Bridgestone: Productising MySpeedy, A Predictive Maintenance Platform

At the time, Bridgestone was transitioning from mainly manufacturing to an overall provider of mobility solutions. We worked together with Johan Langendonck, Consumer Solutions Lead for Bridgestone EU, who is tasked with creating and implementing the long-term vision, strategy and roadmap for the ‘People Mobility’ and ‘Retail’ segments.

Bridgestone’s activities were mainly focused on manufacturing, and its workforce was well equipped for this. They had installed the long-term vision and stepstones to make this transition, however, they lacked the internal capabilities to make it all happen. Since they could not realize this fundamental transition relying solely on their workforce, they had to find expertise and know-how externally.

Instead of waiting to attract and hire the right people, Bridgestone wanted to be proactive. They started looking for the right partner to execute their vision in the short-term, as well as internalize certain key capabilities for realizing their vision in the long term. In their quest for knowledge, Bridgestone was introduced to Faktion. During our initial conversations, it became clear that Bridgestone considered Faktion as a knowledgeable partner with the right expertise in industrial AI applications, sensor data & IoT. They were also impressed by our track record in productization, which was important because we were going to craft solutions for their end consumers. Finally, Bridgestone felt that Faktion was committed to their success.

Faktion built a predictive maintenance solution for Bridgestone, called MySpeedy. MySpeedy is a B2C predictive maintenance solution that allows drivers to monitor their vehicle's health and state in real-time. Its primary goal is to keep drivers from having unexpected maintenance events, such as a battery that refuses to start. The secondary goal is to enhance driver safety by monitoring and alerting on-safety critical events such as damaged tires or worn-out brakes. Additionally, the solution also foresees the ability to schedule appointments in-app to boost the overall customer experience.​

A predictive maintenance solution like MySpeedy requires multiple components coming together to work properly, including hardware, connectivity, algorithms, and a mobile friendly application. Additionally, we were working in a cross-border and cross-departmental context, which required appropriate communication and project management. It was crucial for us to get to know their business, as well as educate stakeholders on topics such as AI along the project. Faktion was responsible for turning the raw incoming vehicle data into intelligent and actionable user insights by applying machine learning and deep learning techniques. We worked together with Bridgestone experts to propose the right architecture for this solution. MySpeedy makes the life of its users more convenient and makes driving safer by providing real-time information about vehicle status. With this solution in place, the overall customer experience has improved.