Khurana To Lead Daimler Trucks Connectivity Services

Daimler Truck AG has established a new Connectivity Services Group (CSG) global division to develop the next generation of vehicle connectivity solutions and digital services for customers across the globe.

CSG will be based at Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) headquarters in Portland, Ore., and be led by Sanjiv Khurana, currently head of Digital Vehicle Solutions at DTNA. Khurana will oversee the international teams to define the next set of Daimler’s connectivity solutions and set up the framework for fast and scalable software development and product management.

“Connectivity has proven to be a huge asset to improving our customers’ profitability around the world,” said Khurana. “Daimler has led the industry in developing these solutions and the formation of CSG positions us to continue to help our customers maximize the profitability that can be achieved through data-driven insights.”

The group will focus on uniting the company’s end-to-end digital architecture, including in-vehicle software, cloud platforms and digital solutions. Daimler already has an extensive portfolio of connectivity services, including Detroit Connect, Truckonnect, Mercedes-Benz Uptime, Fleetboard and Omniplus ON. The products and services that are developed by CSG will be adaptable across Daimler’s brands worldwide, the company said.

Partnerships with in-vehicle and Internet of Things technology providers will also fall under the CSG purview at Daimler Trucks, including the company’s work with Platform Science which will leverage Platform Science’s transportation specific Mobile Device Management solution, Remote Platform Management (RPM), beginning in 2021. RPM will allow customers to deploy and manage mobile device and mobile application solutions to fit their mixed fleet needs and seamlessly integrate those devices and apps into their trucks.

“Connectivity has already transformed trucking and logistics, but Daimler is committed to pushing the technology even further,” Khurana continued. “Our team will drive in-house innovation and deployment faster than ever, seek out and build upon industry relationships and turn the knowledge gained from data into actionable insights to directly benefit vehicle operations, fleet productivity and the driver experience.”

Khurana formerly was president of Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing, a DTNA subsidiary. Previously, he served as CFO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, where he was instrumental in the launch of the Daimler truck business in India.