«WiseContact Tire Tread Analysis plug-in for WiseImage Pro allows for very quick results in a very easy way» says Development Manager Danie Langner at Dunlop Tyres International.
Samantha Seymour of Kinetic Distribution explains more about both her (the distributor) and the customer's enthusiasm in the following article.
I have dealt with Dunlop over the years, but that had been strictly with the Engineers. They had in the past seen various raster technology applications, but they were not convinced that they really had a use for them in their environment. It began to get tiring calling them knowing what the response was going to be. I tried to get the 'Dunlop Door' opened many times, but it never quite happened. Then out of the blue, Jan Erik Stoll, Managing Director of Consistent Software sent me a demo movie of a niche application that was in early stages of development. I checked the movie and instantly knew that this was the opportunity I had needed, after all - the demo movie showed their direct competitor's tyres being analysed!! Since Dunlop was just minutes away I took the 2 minute movie to see if this was maybe an opportunity to finally get them "Raster-Fantastic".
It was suggested that I speak with the Development team and was pleasantly surprised by their positive response. This was surprising to me since the movie had no sound and to us raster "gurus" did something REALLY simple: it traced an outline, in this case a tyre tread, and gave results of total area and actual contact area. That movie was all I needed to start discussions. Dunlop understood what the idea was, since the week before they had been looking at a far more advanced application for a lot more money (about U$12000). I explained that they were fortunate to be shown this so early in development, as they could have a say in the final product. This would be a far more financially viable option for them to get exactly what they wanted. This interested them, especially the financial aspect. We sat down and went through what the other application could offer, and outlined what Dunlop wanted from the Consistent Software Team. There were many additions that Dunlop required which included providing varying density results in colour and additional calculation results.
Just over a month later the development team at Csoft Russia completed WiseContact and Dunlop was thrilled. The Dunlop Development Team felt that Consistent Software had understood their requirements perfectly, and had surpassed their expectations in delivering more features, including luxury features such as the 3-Dimensional view. Not only are Dunlop happy with the features, they are also impressed with the simplicity of use and the accuracy of results generated. The best part of course is that they paid far less for something tailor-made.
For us at Kinetic, it meant a sale of WiseImage Pro and WiseContact, with future sales of both WiseImage Pro and WiseContact along with SSA's and training. But undoubtedly the most important part of this sale is that we got our foot in the door of a respected local company, and it was possibly the easiest sale to date. They have now asked about additional products that we offer - all because the CSoft Programmers did such an excellent job. Well Done!
Following is a short explanation from the customer
Company name
Company data:
- Approximate Turnover
Based in Durban South Africa, Dunlop Tyres International is responsible for the manufacture and export of tyres for cars and heavy duty trucks.
- People employed
The company turnover is in the region of R1.5 billion and there is currently 2400 staff employed.
Problem description
Require a system to measure tyre footprint and pressure distribution within footprint area
How and why you get the order?
Kinetic Distribution visited Dunlop on the off-chance to see whether the basic ink footprint analysis would be of interest to our development team. Discovered that they we were currently looking at a product for doing more advanced tyre tread analysis. Discussed the possibility of contracting Csoft to develop what the client needed at a better price. Beta versions showed that Csoft programmers could develop exactly what we required and possibly more.
Product name and Number of licenses
1x WiseImage Pro with WiseContact Plug-in (the need for further products would be established once the product was in full operation)
What program tools they use?
Specifically the WiseContact Plug-in which enables Dunlop to analyse their tyre treads using a pressure sensitive footprint, which is then scanned and converted to an adjustable colour range specific to the density of the scan pixels.
How they differentiated CS products from competitors?
Price versus the fact that Dunlop had input as to the final look and feel of the product.
Their benefits:
- Money
Cost effective solution
- Time
The system allows for very quick results in a very easy way
- Working hours
Still to be ascertained
Did they ask for upgrades, customization, etc.?
Dunlop outlined the customisation that was required in order for WiseContact to be developed. The customer would also be interested in an SSA and potentially additional licences
Other
Danie Langner - Development Manager (Approver) Kobus Potgeiter - Development Engineer (User)
