The motoring industry is one that is controversial at the moment. The climate emergency campaigners would have us believe that motorists are doing a lot of damage to the environment, and while there is a point to be made that petrol and diesel emissions are not good, the economy in the shape it is today would not be able to survive if there were no cars, buses, trucks or vans on the road.
The motor trade has a lot of work to do if the industry is to go green. It’s fair to say that there are some companies in the motor trade that are already going green in small steps, but there is still a lot more work to be done to make the trade truly environmentally friendly. Motoring tech has improved a lot, but how much better could it be?
Green Innovations in the Motor Trade
There is a gradual trend towards old vehicles being retired and replaced with newer vehicles that are hybrid or all electrical, and companies like traders-insurance.com are moving with the times to better serve their trade customer base. This is one area where things could be hurried along, and where motoring tech could offer some promise. Big data and analytics tools for the motoring industry can be incredibly useful for monitoring usage patterns for fleet managers and for rental companies.
Armed with usage patterns, fleet managers can calculate which vehicles could change to biodiesel, and where to assign the newer hybrid or all-electric vehicles to achieve the best impact from their use. In addition, usage data and tracking could map out routes to support improvements in efficiency, and potentially save fuel and wear and tear even where gas-guzzling older models are the only option.
Data for Car Manufacturers
Even car manufacturers can benefit from big data and smart supply chains. Imagine how much less energy would be wasted if parts were ordered and supplied on a Just-in-Time basis, and supply chains knew exactly how many of each part was needed at any one time. Imagine if all bottlenecks and excess stock could be streamlined, to keep the manufacturing line ticking over at optimum efficiency. It’s a nice idea, and it’s something that many industries have already achieved.
Combine that with predictive analytics for customer service and even for maintenance of the cars that have already been released, and you have a clear idea of demand at every step of the product lifecycle, with predictive, pre-emptive maintenance, and an awareness of which spares are going to be in the greatest demand.
Improvements such as this will not just reduce wasted money on excess stock, shipping, and staff, they reduce the environmental footprint associated with that kind of waste. This makes it easy to reduce risk and waste, save money, minimise product recalls, and generally enjoy have a much smoother and more efficient business.
Predictive analytics may seem like the kind of tool that is best employed by the marketing department, but in the hands of engineers and office managers it can do good in many other ways, including reducing the damage the motoring trade does to the environment.