Operational predictability for automotive maintenance management

• Grant number: 23/03223-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Agreement: FINEP - Centelha SP Program
• Principal Investigator: Kory Malafaia Pinheiro
• Grantee: Kory Malafaia Pinheiro
• Company: Kory Malafaia Pinheiro Ltda
• CNAE: Desenvolvimento de programas de computador sob encomenda ; Desenvolvimento e licenciamento de programas de computador customizáveis ; Tratamento de dados, provedores de serviços de aplicação e serviços de hospedagem na internet
• Associated research grant(s): 23/04994-2 - Operational predictability for automotive maintenance management, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/05992-3 - Operation predictability for automotive maintenance management, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Carro em Dados is an autotech that proposes to improve and generate new business opportunities for the players in the Brazilian automotive industry chain. We started with the idea of connecting passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles that are in circulation without native connectivity. From our validation process, we focused on the repairable fleet (out of warranty) whose owners do not maintain a relationship of trust or loyalty with the establishments that keep their cars. We validated our hypothesis that people have real difficulty in keeping up with the schedule of services that their vehicles demand and understand the possible consequences of neglecting maintenance. We also found that corrective maintenance (vehicles that arrive broken) is the main cause of schedule breakdown in independent maintenance shops, we call this "operational unpredictability", which leads to a backlog of cars inside the shops, extensive work shifts, and inaccuracy in obtaining parts. The managers of these facilities conduct awareness campaigns about the importance of preventive maintenance with the purpose of encouraging the scheduling of services. The information of main value for our business is the use that is being made of these vehicles to address calls from these establishments to their customers to perform preventive maintenance services. The development of the business has changed the approach of Carro em Dados; we started our activity focused on delivering value to our B2B end, through which we intend to monetize, however, we understand that our success is directly linked to the user experience, customers of the automotive maintenance shops. Our product at the B2C end is a mobile application, a vehicle maintenance management tool, however, since maintenance is a task that only occurs every few months, we perceived a high risk of delivering only this experience, being exposed to possible uninstalls or suspension of permissions due to the lack of user interaction with the application. So we developed features that allow the car owner to follow in real time the health of his car's engine and check its history of traveled journeys. With financial resources, new priorities are assigned to the development of the mobile application. User experience and new revenue sources: scheduling of services and generation of discount coupons; Robustness and reliability: determination whether the user is the driver or the passenger and application compatible with Android automotive systems. Our participation in the Programa Centelha generates some expectations. The first is the acceleration to which we will be submitted thanks to mentoring, training, ecosystem with startups and partners, and the feasibility of exclusive dedication to the project. The second is related to the seal of approval inherent to participation in the program, which will certainly facilitate our penetration in the automotive and academic ecosystem. We are currently working on: the B2C product branding position, which is done through social networks talking about automotive maintenance in an uncomplicated way with the purpose of generating the need for a vehicle maintenance management tool for the general public; the development of such a tool as a prototype with the basic functions to extract information that feed our elementary business rules. In this version, the application should be distributed to strategic clients of the early adopters; and in the formation of a market partner that gives us access to real maintenance situations, to the challenges in the management of automotive centers, and to the big players in the market. Hiring through the Programa Centelha accelerates the optimization of the user experience and the development of an MVP to the B2B end of our business. (AU)