Manheim’s physical sites span more than 6,500 acres. That makes it a challenge to find some units quickly. On average, each vehicle is moved five to six times as it passes through service areas such as reconditioning, inspections and sale-day staging. The company moved vehicles 40 million times in 2018 alone.

To ease that challenge, Manheim is releasing a new product that reports a vehicle’s whereabouts within 10 feet on a Manheim lot. 

Lot Vision is a GPS-based wireless device placed in a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics port that Manheim says reduces the typical search time from hours to minutes. The company says the Lot Vision tracking technology makes locating nearly 8 million vehicles registered annually at its physical auctions much easier.

To use Lot Vision, dealers and transporters input a work order number and activate “Location Services” on a smart phone or tablet to see their exact vehicle location and a directional path to it. For vehicles without an on-board diagnostic port, trackers attach to the steering wheel. Manheim says Lot Vision also speeds up vehicle processing.  

Dealer clients and transporters can access tracking data, via the Lot Vision website at mymanheim.com/lotvision. The data is currently available at no charge. The company says account representatives can use the tool’s automated lot scanning process to more easily monitor inventory.

Manheim projects that the technology can boost auction work flow by roughly 75 percent by providing team members with enhanced vehicle data and streamlining scanning activities. Later this year, Manheim plans to examine other Lot Vision capabilities, including offering real-time vehicle diagnostic information and assessing remaining battery life and fluid levels.

Extensive testing took place last year, and now Lot Vision is in place at Manheim Toronto, Manheim West Palm Beach and Manheim Fort Lauderdale. By the end of the first quarter, Lot Vision will be available at four additional sites, including Manheim Orlando, which is one of the company’s largest locations. Lot Vision will expand to other Manheim sites nationwide this year.

The company created Lot Vision partially in response todealer clients who stated they looked forward to having more confidence in their ability to locate vehicles, saving time and experiencing less hassles.

“Our team members and partners will now be able to identify — with pinpoint accuracy — each vehicle’s location and journey within various areas of the facility, such as reconditioning,” Grace Huang, president of Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions, said in a news release. Cox Automotive is the parent company of Manheim.

Cox2M, Cox Communications’ new connected asset services business line, collaborated with Manheim to develop the GPS tracking hardware that powers Lot Vision. Manheim is Cox2M’s first customer to use this new technology.

As Lot Vision’s technology extends beyond Manheim lots, dealer clients such as Sonic Automotive and U.S. Auto Sales are now piloting the product at a few dealerships.

NADA Show 2019 convention attendees can view a Lot Vision demo at Manheim booth #1709S. 

“Lot Vision revolutionizes vehicle management at Manheim and strengthens our capability to take vehicle tracking to the next level,” Huang said in a news release.