Integrated Open Digital Workflows in Fleet Maintenance

ZF Aftermarket is demonstrating open digital workflows at Automechanika Frankfurt, held from September 8 to 12, 2026, at Messe Frankfurt, Germany, connecting existing customer systems with partner platforms to streamline the repair journey from issue detection to completion.

Operational Challenges and Collaboration
Fleets and workshops often operate across separate systems for issue detection, diagnostics, service planning, and parts procurement, resulting in administrative delays and inefficiencies. To overcome these fragmented processes and manage increasing operational complexity, ZF Aftermarket connects over 2,000 fleets and 50,000 workshops into a coordinated data-driven network. By integrating remote vehicle data, workshop operations, and parts distribution, the company establishes practical solutions designed to maximize vehicle uptime.

Technical Solution and Responsibilities
The system architecture links ZF Bus Connect, a telematics and fleet management solution for buses, with ZF [pro]Diagnostics software via a CAN Tunnel connection to enable remote troubleshooting before a vehicle arrives at the workshop. This setup transmits vehicle CAN data remotely, providing technicians with ECU information, trouble codes, live sensor values, and diagnostic routines, and is also compatible with third-party diagnostic providers. For service coordination, ZF links ZF [pro]Manager—acting as a 24/7 digital front desk—with fleet management solutions like the partner platform Vandy. Furthermore, ZF MultiScan links diagnostic outputs directly with electronic distributor parts catalogs, offering 95 percent passenger car coverage in Europe and utilizing fault data to deliver immediate recommendations for compatible parts, pricing, and availability.

Deployment and Implementation
The integrated workflows are deployed across European fleet and workshop networks, utilizing open API architectures within ZF [pro]Manager to link ZF and third-party platforms into a single interface. Fleet operators can identify workshop capabilities, book appointments digitally, and track service progress via Vandy. ZF Aftermarket showcases these Mobility Uptime solutions at Automechanika Frankfurt, Forum Level 01.

Applications and Use Cases
These connected workflows are applied directly to commercial fleet management, remote vehicle diagnostics, and workshop parts procurement. Functional use cases involve identifying root causes remotely before vehicles reach the workshop, scheduling repair appointments through automated digital processes, and generating comprehensive parts overviews from a single diagnostic scan for complex multi-system repairs.

Results and Expected Impact
The integration of diagnostic data with distributor ordering systems eliminates manual fault-code interpretation and separate catalog searches, significantly reducing the time spent between diagnosis and procurement. This enables workshops to process more vehicles per day and maintain higher operational uptime. Commenting on the strategy, Philippe Colpron, Head of ZF Aftermarket, notes that the initiative brings together remote vehicle data, diagnostics, workshop operations, and parts procurement to deliver measurable daily value. Benoit Dessart, Head of Business Line Digital Solutions at ZF Aftermarket, adds: "By integrating with partner solutions, we enable our customers to build workflows that fit the way they already operate".

Edited by Maria Brueva, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

www.zf.com