Noregon announced the first major update of the year for its in-shop diagnostic and repair solution, JPRO Professional 2018 v1. The release includes an improved NextStep troubleshooting and repair module, an education portal, a virtual truck for hands-on learning, and increased bi-directional tests, the company explained. NextStep underwent enhancements to provide tighter integration with JPRO Professional.
Dave Covington, chief technology officer for Noregon, explained the upgraded product permits the company to stay up-to-date with coverage, “We utilize a component-based lookup; meaning if a new vehicle has components with existing coverage, users will not experience any lapses when working on that vehicle. This is different from many similar databases which store repair information based on VINs, slowing the process of updating coverage.”
Noregon noted that along with the integrated NextStep product, a standalone portal named NextStep NET is also available. NextStep NET provides searchable troubleshooting guidance and fault information available on internet-connected PCs and tablets. NextStep NET is available as an a la carte solution, or provided at no additional charge to JPRO subscribers with the integrated NextStep, the company stated.
The latest release of JPRO implemented features to satisfy the company’s commitment to education. JPRO’s product manager, Jason Hedman, explained, “Whether you’re a student or a seasoned technician, we want JPRO to make your work easier and teach you in the process. In addition to the educational features within the application, we elected to showcase our valuable training options, including our new JPRO certification program, by creating an education portal in JPRO that provides a centralized location for videos, webinars, tech tips, and other resources.”
Additionally, Noregon unveiled a new virtual truck feature.
“Our virtual truck lets users take JPRO for a test drive without ever connecting to a vehicle,” Hedman said. “Users can simulate bi-directional tests, launch NextStep, view live data, and exercise the other powerful features within JPRO. This is invaluable in training environments, including classrooms, where it is not always feasible to connect to a truck. Students can now simulate a DPF regen with none of the associated risks or costs of performing a forced regen on an actual vehicle. The virtual truck also allows prospective customers to try JPRO before making a purchase, even if they do not yet own one of our DLA+ adapters.”