Fault-finding gets a cool upgrade
Fault-finding gets a cool upgrade
Meet Dr Cool: Schmitz Cargobullโs new AI service assistant for transport refrigeration units. It diagnoses faults, suggests fixes and never clocks off. JACO DE KLERK reports.
Fault-finding can take hours, as you have to go through various steps โ often blindly โ to discover whatโs wrong. But Schmitz Cargobull has a cool AI solution that can remedy this problem.
Speaking to journalists at the VDAโs Media Summit in Frankfurt, which FOCUS attended from 8 to 9 June, Andreas Schmitz, CEO of Schmitz Cargobull, introduced Dr Cool, the companyโs AI-based service assistant for transport refrigeration units. The tool was successfully launched in North America this year, as the first AI assistant of its kind for refrigeration units. A European rollout will follow shortly, with Schmitz noting that, โIt started in America because regulation is easier there.โ
โWith Dr Cool, our service technicians can type in what the problem is and Dr Cool will tell them: โMost likely itโs one, two or three. Check number one first โ thatโs the highest priority. If thatโs fine, check number twoโ,โ he said.
Beyond step-by-step troubleshooting, Dr Cool provides root cause analysis and suggests suitable solutions. It can also create and submit more complex cases directly to Schmitz Cargobullโs service portal, PartnerConnect, and continuously learns from every interaction, as well as from warranty and service cases. This allows it to support technicians and reduce the time units spend in the workshop.
โDr Cool consolidates data from the transport
refrigeration unit through the data cloud. This gives
workshop staff quick access to all the repair and
maintenance information they need, enabling fast and accurate responses to enquiries from dealers,โ Schmitz elaborated.
Data security was a key consideration in the assistantโs development. โDr Cool ensures that only registered and authorised users, such as our service partners, can access the data. Both internal and verified external data sources are used, which guarantees that all information remains secure and confidential,โ he explained.
Dr Cool has now been fully integrated into Schmitz Cargobullโs systems and is available to all authorised North American dealers. โThis will elevate service to the next level. Dr Cool communicates in 27 languages as well; the AI agent is a tireless helper who is available around the clock,โ said Schmitz.
โBy implementing the AI agent Dr Cool, we can significantly enhance our support service by leveraging constant availability, multilingual capability and secure data processing,โ he continued. โWeโre working with Dr Cool to improve our service quality โ try it now and experience the difference in support communication.โ
Closer to home, Schmitz Cargobull holds a stake in Worcester-based GRW Holdings, with the two companies having collaborated on refrigerated semi-trailers for the South African market since 2016. There are no confirmed plans to bring Dr Cool to South Africa or the wider African market yet โ though hopefully this will change as the rollout progresses.
Whether Dr Cool delivers on its promise of faster, smarter fault-finding will become clearer as things unfold. This is, however, a very cool upgrade for fault-finding.
Spain doubles down on A-Doubles
Spain has quietly established itself as one of Europeโs most progressive countries in terms of high-capacity vehicles, while increasing the maximum permissible weight for A-Doubles from 70 to 72 tonnes. Additionally, the network on which these vehicles may operate has been notably expanded.
The Spanish A-Double combination consists of two standard semi-trailers connected by a dolly and pulled by a 4ร2 tractor unit. Because it uses standard equipment, it offers an easy entry point to high-capacity transport without requiring significant investment in special equipment. This differs from most other European applications, where 6ร2 or 6ร4 tractor units are typically used to ensure sufficient traction in operational conditions.
The Spanish example demonstrates that legislation can be a powerful enabler. Once the rules become clear and a suitable road network is available, industry investment quickly follows. It is perhaps no coincidence that Spain โ which traditionally has not been considered a frontrunner in the European heavy commercial vehicle debate โ is now moving faster than several countries that have discussed the subject for decades.
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