Mobi's Mission

Besides the traffic police, there might soon be a second eye to

remind you about poor driving style: how many times you oversped and for how

long. In case of accidents, quick help might be around. There will also be a

buzz when the car door is not properly shut or when the fuel level goes lower

than 10%.

Tracking solution provider MobiApps is moving towards OEM kind

of deals where it wants to standardize tracking products as standard equipment

in moving assets. The company says some of its newer institutional customers-car

companies in particular-are going to go into these newer solutions where

tracking devices will be installed in vehicles before it comes out of the

manufacturing plant.

Technically, MobiApps does Telematics-integrates automobile

and computing-by directly integrating with the trucks, buses and cars, it will

be able to remotely manage things such as fuel level, tyre pressure,

acceleration, weight and check if the doors are properly closed among others.

All these can be captured and sent to the back end for monitoring. Very few

customers are presently using these, but there are enough indications of greater

traction soon. The company, it is known, is talking to the Tatas, Mahindras and

Marutis in India, and internationally to Mercedes, Volvo, General Motors and

Ford.

The value proposition to customers though, is not in the device-it

is in the service. The service part has to be executed by a service partner. The

whole infrastructure for such a service is ready and a couple of service models

are now being brainstormed. Car manufacturing companies with good network around

the country is an option. The US, for example, has General Motors providing

on-start service that provides services like accident management. This model can

be replicated in India where car manufacturers will sign up its dealers and

service centers. The system will be connected online for dealers to get live

updates. MobiApps devises have several keys-one for SoS, the other for petrol,

another for medical emergency, for example. "So, if a car needs petrol or

medical emergency, someone from the service center can come and help quickly

without the driver having to describe the place he is in," country head

Amitabh Satyam says.

This kind of service can also be the domain of independent

service companies. Mobiapps' joint venture with the Tatas have resulted in

Tata Mobiapps Telematics (TMT). Mobiapps makes the devices, Tata sells and

services it. It can choose to create a service model where all car or truck

owners who have Mobiapps' tracking device will be given different set of

services, including accident management.

But for the OEM kind of deals to happen, device prices have to

come down from its present Rs 15,000 a piece, something that gives the company a

return in 4-5 months. In trying to create a mass-market product, the company is

now investing towards re-engineering the whole solution. Mobiapps wishes to cut

down price by 10-20% every year. While pursuing this effort, the $20 mn company

plans grow three to five times just this year.

Goutam Das in

Bangalore