Storage and evaluation of Tachograph data since 2007
The tachograph, originally invented to promote safety and fairness for drivers on the road, has a legacy spanning over 100 years. Its purpose is rooted in ensuring compliance with social regulations that protect drivers by setting limits on working hours and mandating rest periods. These rules ensure that drivers of commercial vehicles over 3.5 metric tons can compete on equal terms, avoid overwork, and maintain their social well-being. While some may find tachograph regulations complex, our mission is to simplify every aspect of working with tachograph data.
Born out of the digitization of tachographs, Idha Sweden AB was established as a software company at the forefront of this transformation. Our goal has always been to simplify tachograph management and help transport companies ensure legal compliance. We think the Italian expression sprezzatura is an appropriate description for successful digitization, i.e., performing an admittedly complex task in an apparently simple way.
Although complex tasks will not just disappear, the right tools can mask them and make processes simpler. At Idha Sweden AB, we specialize in creating tools that do just that. Idha Online, our web-based solution for storing and analyzing digital tachograph data, processes in a single day what would take a human over 100 years to analyze.
Since the launch of Idha Online in 2007, our customers have seen a reduction in violations by 90% or more. As the next step in tachograph digitization, we are now opening up our APIs for customers to easily utilize the value of all their tachograph data directly in their own specific business.
We are proud of the progress we’ve made and the impact we’ve had in the industry so far. Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue driving innovation and supporting our customers in managing their tachograph data as simply, efficiently, and effectively as possible.
Karl-Göran Sandström puts his career as a soccer player behind him and is employed at Kienzle in Enskede in Stockholm. Since 1923, Kienzle has manufactured and repaired tachographs and taximeters. In 1971, Kienzle opens a branch in Sundsvall with Karl-Göran Sandström at the helm.
Karl-Göran Sandström takes over the business from Kienzle in Sundsvall and starts KG Sandström AB (KGS), the same year his son Jonas Sandström also starts at KGS. 1993 Mannesmann-VDO buys Kienzle, they keep the existing VDO representative in Sweden but close down all Kienzle workshops. Then KGS embrace the opportunity to start independent tachograph workshops in Malmö in 1993 and in Stockholm in 1995.
The analogue Tachograph becomes digital, drivers' historical driving is now stored digitally instead of on paper charts. The economy major Jonas Sandström together with the computer science major David Norman start Idha Sweden AB to develop web-idha, a web-based system for storage and evaluation of digital Tachograph data. In the same year, KG Sandström also takes over Kienzle's former headquarters in Stockholm.
Version 2.0 of web-idha is released and at the same time changes its name to Idha Online. In the same year, support for remote download is implemented, now you can send files directly from the Tachograph to Idha Online over the mobile network. Instead of manually copying Tachographs and driver cards, file transfers to Idha Online can now be fully automated.
Idha Sweden AB becomes a partner in Drivec AB. Drivec AB provides vehicle information with a focus on economy, environment and safety, the two focus areas are Eco-Driving and Vehicle Health. Today, Drivec AB has world-leading technology for saving fuel by measuring and demonstrating overconsumption as well as training and changing driving behaviour, no other system has such large recurring savings that also works regardless of fuel. Drivec AB's system Vehicle Health measures deviations and anticipates potential downtime and breakdowns. Drivec's hardware of today can be used for remote download to transfer files to Idha Online and in the future there may also be more integrations.
Basically all analogue Tachographs are now replaced with digital ones, and Generation 2, the smart Tachograph is launched. The new Tachograph gets updated encryption algorithms for checking authenticity of data, and it also gets built-in GNSS-positioning.
Version 3.0 of Idha Online is released. Idha Online has received a new interface and large parts have been rewritten, the system transitions from being a monitoring system to a management by exception, where the user is continuously given well formulated tasks to resolve. Idha Sweden AB has more than 15 years of experience with digital Tachographs where a lot of that have been implemented into Idha Online 3.0.
Version 2 of the smart Tachograph was also released in 2023, additional tools for controlling international traffic have been introduced, and it will now be possible to update the Tachographs software instead of physically replacing it.
Together with other companies offering mission critical systems Idha Sweden becomes part of the Nordic software group Progrits. The operation continues as before but with a strengthened offer and together with the group an exciting future lies ahead.