” concluded Tasker.

We’re pretty sure that visitors to the IAA enjoyed their visit to the MiX Telematics stand too. And not just because of the great biltong on offer.