Yulon Motors and IBM break new ground for Web 2.0

The move from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 changed the definition of Internet service. But what will happen when people on the go meet Web 2.0? The sharing of experiences and routes on the Web by travelers, plus travel business operators, has redefined the value of service. However, in order for Web 2.0 to bear fruit, the question of how to provide a network platform technology that is Web 2.0–compliant is crucial.

There is an enormous gulf between software companies and Internet service providers. If there is no contact with Internet users who require special services, how can companies understand what type of interaction these users need? Or what functions? It is by no means easy to create a Web 2.0 service or Web site that truly matches the needs of Internet users.

As a result, coordinated innovation has become the key to resolving these questions. It combines innovation in service and technology, and keeps a finger on the pulse of market demand. Web sites and services are more popular as a result, and it is possible to change in response to the market, adjusting and adding different services and functions when appropriate.

The iMove Travel Network jointly created by Yulon Motors and IBM is a great example of coordinated innovation.

First cooperation between Yulon and IBM
As early as 1999, Yulon had already begun to add innovation to its traditional motor vehicle business. Yulon vice-chairman Hsu Kuo-hsing says cars should not be merely a tool for transport, because for consumers, that is not the point of buying a vehicle. Cars are a means to get from point A to point B, but point B is a moving target.

“The process of using a car and arriving at a destination are basics that the Yulon brand improves,” says Hsu. He continues: “How to use a vehicle to enrich one’s life has become the matter of most concern to us.”

The “TOBE” system was born from a consideration of how to provide Yulon’s customers with safety, convenience and sportiness. TOBE is aimed at enriching customers’ lives, meaning that the hope is that consumers who have Yulon vehicles have a richer life as a result. Drivers can obtain all sorts of information from the Yulon Call Center on demand, and can use a general packet radio service (GPRS) or global system for mobile communications (GSM) for more data. They can even use their cars to study a foreign language or listen to the news, and if their cars are broken into or moved, the vehicles automatically send an alarm to the police and the owner.

“If the car is really gone, TOBE can even help look for it.” Hsu says, “A car with the TOBE anti-theft system is three times less likely to be stolen. Theft rates are as low as 0.2% to 0.3%.”

The birth of TOBE was also the beginning of IBM’s move into the “car service business.” Yulon’s cars use IBM WebSphere Everyplace Suite solution for a smooth rollout of the TOBE service. IBM provides a wireless portal site and voice recognition technology that enables car owners to use voice commands in their vehicles. With the on-board wireless portal, it is no longer necessary to choose a Web page or dial a phone, making the TOBE service that much more convenient.

That was IBM’s first foray into Taiwan’s domestic car business. In the past, other vehicles in Taiwan had offered data services, but most of them consisted of a PDA mounted in the vehicle, to facilitate looking up information online or off. The TOBE service, on the other hand, is a true integration of the Internet and customer service by IBM.

Satisfying customer demand and technical support
But between the process of moving and mobile destinations, consumers actually need more information, products and services, including maps, traffic reports, entertainment products and food. Statistics from the Bureau of Tourism at the Ministry of Transportation and Communication show that approximately 83 percent of the people in Taiwan would choose to drive when traveling for pleasure, but they don’t want to waste time gathering data before setting off, nor do they know what to do when faced with the need to make arrangements and do pre-trip planning.

Customer demand spurred further innovation, and with assistance from the Yulon Group’s Molife, Yulon became the leader in the value chain among Taiwanese auto makers, as well as beginning to play an important role in the mobile value chain.

When Yulon rolled out TOBE, Molife served as the platform, including integrated hardware (telematics), software (CTI-GIS), group horizontal business, strategic alliances and customer service data. Consequently, to respond to customer travel demands, IBM and XINGBIANTIANXIA started to jointly implement the next step in innovation—the iMove Travel Network.

iMove service resolves the travel arrangement and planning needs for most customers. iMove provides information on scenic destinations and routes as well as the Molife Travelcom magazine, providing services that include route planning, destination feature searches, current special events and themed routes.

However, the distinguishing characteristic of iMove is its use of a Web 2.0 interactive community network, which allows members to share, promote or rate destinations or routes. Member plans on iMove can even be downloaded to the TOBE system and linked to the TOBE Call Center service, providing the final degree of integrated service.

However, “The data interactions between the TOBE system, the Call Center and iMove are very complex,” says Hsu Kuo-hsing. “iMove’s innovative model and demand were brought out by Molife, but in the actual implementation, IBM helped quite a bit.”

IBM provided the basis for the innovative Web 2.0 solution—WebSphere Portal V6 and WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus V6, and researchers at IBM’s software development center also participated in creating the Web 2.0 iMove service, featuring cutting-edge service and technology.

For example, says Hsu, IBM added a feature to iMove that allows members to make selections with a cursor and to save graphics by clicking and dragging them. In this way, members can drag and drop any information they want to save into a folder. This is a convenient way to handle data and makes the entire usage process simple. However, without IBM’s vast experience in integrating other databases, this user-friendly interface design would have been difficult to implement, and indeed IBM spent considerable effort integrating iMove data with the TOBE system and Call Center.

“The process of interacting with IBM provided a model for innovation. This was the biggest distinction between IBM and other companies,” says Hsu. The characteristics of Web 2.0 service put the user in the driver’s seat, but even with this convenience, if the resulting data is poorly formatted, automatic handling is difficult. The moment it is used across platforms, Molife needs technical support that can simultaneously guarantee the compatibility of the data and maintain user autonomy. This is precisely the greatest benefit to the cooperation between Molife and IBM.

Coordinated innovation creates a new operations model
With iMove, the sources originally available through Molife were integrated, creating a greater synergy. There was also a considerable amount of innovation in service and operating procedures. If TOBE is “Travel 1.0,” then the Web 2.0–compliant iMove could be regarded as “Travel 2.0.”

As modern man uses his car more and more, the car has long ceased to be a mere instrument to get from place to place. Between the means, the process and the destination, there must be more innovative operational models. But perfect innovative operational models must not only answer customer demand; they must also be able to provide true implementation of technical promises made to the customer. Only thus can there be simultaneous implementation of an innovative operational model and value for the customer.

The cooperation between Yulon and IBM on TOBE and between Molife and IBM on the iMove Travel Network are both a sort of “new state of mobile life.” From this, we can also see how cooperative innovation can open up new models in the mobile lifestyle services industry.

For more information
For more information on IBM WebSphere products, please contact your IBM sales representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit ibm.com/software/websphere