Many car dealerships and fleet managers still rely on hand scanners, calipers, or even visual inspection to assess tyre quality. These methods are time-consuming and prone to measurement and data entry errors, as information is often written down manually before being entered into digital systems. To reduce workload and minimize mistakes, the Karl + Co. car dealership in Mainz has been using the TireScanMobile app from GL Technology GmbH for the past year. This AI-powered app quickly and accurately records tyre models and stores all relevant information digitally. It also documents other important details, such as tyre or rim damage, and offers automated license plate and vehicle identification number recognition for easy vehicle data collection. The app’s data is processed by GL Technology’s profile measurement solutions. Karl + Co. also utilizes the StackedTireProfiler, which works alongside the mobile app to measure the tread of stacked tyres within seconds.
“Previously, we collected tyre data manually with a hand scanner,” says Klaus Kleinfeller, service manager at Karl + Co. “Each tyre would take about three to four minutes to assess.” Like many car dealerships and tyre shops, Karl + Co. had concerns that newer technologies, while offering partial automation, might require extensive employee training due to their complexity, making them more of a hassle than a solution. However, last year, the BMW dealership in Mainz decided it could no longer accept the high risk of inaccuracies and transmission errors that came with the manual process. These inefficiencies not only added extra work but also placed a burden on both the company and its employees.
AI learns independently on the job: “At the time, we were looking for innovations that could help us improve our internal workflow,” says Kleinfeller. “Since we were already using a tread measurement solution from GL Technology GmbH, we decided to also use the TireScanMobile app as an extension and to make our daily work even easier.” Just a few days passed between ordering and setting up the technology. “Our staff got comfortable with the app after very little training thanks to its user-friendly functions,” Kleinfeller adds. The GL Technology customer decides whether the app is installed on existing devices or supplied with suitable mobile equipment.
Tyre recognition is conducted mostly automatically via the app, which greatly reduces the staff’s workload. “The tyre fitters simply take a photo of the tyre to be inspected using the mobile device, and the app does the rest,” explains Steffen Klein, the managing director of GL Technology GmbH. Using AI-based object recognition, the system independently determines all relevant tyre information such as the manufacturer, model, tyre dimension and other important information such as an existing OEM code or any run-flat properties of the tyre. All data and photos are then digitally saved as an overview report – entirely without paperwork. “The recorded measurement sizes are then seamlessly transferred via Wi-Fi into our document management system,” says Kleinfeller. The app also has a QR code scanner that can record all order and vehicle data at once so they never again have to be entered manually. “Our TireScanMobile app is also able to run completely independent of all tread measurement tools and be able to transfer data directly to our ERP system,” Klein adds.
Autonomous learning paired with flexible combination options: Through continuous use, the AI is automatically trained and learns to recognise and evaluate new and external tyre data even more effectively. “The more we use the system, the faster and more reliably it recognises the different models and information to be recorded,” says Klein. “This will help us design the AI for further promising areas of use.” So far, the app has primarily been designed for car tyres, but is currently also being trained to record truck tyres. Companies that specialise in larger vehicles or fleet management could also use the app in the near future to make daily documentation work easier.
The app is also customisable in terms of its compatibility with other GL Technology GmbH products. “In our work, we also use, for example, the StackedTireProfiler tyre tread measurement tool from GL Technology along with the mobile TireScanMobile app,” says Kleinfeller. This measurement system is designed for the precise tread measurement of an entire stack of tyres – in just a few seconds. The car owner can thus be informed immediately on site about the condition of the entire set of tyres and advised of any need for new tyres. “With our specially developed measurement solutions for complete wheels and tyres, we want to make day-to-day work easier for companies in the automotive aftermarket,” Klein says in summary. “With the TireScanMobile app as an independent app or expansion to existing systems, we are finally bringing tyre documentation into the digital age.”
