Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand is overhauling the way it services major fleet customers with the widespread implementation of its locally developed B Mobile platform technology.

In line with the rise of telematics, advancements in cloud based technology and increased onus on suppliers in the chain of responsibility, the development and roll out of the B Mobile system is set to change the way Bridgestone conducts business – scrapping the paper based job card and moving to a tablet based digital solution.  

The B Mobile technology has been developed and rigorously tested over the past few years using some of Bridgestone's biggest customers in Australia and New Zealand, seeing the leading tyre company transform the business in order to ensure it meets the future needs of the transport industry.

"Technology is changing the way every business operates, and some industries are better geared to adapt. Bridgestone is in the process of taking what has traditionally been a very manual job, and developing the tools specific to our business in order to streamline our whole commercial fleet business model," said Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Stephen Roche.

"The broader implementation of B Mobile is incredibly exciting for Bridgestone. It demonstrates how we are more than a supplier of quality products to Australian and New Zealand fleet customers, but rather a true business partner."

B Mobile sees Bridgestone technicians issued with a tablet device featuring specially developed software to give them all the necessary information about the individual customer's needs.

From the B Mobile dashboard, they can access fleet lists and tailored service level information for each site they visit. From this centralised information, B Mobile will produce a   full list of all scheduled maintenance for that depot's vehicles, and all pressure checks, rotations and replacements are recorded on the tablet.

"B Mobile provides numerous benefits for our customers and for our business, and supports our customers in the chain of responsibility. It records the work that has been conducted on our customers' vehicles, but also flags maintenance that needs to be carried out. In turn, it provides better visibility of our service and increases the efficiency in which we can provide fitment information to depot managers," Mr Roche added.

The B Mobile concept was born through an internal Bridgestone leadership program, encouraging the company's teammates to identify challenges and opportunities within the business, and propose solutions.

B Mobile was designed to collect the data needed by depot managers relating to vehicle inspections, tyre rotations and replacements, and pressure checks conducted.

From what seemed like an ambitious dream saw the development of the platform that is now streamlining account management and invoicing for Bridgestone's major fleet customers as an extension of Bridgestone's Total Tyre Management model.

Throughout 2018, Bridgestone has more than doubled the number of technicians using the B Mobile tablet as part of their workflow, with the number of sites surpassing the 340 mark. With more sites coming online, the volume of tasks being carried out on the platform has tripled since January. 

"The implementation of B Mobile is a monumental shift for Bridgestone, requiring significant investment in development, training and change management. However, the rewards are being seen as the platform continues to be utilised by additional sites, and more and more technicians adapt to the new business model," added Mr Roche.

"Bridgestone is determined to deliver superior products and service to all our customers, but we also identify that major fleets have different requirements. B Mobile was developed locally to allow us to serve our major fleet customers with even greater efficiency and accountability in the future."

Bridgestone will also use in excess of 25,000 data inputs per week from B Mobile to continue to enhance its Total Tyre Management offering in order to further benefit customers.

"B Mobile is a leading technology that is changing the way we operate and allows Bridgestone to provide even more effective tyre management through the right product choice, combined with regular tyre inspections, pressure checks and routine maintenance," Mr Roche said.