The all-in-one software stack for effortless feature integration is revolutionizing the automotive industry
Frédéric Baroin
Global Head of Automotive Business at Anyline
Modern technology has been a pivotal part of a wide range of different industries for decades. But historically, many organizations have had to contend with hardware devices that were really only designed to perform one or two very specific functions.
If you worked in retail, for example, you likely used a barcode scanner on a regular basis. Even though the underlying technology was technically capable of so much more, that device would be used for only one purpose: scanning barcodes. The same applied to specific label readers, equipment used to swipe identification cards, and the overly intricate heavy-duty hardware frequently used in the automotive service industry.
Make no mistake, these single-use devices certainly had their time and place. Thankfully, technology has progressed sufficiently over time for us to be able to replace them as a whole.
The All-in-One Software Stack Has Finally Arrived
Many complex tasks that once required a dedicated device can now be completed on just one because of how quickly modern technology is developing, especially in terms of the kinds of software solutions that are now readily available. Case in point: newer Zebra Technologies devices that are often used in the automotive industry. Not long ago, the Anyline team had the opportunity to collaborate with Discount Tire, the world’s largest independent retailer of tires and wheels. Discount Tire has nearly 1,100 stores in the United States, and thousands of people rely on them daily.
Software in Action
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Discount Tire wanted to do whatever it could to make sure that its technicians had access to the latest technology pertaining to the vehicle inspection process. Thanks to the use of the Zebra mobile computer, they now had access to a single device that could perform multiple critical tasks throughout the servicing process.
In the past, Discount Tire technicians needed to record all of this information manually using pen and paper, which then had to be manually brought back to a computer and re-entered. Talk about wasting time and resources! Suddenly, a process that, while important, used to take a significant amount of time could now be completed in a fraction of that time. Today, it’s possible to make an accurate tire assessment in as little as five seconds, according to estimates. This allowed those at Discount Tire to not only help more customers on a daily basis but also dramatically reduce wait times and improve the quality of the experience they were offering to consumers as well.
Multiple Applications in One
Another example of this comes by way of ATEQ, an automotive servicing hardware company that has long made an effort to bring together many state-of-the-art technologies within a single device. Rather than needing Device A for one task, Device B for another, and Device C for yet another, everything can be completed quickly and efficiently with a single piece of hardware—exactly as it should be.
Overall, allowing employees to integrate multiple solutions within a single device almost instantly increases employee efficiency. All of this is done at significantly reduced costs to the business because, as opposed to investing in multiple pieces of hardware for each task, you now only need one. This also means less training time for employees, which cuts down on the overall cost of onboarding whenever a business brings someone new into the fold.
All this, coupled with a process that eliminates human error and leads to more accurate results, creates a perfect storm in the best possible way. This also gives way to what might be the biggest benefit of all: freeing up the valuable time of employees so that they can focus on the task itself and achieving the desired result as opposed to devoting so much of their attention to finding the device that performs the task in the first place.
If you’d like to find out more information about the major benefits of the all-in-one software stack and how effortless feature integration is revolutionizing the automotive industry (among others), or if you’d just like to speak to someone about your own needs in a bit more detail, please don’t delay; contact us today.
