WABCO expands parts, service platform with focus on uptime

GRAPEVINE, TX. With the conclusion of its distribution deal with Meritor Inc., global commercial vehicle supplier WABCO Holdings Inc. provided a preview of its replacement distribution plan at Heavy Duty Aftermarket ’20 Week here. The “dramatically expanded” product and service platform is designed to help North American commercial vehicle fleets enhance safety and improve the availability, or uptime, of equipment at every stage of its service lifecycle, WABCO representatives explained.

Set to launch in March, the new regional platform will enable customers to access all WABCO replacement components and retrofit kits – including braking and stability control systems, air disc brakes, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), air processing and other WABCO-branded products previously distributed by Meritor – through an expanded network of authorized WABCO distributors and certified service partners.

WABCO Americas President Jon Morrison characterized the initiative as the next step in a “journey” toward helping customers to become “completely comfortable” in partnering with the company.

“Being a true partner with customers is who we are and how we operate within WABCO,” said Morrison. “We are demonstrating our commitment to customers by significantly expanding our aftermarket portfolio, adding new distribution infrastructure and logistics capabilities, and creating an enhanced customer experience team for OE service providers, aftermarket parts distributors and fleets seeking to maximize vehicle uptime.”

To support this strategic business expansion, WABCO has substantially upgraded its distribution aftermarket distribution center located in Hebron, KY. At the same time, the company has formed a dedicated customer experience team comprised of experts in field service, call center support, and technical training who will work hand in hand with a growing network of WABCO service providers specializing in the service, repair and replacement of WABCO products for trucks, trailers, buses, off-road equipment and other vehicles.

To help North American fleets and service providers keep vehicles operating safely and at peak efficiency, WABCO’s enhanced customer experience will also include:

• A new customer portal featuring online ordering for OES and distributor customers, as well as product information and technical support for the larger customer base;
• An expanded regionally-based, multilingual field service team providing both live and virtual technical support; and
• A regional version of WABCO’s comprehensive training platform, WABCO Academy, tailored to the needs of North American customers. This platform will enable access to detailed technical instruction via self-directed online modules and on-site, hands-on clinics, as well as certification programs across the spectrum of OEM and aftermarket solutions for popular commercial vehicle applications.

Among the key metrics to be used to assess the effectiveness of uptime focus, WABCO will closely track the time to resolution for parts and service requests, the fill rates at the distribution centers, and final delivery, explained Abe Aon, WABCO North America aftersales, service  and support leader.

“As our customers’ true partners in uptime, we are building on WABCO’s leadership in the original equipment (OE) sector to provide a dedicated, turnkey solution for OE service providers, aftermarket distributors, independent repair businesses and fleets,” said Aon. “We are committed to helping customers keep their vehicles and equipment performing better and longer than ever.”

The company also reported the availability of several new best-in-class aftermarket product and service solutions for commercial vehicles, including an expanded range of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) retrofit kits.

New product and service solutions unveiled in the WABCO booth here included:

OnSide ADAS retrofit kits for major OEM vehicle applications: Now available for several additional applications, WABCO OnSide retrofit kits enable fleets to enhance the safety of existing equipment by adding blind spot detection technology. WABCO also offers OnGuardACTIVE and OnLane ADAS retrofit kits for an array of popular vehicle applications.

Genuine remanufactured air compressors: The WABCO Reman Solutions product offering has been expanded to include premium remanufactured air compressors guaranteed to provide original equipment (OE) equivalent performance in even the most demanding operating conditions.

Subscription-based TOOLBOXPLUS diagnostic software. WABCO’s TOOLBOX software has been enhanced to help users save time in diagnosing WABCO systems. The new version, TOOLBOX PLUS, supports the latest WABCO product releases, including Intelligent Anti-lock Braking System (iABS) for trailers, Modular Braking System Platform (mBSP) for trucks and TailGUARD reverse collision avoidance system for trucks and trailers. A timesaving new “roll call” feature automatically identifies installed WABCO systems upon connection to the vehicle. In addition, warranty forms are pre-populated with VIN, fault code(s) and other information to help speed the claims process. As with the previous version, TOOLBOX PLUS offers aftermarket ECU programming capability to help reduce downtime and unit inventory requirements. The new software is being offered through one-, two- and three-year subscriptions.

Expanded air dryer and cartridge offerings: WABCO now offers three ranges each of replacement air dryers and cartridges to meet the performance and cost-per-mile demands of commercial trucks at each stage of the ownership lifecycle. Available air dryers now include System Saver premium OE; WABCO Reman Solutions; and new ProVia quality aftermarket units. The company’s air dryer cartridge offering now comprises System Saver premium OE; new WABCO Essential mid-range; and Provia quality aftermarket cartridges