Although tire-changing may not be the first task that comes to mind when thinking about automation, RoboTire is utilizing Formant’s remote support capabilities to streamline and automate this traditionally time-consuming task – and it’s a game changer.
RoboTire, a Michigan-based robotics company, is focused on improving efficiency in vehicle maintenance, specifically tire-changing. By introducing its revolutionary tire-changing system, RoboTire has significantly decreased the time required for tire-changing, enabling shop workers to redirect their attention to other important tasks, while the robots do the labor-intensive work.
Recently, RoboTire announced its plans to expand implementation to an additional Discount Tire location in Arlington, Texas. As its footprint grows nationwide, it is critical that RoboTire can rely on a dependable data platform.
Optimizing the tire-changing process
In 2021, RoboTire launched its first tire-changing system in collaboration with Discount Tire, a key partner, committed business contributor, and investor. The following year, RoboTire and Discount Tire implemented the system in its first commercial location – a Discount Tire store located near Scottsdale, Arizona.
RoboTire unveiled its latest launch in December of 2022, in partnership with Creamery Tire, located in Pennsylvania. This launch has led to a significant reduction in required tire-change time, from an hour to less than 25 minutes, allowing shops to serve more cars in a safe and efficient environment.
Formant helps to stay on top of remote systems
To keep continual watch over system performance RoboTire primarily uses Formant’s “Observe” view. This feature merges camera views with real-time data feeds to monitor system health, allowing RoboTire to quickly identify any performance irregularities and understand the root cause of errors, eliminating the need for guesswork out of troubleshooting, and expediting the resolution process. This ultimately guarantees consistent system performance across all remote sites.
“System observability is crucial to us”, said Fin Elliott, RoboTire’s Senior Product Manager. “With Formant, we are able to significantly decrease the amount of time from when an issue is identified to when a resolution is implemented”.
The power of data extends beyond internal development and troubleshooting, as customers also want visibility into the system when deploying tire-changing systems in new locations.
To provide their customers with a clear understanding of the performance of their systems, RoboTire employs Formant’s custom views feature to create data dashboards that display relevant business metrics. This feature allows anyone with a login to access and view the designated Formant Observe view.
A crucial aspect of the customer experience is the ability to compare the performance of the tire-changing systems to traditional human labor. With the use of custom views, RoboTire can provide its customers with visual representation of weekly analytics such as the number of successful jobs, aborted jobs, frequency of cycle-stops, and average runtime. This allows customers to comprehend how robots enhance the tire-changing process, and how it is proven through Formant. Additionally, it allows for an examination of data on a weekly basis, ensuring that the robot’s performance remains optimal.
“It’s been a great experience working with RoboTire to help integrate their data observability platform,” said Tanim Islam, Customer Success Manager at Formant. “As their operations and capabilities continue to expand, it’s clear that using a platform like Formant to enable smooth observation, quickly visualize new and historic data, and power deeper insights are of the utmost importance to maintaining quality service.”
As RoboTire continues to expand to more stores, maintaining efficiency requires a reliable data platform. Formant is proud to be a partner in RoboTire’s success in optimizing the tire-changing process with their impressive system. We encourage you to learn more about how RoboTire is changing the future of automotive care – with its advanced technology and our reliable data platform, the future of tire-changing is looking brighter than ever.
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