Rotronics are the experts in Battery Management and Maintenance, so why not learn from the experts? Rotronics offer battery training programmes that ensure both your vehicles and customers are kept on the move.

Each of our battery training programmes revolve around your business. Firstly, we get to know the needs of your business, understanding all aspects of battery care and maintenance from start to finish. This means that the modules in the programme are created and designed around your workshop needs and requirements. We like to think we work in partnership with you, collectively reviewing progress and offering tips and advice on ensuring the business achieves maximum return on investment.

Our programmes are based around five key areas:

1. Goods Inwards – we measure the quality and condition of current batteries, and where necessary update stock.

A fleet of passenger service vehicles would contain buses and they need 24v battery sets. We know what the average battery failure and non-start rate would be within a typical fleet, from our extensive ROBIS research analysis of 21,500 buses (up to April 2019) and through our partnerships with our fleet customers.

Within an imaginary bus fleet of 100 buses, we know from the data of 700,000 tests via ROBIS (until April 2019) that around 43% of those vehicles experienced battery issues over a 12-month period and, from the same 700,000 test data, that 30% have reported non-starts in the same period. This would equate to an assumed cost of circa £200 to deal with each roadside nonstart, which would be in the region of £6,000 annually. The cost of replacing two batteries per vehicle would be additional, at a cost of around £300 for two batteries. That totals £9,000 for battery replacement costs. Add that to the non-start

We know from the data of 3,500 tests via ROBIS, that from a typical fleet of 100 fire engines, 35% would experience battery issues and 20% would experience non-starts over a twelvemonth period. This would equate to tenders being unable to leave the fire station in an emergency, with the vehicles having to be taken out of service until a technician could attend to remedy the defect. There is not only the cost of the repair, but the more pressing issue of a tender being unable to assist in an emergency.

We would expect to see roughly 8% of those 100 vehicles with a battery in a state of imminent failure. Those batteries could explode or prevent

Rotronics has been working with the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Services since December 2017. The workshop management team had, for some time, been looking for better ways to manage their battery maintenance within their workshop programme at their Gloucester workshop. The group previously did not have any form of effective battery management programme in place, apart from a simple battery tester.

They were aware that the Police workshop had been using a Midtronics battery tester as part of their workshop maintenance to identify faulty batteries and wanted to explore how this may help them better diagnose battery defects. Whilst the workshop had traditional 24v battery chargers in use, they did not form any part of a routine maintenance process or procedure and, as a result, balanced charging was not a consideration within their maintenance procedures.

Rotronics is delighted to launch the industry-first Rotronics Online Battery Information System, ROBIS, with new wireless connectivity for commercial vehicle and retail customers, which will provide live battery performance data with instant visible results. With proven return on investment, ROBIS reduces non-starts and roadside defects, which will save workshops considerable funds and significantly improve their fleet performance and battery budgets.

The new wireless connectivity allows retail and fleet workshop managers and head office fleet teams to analyse their vehicle and battery testing output, without the previous manual download of the SD card from the battery tester. This means that instant data is visible on the personalised ROBIS dashboard, test results cannot be falsified in any way, there is no wait time to receive battery data and our ROBIS experts can instantly detect faulty equipment or incorrect use of the testing technology in any workshop or retail-testing environment.

The introduction of a CTEK battery support unit has enabled Autoglass® technicians to calibrate vehicle camera systems, after a windscreen replacement, without flattening the battery.

AUTOGLASS® IS THE UK’S LEADING vehicle glass repair and Replacement Company, serving more than 1 million motorists each year. Autoglass® delivers their repair and replacement services through 1,200 mobile technicians visiting homes, places of work, or wherever customers are located.

The introduction of vehicle technologies such as ADAS systems including front windscreen-mounted cameras for lane departure warning and rain/light sensors were proving a challenge to Autoglass®. Not only in terms of the increased time taken to replace windscreens but also, in most cases, the requirement to calibrate the vehicle after the replacement glass had been fitted – something that needs to be undertaken with the ignition on but the engine not running, placing massive strain on the vehicle battery.

The

Motonet is Finland’s leading automotive spare parts and accessories, tools, and leisure goods store. The Motonet store network consists of 25 stores that sell great products backed up by expert advice and additional services, helping customers get the most out of their vehicles and leisure time.

This strong approach to customer service resulted in Motonet introducing the Motomaatti service tent to all stores during 2015, initially launched to fit, free of charge, car accessories that customers had purchased from the store such as light bulbs and wiper blades as well as maintenance activities such as oil level checks – these proved to be very popular. Later on, Motonet also took the decision to start offering additional vehicle checks, such as tyre pressure

"We worked with Rotronics to understand just how much battery failure away from base was affecting our overall performance. Saving time and ensuring that delivery times could be continually met was a big driver for the development of a Battery Management Programme."

THE CHALLENGE

C S Ellis (Group) Ltd is a logistic services company, operating from four locations in East Midlands. They provide UK Pallet Distribution, a National Palletised Hazardous Delivery Service, European and International Freight Distribution, Commercial Warehousing, Export Packaging and Workshop and Breakdown service. C.S Ellis has approximately 50 Vehicle technicians every 6 – 8 Weeks.

Whilst C.S Ellis had a robust vehicle servicing process in place, this process didn’t involve the battery – David Beever from C.S Ellis explains ‘’Our vehicle servicing programme ensured that our vehicles were safe, road worthy and free from technical problems but we didn’t really touch the battery.

“Here at Abellio we pride ourselves on providing a first class, reliable public transport service and so making sure that battery related problems weren’t compromising our standards, was a big driver for the development of a Battery Management Programme. The Rotronics team were so helpful in not only giving us a solution but also selling it to our staff by helping them to understand why they were doing it and the benefits that it would bring. After the training session they were, and still are, using the programme as part of every service and we are all benefitting.” Mike Pesh, Abellio London

THE CHALLENGE

The technical team at Beddington cross depot were keen to introduce a Battery Management