As a leader in the field of heavy duty vehicle diagnostics, Noregon Systems receives a lot of requests for “things.” Things like advertising in magazines, contributions to industry charities, participation in industry related events, developing new diagnostic software, and even some things that are just plain crazy.
As the director of sales for Noregon’s JPRO® Fleet Products Division, all of those requests, good, bad and even crazy, end up coming across my desk. Part of my job is to pick what ads we run and when, what trade shows we attend, and what we give away and why. I do my best to weed through these seemingly endless requests to find the ones that have the most merit for what they are trying to do, what will provide the right exposure for my product, and, most importantly, what will benefit the recipients of my goods or services the best. Enter the 2007 TMC Fall Meeting & SuperTech Challenge held this year in Nashville.
When I was approached to be a sponsor for this event, I didn’t even need time to think about it. My answer was a resounding “YES!” I couldn’t think of a better opportunity for Noregon Systems to be in front of the exact people we are trying to reach as potential customers for our product. On top of all of this, our closest vendor partner, Panasonic Toughbook, had already committed to donate 12 Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 Computers to the 12 station winners of the SuperTech Competition.
The 19’s are tough as nails and they are perfect for daily use in the service bay environment. We matched Panasonic’s donation with what I felt was the perfect diagnostic solution for the 12 winners. The computers were fantastic enough by themselves, but let’s face it, without a way to connect to the vehicle it’s just a computer, not a tool. Having spent the last 17 years of my career in the automotive industry, there’s one thing I know about techs: they love their tools. I decided the only way to make these computers into tools in order to truly benefit the winners, would be to equip the winners with a complete diagnostic package.
We outfitted all 12 station winners with a complete diagnostic tool that included our JPRO® Data Link Adapter and JPRO® 6 and 9 Pin Y-Cables for connection from the vehicle to the Toughbook CF-19s; our JPRO® Fleet Portal Software to keep all their OEM and aftermarket software organized in one easy to use location; and our JPRO® Fleet Diagnostic Software that allows them to diagnose any heavy-duty vehicle transmitting diagnostic data over a J1939/CAN, a J1708 network, or both.
JPRO® Fleet Diagnostic allows technicians to look at the engine, the transmission and the braking system on a vehicle, regardless of whose system it is, and it provides critical diagnostic information such as active and inactive fault codes, key data points for temperatures, pressures, and specific parameters that pertain to that system, and so much more. We even gave them a year’s worth of free software upgrades, too.
The exposure at TMC was fantastic and we look forward to more opportunities in the future to work with industry professionals and to help show techs that there is a fantastic reward for being the best at what they do. The immediate benefits we received during TMC were incredible, but at the end of the day, as a guy who answers to a boss and works within a set budget, I had to justify the ROI. While I may not be able to do that with an immediate impact on sales, that wasn’t the point of TMC SuperTech and it wasn’t my intention when I made the decision to get involved. Sponsoring the TMC SuperTech Competition was more important than the ROI Noregon was to get from it. Luckily, I have a boss and a company that agreed with that thought.
The real ROI here clearly goes to all of the technicians that are dedicated to what they do, who study hard to be the best and who take the daily responsibility of keeping their fleet safe and rolling. While we only gave away 12 diagnostic packages, everyone who competed in SuperTech was a winner. As SuperTech continues to grow, our hope is that more technicians will incorporate the spirit of the SuperTech competition into their daily routine.
Will Noregon sponsor the TMC SuperTech Competition again? No question about it. We believe that any vendor who is truly committed to the transportation industry should be actively involved with TMC and SuperTech.
Noregon Systems, Inc. specializes in creating custom software solutions and products for the commercial transportation and Military industries. Noregon provides expertise in e-business applications, client-server applications, embedded applications and onboard vehicle networks.