Quality | Service
E-ClASS
After-Sales From Service-Compatible Product Design to launch Management The controllability of ever more complex vehicles demands proactive project involvement of experts from the After-Sales department during the initial project phase. Only then all issues relating to maintenance, diagnosis and repair can be incorporated into the vehicle configuration. At market the launch of the new E-Class, the Service field organisation must be prepared.
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The Authors 1 Introduction The After-Sales challenges associated with a new model series are multi-faceted. The main focus is on service-compatible product design with the aim of achieving lower maintenance and repair costs. The results of this focus include an optimised comprehensive insurance rating, the avoidance of special tools to limit the scale of investment in the field organisation as well as the reduction of possible warranty and policy costs. The safeguarding of diagnostic capabilities is another important point, which requires both vehicle activities as well as a corresponding coding of diagnostic devices for the workshops. As soon as the new model series is launched on the market, all workshops are supplied with the new diagnostic software, the latest maintenance and repair documents and with an initial supply of spare parts, especially for accident repairs. Furthermore, the Global Logistic Center (GLC) in Germersheim (Germany) must be supplied with a comprehensive range of spare parts to meet all eventualities by this time. Last but not least, the Mercedes-Benz service personnel must be fully trained for the new model series by this point.
2 Service-Compatible Product Design In the new E-Class, the service-compat ible product design concentrated on retaining and optimising the already excellent reparability of the predecessor model despite increasing vehicle complexity. This service friendliness, which is almost taken for granted, must always prevail in the conflict with other target parameters such as weight and costs that apply to every model series. In the current project environment, close dialog between AfterSales and Development is the only way to ensure that the requirements of a ser vice-compatible product design are fulfilled. Digital repair simulations were already carried out for the new E-Class during the early development phase before the requirement specifications were created. In the Service and Parts Check,
technical experts from the After-Sales Department and the relevant responsible component developers jointly conduct maintenance and repair work in the virtual laboratory. Similar to productioncompatible product design, accessibility of components, the posture and stress to which the mechanics are exposed during their work and the installation spaces for tools and special tools are investigated here. However, since the assembly sequence during production generally does not correspond to the disassembly sequence required during servicing, this throws up new questions that must be examined. In production, for example, the roof liner in many model series is inserted through the opening of the rear windshield that has not yet been fitted. Does this then mean that the rear windshield must be removed every time the roof liner has to be removed for service work? Or can the roof liner – as is the case here – be removed from the vehicle through the front passenger door cutout without requiring additional disassembly of the seats or centre console? With the help of the digital Service and Parts Check, these kinds of questions can be answered at an early stage and, if necessary, the design optimised in consultation with the responsible component managers, Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3.
Dr. Thomas Ringel is head of After-Sales exterior technology and C-, E-Class.
3 Special Tools and Workshop Equipment
Karsten Ulrich is training coordinator E-Class.
Hartmut Roth is project manager After-Sales C-, E-Class.
Tobias Mönchmeier is responsible for the service-compatible product design E-Class.
Oliver Schmill is product manager Xentry Diagnostics.
Volker Halm is head of After-Sales telematics services.
To ensure optimum servicing of the new E-Class in the workshops in terms of quality, occupational safety, maintenance and repair costs as well as repair time, special tools and workshop equipment specially adapted to the model series are required for special maintenance and repair work. During the development phase, efforts are made to avoid these tools in order to minimise the necessary investment volume for Mercedes-Benz workshops. Coordination takes place together with the Workshop Equipment and Special Tool specialists as well as the component supervising developers. As of market launch, model series 212 will require a total of ATZextra I January 2009
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Figure 1: Service investigation for disassembly of the roof liner
just six special tools. This represents a significant reduction in the number of tools compared to the predecessor where 60 special tools were required. For the workshop equipment, an add itional part is required along with the new sets of chassis straightening tools. New design trends have resulted in the development of exhaust pipe trims integrated into the bumper for specific engine variants and equipment levels. These can no longer be accessed using the conventional exhaust gas extraction systems currently available in the workshops. Newly developed extraction adaptors are required. Equipped with these adapters, the existing exhaust gas extraction systems can be used for the new integral bumper tailpipe trims as well as for most previous tailpipe trims, Figure 4.
4 Maintenance Concept The maintenance concept follows the new maintenance strategy of MercedesBenz already introduced with the C-Class. Key features of this strategy are the fixed maintenance intervals of one year or 25,000 km. Advantages are the ability to plan workshop visits and provide better estimates of workshop costs.
5 Repair and Maintenance Instructions The repair methods determined for potential repairs were documented in the Technology Center After-Sales (TCA) and converted into detailed repair manuals roughly six months prior to market launch. This was accompanied by the de-
Figure 2: Service investigation for disassembly of the rear belt tensioner 180
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termination of the work value specifi cations for invoicing by the workshops. For the new E-Class, roughly 750 repair and maintenance instructions were created, the latest versions of which can be accessed online at any time by every authorised Mercedes-Benz-workshop via the Workshop Information System (WIS/ASRA) and the Electronic Parts Catalogue (EPC). However, should special problems occur in the field organisation regarding repairs, for example, the TCA will endeavour to provide a targeted solution within 48 hours in consultation with the development department concerned.
6 Xentry – Vehicle Diagnosis, the Next Generation First-class service is a decisive prere quisite for high levels of customer satisfaction. When visiting workshops for repair or maintenance work, drivers of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class will profit from the further development of the diagnostic and information systems. A new diagnostic system called “Xentry-Diagnostics” will be available in all MercedesBenz workshops worldwide to coincide with the market launch date. The successor to the current diagnostics system is tailored to the new gene ration of vehicles such as the new E-Class. In addition, it provides diagnostic technicians with special advantages that ultimately also benefit the vehicle’s owner. Xentry-Diagnostics supports the technician by providing different views. In addi-
Figure 3: Service investigation for rivet tools at the rear wheel arch
tion to the familiar control unit diagnostic functions, they can also make use of a new function-oriented diagnostic system. Depending on the quick test result and the customer complaint, structured test steps are suggested and the technician can therefore concentrate on the relevant work steps. In the integrated function-oriented diagnostic system, all control units and components involved in the sliding roof function, for example, are displayed together. This along with the improved navigation simplifies the technician’s overview of open diagnostic tasks and those that have already been completed. Another new feature is the option that allows the technician to connect to other workshop applications to provide a quicker and simpler way of displaying repair manuals or the latest technical bulletins. Xentry-Diagnostics will be launched on phased basis from October 2008 onwards in the Mercedes-Benz workshops around the world. Its first application is the current C-Class, for which all the diagnostic resources are already available.
easily at the push of a button. To facilitate this, the first menu entry in the address book in the audio system is reserved at the plant for Mercedes-BenzContact. And what’s the special feature? All relevant vehicle and position data can be automatically transmitted to the centre on request. The support agent therefore has all the important information at his disposal at the start of the telephone conversation. This guarantees individual service and swift on-site assistance. Mercedes-Benz-Contact can be dialled both domestically and internationally and is already available in al-
most every European country. Thanks to the link with the new radio generation featuring integrated telephony, the high level of equipment so essential for the efficiency of telematics services is guaranteed.
8 Replacement Parts Supply The new E-Class will be launched virtually simultaneously in numerous countries around the world. As of the first day of market launch, it must be possible to perform the full range of repairs and
7 Mercedes-Benz-Contact With the new E-Class, the integrated Mercedes-Benz-Contact telematics ser vice guarantees even better customer service. Mercedes-Benz-Contact allows the customer to establish a direct telephone connection to the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center quickly and
Figure 4: Special tool adapter for the exhaust gas extraction system for tailpipe trims integrated into the bumper ATZextra I January 2009
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in turn flow seamlessly into subsequent projects, thus completing the circle leading to the next new vehicle project. ■
Figure 5: Optimised replacement parts supply strategy
maintenance work. The provision of genuine Mercedes-Benz parts to the workshops will entail a major logistical expenditure. At market launch, the GlobalLogistics-Center (GLC) in Germersheim had roughly 120,000 replacement parts for the initial range on hand while the national logistics centres of 22 markets and their retailers were supplied with roughly 150,000 parts from the market basket. Thanks to this integrated global network, the workshops will be able to fit the spare part to the vehicle a matter of hours after ordering it, Figure 5.
DOI: 10.1365/s40111-009-0151-9
9 Global Training Mercedes-Benz Global Training has already monitored E-Class development for roughly two years prior to market launch in order to prepare the markets for the introduction of the new product. At market launch, various job profiles from the Sales and After-Sales departments will be trained. In this case, the training activities developed according to the latest communication standards will be offered for these job profiles. Training will be conducted via e-Training, Business TV and a range of different on-site training. In the context of the Eurotraining, roughly 16,500 sales staff and service personnel will be prepared for the market launch of the new E-Class. As part of this initiative, the multiplier training of 400 trainers worldwide will be continued. Based on this information, further training measures will in turn be held on-site 182
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in the respective countries. In total, roughly 60,000 sales and after-sales employees worldwide will be prepared for the new E-Class.
10 Launch Management and Run-Up Team To prepare the field organisation, the service directors of the worldwide Market Performance Centers were first informed of details of the new model series nine months prior to market launch in form of information days. During and after the training, a rally will be held to promote continued intensive familiarisation with the new E-Class. This will involve around 100 vehicles being handed over to selected service operations roughly six weeks prior to market launch, allowing the service personnel to adapt to the new vehicle under real-life field conditions. In order to gauge After-Sales performance, a quality check will be conducted in several workshops directly after market launch. This will include random checking of the availability of repair documents, information and replacement parts as the final step to verify the successful preparation of workshops for the new E-Class. Parallel to this, a run-up team will be launched. This team will survey the initial customer impressions of their new vehicles and, where necessary, handle any questions that may arise together with the development, production and quality departments. Insights gained will
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