Hirschbach plans to add Phillips Connect and ConMet smart trailer technologies to 1,200 new refrigerator trailers it will purchase this year.
The sensor technologies chosen by Hirschbach will provide increased visibility to the health of its refrigerated trailers, resulting in an increase to uptime and driver satisfaction to support its strong customer service initiatives, according to the companies. Included on the new trailers will be the Phillips Connect Smart7 integrated telematics hub with ABS Fault√, Light Out√, Remote Pre√, ATIS Monitoring√, and Door√.
“This is a big win for us at Phillips Connect because we know Hirschbach is a leader in adopting new technologies that improve fleet operations,” said Rob Phillips, Phillips Connect president and CEO. “The fact that they chose our product, along with ConMet, for their latest upgrade confirms our product development strategy is on the right path.”
For the Hirschbach trailers, ConMet will supply the connected wheel end of choice with its PreSet Plus SmartHub, an integrated health monitoring system that will generate actionable data on hubs, tires and brakes through the Phillips Connect gateway.
Hirschbach is among the newest, most environmentally friendly, innovative, and fuel-efficient fleets operating in the U.S. Since 2017, responding to increased customer demand, the company has doubled the size of its fleet. They currently operate 1,800 Class 8 trucks and 3,400 trailers, and expect to purchase 500 power units in 2021, in addition to the 1200 trailers, the company reports.
“Hirschbach is committed to increasing uptime for the benefit of both our customers and our drivers,” said Nick Forte, vice president of maintenance. “Having visibility to the health of our trailer assets while in service and even before they are dispatched is extremely important. It’s a waste of valuable driver time to dispatch them to get a trailer with a problem, not to mention the negative effect it can have on shipping commitments. We chose the Phillips Connect and ConMet smart technologies for our trailers because of their long histories and reputations for developing quality, high-performing products.”
The Phillips Connect Smart7 is an integrated 7-way nose box with cellular gateway, GPS tracker, and sensor hub all-in-one that maintains continuous 4G-LTE connection to the trailer. It is as easy to install as Phillips standard nose boxes and requires no additional harnessing or electrical connections. Phillips Connect sensors are durable, reliable, and linked to one platform to deliver complete transparency and asset management. They offer fleets tremendous ROI by increasing revenue, improving driver uptime, and reducing CSA violations.
ConMet’s PreSet Plus SmartHub is the first connected health monitoring system integrated into a hub assembly. SmartHub sensors tap into hub, tire, and brake performance data, alerting fleets of any performance anomalies. The data is also analyzed and compared to ConMet’s test engineering expertise in order to create insightful information that allows fleet managers to make more informed wheel end maintenance decisions. Taking early action with SmartHub alerts and health insights can improve safety, drive down asset TCO, and improve overall fleet efficiency and uptime.
“ConMet is excited to partner with Phillips Connect to bring SmartHub technology to forward-thinking fleets like Hirschbach,” said John Waters, president of ConMet. “It’s this type of collaboration that realizes the greater vision of bringing connectivity and intelligence to the heavy-duty industry.”
