Panasonic releases white paper on issues in fleet service bays

user-gravatar Headshot

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, manufacturer of the durable Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers, released a white paper produced by Larstan Business Reports. The new white paper, titled “The Role of Rugged Mobile Computing in Overhaul, Service & Maintenance Operations,” explores the strategic, operational, and technological issues that are addressed by rugged mobile solutions for maintenance and service managers. The full report can be downloaded from the Transportation section of the Panasonic Toughbook web site.

The service bay issues addressed in the white paper are relevant to the commercial transportation, aviation and consumer automotive service markets.

“There is a service technician crisis impacting multiple transportation markets,” said Bill Presler, Senior Business Development Manager, Strategic Markets, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. “New technicians are not entering the ranks as fast as the senior technicians are leaving, vehicles are becoming increasingly complex and in some markets, the number of service bays per vehicle is on the decline. Because of this shift, maintenance and service managers are trying to find ways to do more with less. One proven way to do this is to create a mobile, integrated service bay computing solution that enable the technician to do more while at the vehicle. Our new white paper sheds light on this aspect of the service bay issue.”

The white paper incorporates commentary from Snap-on Diagnostics, Panasonic and others, and looks at how Volvo, Harley Davidson and Toyota have leveraged technology to improve service bay experience.

To support the notion of a service bay crisis, the white paper reveals a number of interesting statistics:
Even though the number of autos and light trucks on the road rose to more than 39 million between 1996 and 2006, the number of service bays available to maintain and repair them has actually declined by 44,000 during the same time period
There were 166 light vehicles in the U.S. for every service bay in 2000; three years later that number had jumped to almost 180.
By 2006, the number of vehicles per service bay stood at more than 190 and is projected to grow to about 200 per bay by 2008.