Stoneridge – At the heart of tachograph development
Customer first
Stoneridge’s products are designed and produced in house, with the digital tachograph manufactured at its site in Sweden. It also has a manufacturing facility in Tallin, Estonia, where a large number of its products are produced. It has a UK site in Dundee, where there is a degree of manufacturing carried out, but over the past six years this location has mainly involved itself in the design, engineering, sales and support side of the business.
Like all tachographs and related items, Stoneridge’s wares are legislative products. However, what separates Stoneridge’s devices from others, according to Colin, is the company’s focus on designing units that are ‘easy to use and affordable’. He said, ‘We especially pride ourselves on the customer support we provide and we want our customers to know that they can come to us with any tachograph related issues they have, whether it is for technical queries, general product information or legislative questions. We consistently get positive feedback for being approachable, honest and responsive which shows we take putting the customer first very seriously.’
Stoneridge provides a workshop and fleet customer support service from its Dundee premises. It has teams available to answer all questions on tachographs, tachograph analysis, technical issues and all other matters relating to tachograph legislation. It offers a range of online tools on its website too, including instructional videos, simulators and tutorials.
As well as striving to provide an excellent aftersales service, Stoneridge also aims to develop the most up to date equipment. Having focused on feedback from customers, Stoneridge is developing a new version of its digital tachograph, which it expects to release in the not too far future.
Looking ahead, Stoneridge aims to continue to keep up to date with tachograph legislation changes. It has been invited by the European Commission to actively participate in the ongoing discussions to establish any future changes. In July 2011, the Commission proposed a complete reform of digital tachograph regulation, which it is discussing with European Parliament. The company is involved in this process and the plan is to reach a final agreement on the content of the legislation by the end of the year, with the implementation expected about five years from now. The main technical changes proposed by the Commission include adding a satellite based signal to the tachograph to record the start and end of a journey, a wireless communication feature for roadside checks and a harmonised interface for data from the tachograph to be used by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) applications.
Last word
Being so deeply involved in tachograph legislation is surely an advantage for any company developing this sort of technology. It shows not only their commitment to keeping up to date with the industry, but also the value the authorities developing these regulations places on the business’s knowledge and expertise.