USE CASE

Pushing Firmware-over-the-air updates saves up to $1,200 on after-sales costs per case

Are your customers kept waiting for onsite service visits to complete minor firmware updates? If so, you could be more efficient and more competitive by implementing firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates instead. FOTA can help you cut after-sales costs, improve customer satisfaction and ward off competition by other OEMs.

THE PROBLEM

Completing firmware updates onsite ties up staff, generates travel costs, and can leave your customers hanging while they wait for technicians to arrive.

Product development never stands still. Soon after a product launch an updated version of firmware will be available for the machine your customer is using in the field. 

If your strategy involves updates to ECUs that are carried out onsite, your personnel have to work inflexibly on the ground with the customer, incurring high travel costs. They also may be too far away to respond to urgent calls in a timely manner. The logistics of onsite service can leave customers dissatisfied and waiting with a machine idle or out of service due to a breakdown. 

OEMs updating firmware onsite are missing out on untapped strategic potential to continuously update their products in the field and to offer their customers improvements and new features that can be conveniently and quickly activated over-the-air.

THE SOLUTION AND BENEFITS

Keep machines up-to-date from anywhere in the world 

With the Global Connectivity Solution you are able to perform firmware-over-the-air updates via the cellular network. With this flexible and secure end-to-end telematics solution your staff can update customers' machines from everywhere.

OEMs can also remotely offer additional machine functions to their customers and provide them a life-long service around FOTA-enabled machine models. This can be a strategic advantage that contributes to a more competitive market position.

Options to conduct firmware-over-the-air updates
  • Update whole fleets using APIs, our DataPortal and our DataPlatform to transfer a file to our CANlink® mobile device. The CANlink® mobile saves the file in an internal memory and is used as a pass-through gateway with an integrated CANopen file server. An external device can then download the file by using Service Data Objects (SDO) commands on the CAN bus.
  • Patch individual machines by using your existing service tool for updating machines remotely. For example, you can use your Danfoss PLUS+1® Service Tool to push update files to your ECU.

File transfer via the CANlink® mobile device as a pass-through gateway:

Savings per service case

This exemplary calculation includes typical service costs such as airfare, hotel costs, and service technician costs. It does not include the cost-specific impact of machine downtime on the machine owner's side. 

 

FOTA advantages
  • Eliminate errors fully and promptly for all machine models in the field
  • Save after-sales costs by avoiding, unnecessary travel expenses or other costs
  • Make FOTA part of your strategy and offer your customers free or premium machine features
  • Strengthen your customer satisfaction and loyalty with a service that promotes a long-term relationship between you and your customer

 

Read how these OEMs implement remote service in their strategy