Digitalisation: BPW takes the lead in automotive and commercial vehicle suppliers - Transport industry ahead of transformation

• Deutschland Test: BPW with the best rating as "Digital Champion"
• Digital breakthrough: Trailer manufacturers switching to online configuration
• Doubling the users on the telematics platform cargofleet 3
• RFID revolutionises the spare parts supply: Workshops capitalise on highly automated storage

Wiehl, 28.5.2020 --- The transport and logistics industry is on the brink of a radical transformation. The surprise: It is not the towing vehicle but, of all the things, the trailer that is driving the digital transformation – from vehicle design to transport management to maintenance. A family enterprise from North-Rhine Westphalia, which is resolutely strengthening its lead as "Digital Champion" in 2020, is providing the key technologies.

BPW BergischeAchsen KG was featured as "Digital Champion" in the great "Deutschland Test" conducted by Focus Money under the scientific guidance of the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) – and took the lead for the first time in the "Automotive supplier" category. Over 10,000 companies were evaluated for the study. The fact that commercial vehicle technologies and not automobile technologies are at the top of innovation makes not just the staff of BPW Group (7,360 employees worldwide, 1.52 billion euro revenue in 2018) proud:

Prof. Dr Dirk Engelhardt, board spokesman of the Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung (German Freight transport, logistics and disposal association, BGL) e.V.: "The current Corona crisis has once again particularly shown the significance of digitalisation for all industries. The innovation dynamics of transport and logistics industry in this field was underestimated by the media and the public for a long time. The distinction for BPW as the Digital Champion marks a turning point: Commercial vehicle industry, freight carriers and logistics companies are now shifting to the fast lane."

No stone remains unturned even in the construction of trailers: Approximately 200 developers of trailer manufacturers are already logging in an Online-Configuration tool of BPW, which creates the entire trailer running gear as a "digital twin" from a billion possible combinations. The "digital DNA" resulting from this supports the running gear lifelong with innovative services. Thus, the Smartphone is becoming an important tool in more and more workshops: The BPW Aftermarket Group has reduced the once tedious identification and ordering of spare parts to a few seconds using the RFID technology. There is a whiff of the future blowing even in the spare parts storage now: An intelligent system identifies the mechanic, records the part he/she takes, takes care of replenishment and besides, completes the accounting and inventory. More and more commercial vehicle workshops in Europe are already using the "upBox" system of BPW Aftermarket Group, which can be placed as a self-sufficient container in the courtyard or permanently installed in the building.

European market leader in trailer telematics: Number of telematics platform cargofleet 3 users doubled in a year

In the telematics networking of vehicles, freight and drivers also, BPW has established itself as the market leader for trailer telematics with its subsidiary in Munich, idem telematics, and has rapidly strengthened its lead: The Nagel-Group, one of the leading providers in Europe for food logistics, uses the most modern telematics solutions by idem telematics for conserving resources and economic deliveries. Apart from this, leasing companies, rental companies, freight carriers and logistic companies of all size classes are increasingly moving to the open system and user friendly telematics platform cargofleet 3 of idem telematics: The number of the online telematics platformhas doubled in just the last year.

Michael Pfeiffer, personally liable managing partner of BPW: "BPW has successfully anchored the spirit of innovation and digitalisation in the company's identity - for a family enterprise with over 120 year history, this also means a change of culture and mentality and that requires a lot of courage. Now we clearly notice that more and more of our customers are not only recognising the role of BPW as a pioneer, but are also following our example. We are proud to be a driver of the transformation in transport."

More information about this can be found in the BPW's annual report and on motionist.com:

Digital logistics seen in in images

IT: How do you link the network?

Spare parts data: More than the sum of all parts

Aftermarket: Standstill is not an option!