ZF acquires smart tachograph manufacturer Intellic
Automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG is acquiring intellic Germany GmbH (Berlin). The 20-strong company develops advanced tachographs.
Intellic’s smart tachograph products complement ZF’s existing portfolio in the digital fleet management segment. This strengthens ZF’s market position as a partner to the commercial vehicle industry along the entire value chain and for Transportation as a Service (TaaS).
From autumn 2023, European manufacturers are obliged to install the next generation of smart tachographs in newly registered trucks. For this reason, ZF strategists believe that the smart tachograph will become the digital linchpin for effectively managing commercial vehicles. By 2024 at the latest, the technology will completely replace its analogue predecessors.
ZF thus sees the acquisition as an important step in its strategy to drive “Next Generation Mobility” in the commercial vehicle industry. “Smart tachographs are already established in fleet management. As a trusted, legally regulated data interface, they are taking on an increasingly important role in the road transport ecosystem,” says Hjalmar Van Raemdonck, Head of Digital System Solutions in the ZF Commercial Vehicle Solutions Division. By integrating Intellic’s intelligent tachograph technology into its own telematics portfolio, ZF aims to strengthen its position as a ‘one-stop shop’ for commercial vehicle manufacturers, fleets and industry partners.
“Black Box” for logistics and transport
The next generation of intelligent tachographs opens up new possibilities in logistics and in optimising road and fleet infrastructure. Installed in the vehicle, the devices combine verified data such as local times, real-time clocking as well as a secure global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and intelligent transport systems (ITS) interface in one box. This enables them to act as a “connectivity hub” to reliably and accurately capture and relay information from a variety of vehicle sensors and data sources, including Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and EBS signals. Updates can be installed flexibly and securely “over the air”. In addition, the smart tachographs record information on speed, driving and break times. This helps to comply with legal regulations during operation.
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