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Motorcycle Manufacturer Service Diagnostics

  • Case Studies
Panasonic TOUGHBOOK Laptops Keep Motorcycles Healthy

Motorcycle Manufacturers And Dealers Are Passionate About Their Product And Serving Their Customers.

One of the critical "tools" used by both engineers and service technicians of a leading U.S. manufacturer is a Panasonic TOUGHBOOK laptop. Engineers at assembly plants across the nation use TOUGHBOOK laptops to test and make sure new bikes pass inspection while service technicians leverage them to check the engine performance of each bike.

These dealership technicians rely heavily on a manufacturer-customized technician kit that allows them to set up, detect and troubleshoot any issues on the motorcycles. These kits include a fully-rugged Panasonic TOUGHBOOK 31 laptop or semi-rugged Panasonic TOUGHBOOK laptop along with software and a diagnostic tool for their maintenance work stations.

Previously for its technician kits, this motorcycle manufacturer used consumer-grade desktops and laptops, but they weren't durable enough to handle the service bay environment. Use in service work areas and service bays exposed the diagnostic kits to vibration and inevitable drops, which can damage regular computer hard drives and components. In addition, the computers needed to be resistant to oil, grease, fluids and dust. It's for these type of requirements that the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK laptops are specifically built.

With TOUGHBOOK-based technician kits, dealerships can efficiently diagnose issues on motorcycles at the garage service level. A guided diagnostic portion with a flow chart walks a service technician through the troubleshooting process on a bike and also allows the technician to set up fobs and pins for security, update parts, and download and update calibrations to the bike.

Specialty factory technicians and analysts support the dealer contact centers by fielding hardware and software service calls from dealers all over the country. They also test software and handle service calls by remotely connecting to dealer technician kits in order to diagnose and resolve an issue or, if necessary, scheduling a technician for repair.

TOUGHBOOK devices have enabled this motorcycle manufacturer to boost efficiencies in the service bay and improve the overall bike maintenance experience for its riders. The company has experienced fewer laptop failures since transitioning to purpose-built TOUGHBOOK laptops, leading to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and a higher ROI.

Panasonic recognizes the importance of protecting laptop PCs from the challenging environments that service technicians face every day. That's why we developed legendary Panasonic TOUGHBOOKs—rugged mobile PCs that protect those components most frequently damaged.

Fully-rugged TOUGHBOOK devices are designed using MIL-STD- 810F environmental testing procedures for drops, shocks, altitude, vibration, dust and water resistance, and high- and low-temperature resistance. With durability designed into every seal, hinge and connector, TOUGHBOOKs ensure maximum uptime and industry-leading reliability.