Tyre manufacturer Continental Tyres has entered a collaboration with Cloudera, utilising their data platform to develop new applications that will allow fleet operators to consistently monitor tyre conditions, thereby reducing wear, lowering maintenance and fuel expenses, as well as avoiding breakdowns. This partnership seeks to transform Continental from a traditional manufacturer to an integrated tyre solutions provider as it broadens its digital management efforts.

The initiative is in response to the persisting incidence of underinflated tyres, a leading cause of vehicular breakdowns and disruptions to supply chains. Consequently, this not only costs companies time and money but also significantly impacts fuel efficiency, safety, and legal compliance.

It is through the "ContiConnect" digital tyre management solution that the collaboration has manifested. This solution employs sensors located within the tyres to constantly measure key metrics such as pressure, temperature and mileage. These metrics provide fleet managers with real-time data access via an app or online portal, enabling them to receive prompt alerts and suggestions for proactive maintenance if the recorded values deviate from the specified range.

Such data plays a critical role, particularly when vehicles have to adapt to varying load and terrain conditions. This system offers valuable insights into fleet management, allowing for accurate forecast generation, thereby enabling fleet managers to proactively maintain their vehicles rather than reactively. All these measures result in substantial monetary savings on unnecessary maintenance, reduce the likelihood of costly breakdowns and curb excessive fuel consumption. Moreover, reduced tyre wear boosts mileage and enhances safety. The effectiveness of the system is proven with the instance of a British fleet operator with a total of 55 vehicles experiencing an 83% drop in breakdowns, translating to a saving of nearly 23,000 euros in fuel costs during the one-year implementation of ContiConnect.

Laura Koormann, Global Team Lead of Digital Solutions IT at Continental Tyres, further emphasises the central role of data in this system, stating: "Everything is based on data and using it to gain insights for customers. The Cloudera data platform offers the opportunity to enable a variety of data-driven use cases on the platform in the future". The potential for future expansion and the integration of novel functionality with relative ease was also highlighted by Andreas Voges, Application Manager ContiConnect & IoT at Continental Tyres, who asserted that the Cloudera infrastructure perfectly suited their present and future needs.

Looking ahead, Continental Tyres aims to leverage the Cloudera data platform to expand its data-based services anchored on artificial intelligence (AI). Such advancements include the development of sensors that collect even more detailed tread depth data and provide extra insights for customers. The company also plans to offer more extensive information through progressive integration with other solutions for vehicle fleets.