Telematics and Maintenance Schedules
With today’s advanced and highly connected construction equipment, keeping up with scheduled maintenance has never been more important, or easier. Data-driven machine data ensures that scheduled maintenance stays on track, and the actionable information that telematics systems can provide helps reduce unplanned downtime by enabling streamlined processes for needed repairs. The results are lower costs, higher productivity and improved profitability.
To get the most value from your telematics data, you need an efficient way to interpret it, noted Komatsu. What if you could monitor the health of your entire mixed-equipment fleet, receive maintenance alerts on your phone and order parts without searching through manuals?
The Komatsu digital hub, My Komatsu, lets contractors see visual analyses of data collected from numerous machine sources on easy-to-read dashboards. My Komatsu can pull data from Komtrax, Komtrax Plus, ISO API 15143-3 (AEMP 2.0) data from other OEMs, or other direct data sources and provide analytics to help you manage your fleet.
Cat Equipment Management (EM) leverages the capabilities of the company’s VisionLink, Product Link, Remote Troubleshooting, Remote Flash and other technologies. The remote troubleshoot capability on Cat equipment allows for testing machines while the equipment is operating. Once a problem is identified, Remote Troubleshoot decreases maintenance downtime by allowing technicians to arrive with the correct information, parts, tools, and instructions to perform repairs in the shortest time possible.
John Deere machine monitoring system core functions include receiving information from an on-board data bus to enable access to diagnostic trouble codes. The company’s machine health monitoring center analyzes data from thousands of connected machines. Experts there identify trends, determine causes of common issues, and create new protocols for preventive maintenance and repair.
The company’s remote diagnostics from John Deere connected support uses machine monitoring and connectivity systems to filter and analyze data, allowing you to identify critical issues and take action, sometimes before you even know there is a problem.
With expert alerts, John Deere dealers can proactively analyze telematics data to uncover potential component failures before they disrupt operations. With this advanced notification, technicians can make repairs at a convenient time.
CASE SiteWatch telematics provides actionable insights about the operation and performance of equipment for fleet and dealer service departments. The SiteWatch platform complies with the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) 2.0 telematics standard making it compatible with all types of machines.
With the SiteWatch system, maintenance management is simplified by allowing you to know when service is required. Real-time alerts can indicate things like when engine temperatures are running outside of the preferred operating range.
Granting a CASE dealer access to telematics data promotes planned maintenance scheduling and monitoring of machine parameters to identify issues that may need to be addressed before they evolve into larger downtime events. With alerts, you know when scheduled maintenance is needed, and you can schedule it proactively at a time that will have a minimal impact on productivity.
In the construction industry, uptime isn't everything, it's the only thing. With telematics driven maintenance and repair capabilities there are extensive opportunities for improving service management and activity, as well as the overall operation of your business.
Maintenance Management Software
Heavy equipment is more complex than ever before, noted Fleet Cost & Care in Strategies to Improve your Maintenance Program, and that creates a set of challenges for those tasked with maintaining them. Using a centralized fleet management system has never been more crucial.
Here are five key strategies for improving your maintenance program with fleet management software:
Ensure Data Accuracy and Transparency
Transparency within the service department is key and incomplete data can lead to an inaccurate diagnosis of an equipment problem. Fleet management software can capture and centralize a multitude of unit-level data points that can be shared between teams in the field and in the office in real-time.
- Centralize all unit-level data points and service records to reduce communication gaps
- Reduce human error and improve data accuracy by inputting maintenance information only once
- Communicate deficiencies immediately and electronically with a fleet management app that enables service managers to plan ahead for service activities and informs dispatchers of potential scheduling issues related to unit downtime
Organize Preventive Maintenance Activities
It’s not easy to balance a laundry list of preventive maintenance activities and keep equipment available to generate revenue. Maintenance managers need to plan to ensure equipment is ready to work. Utilizing a centralized fleet management system will improve the efficiency of your service department and reduce unit downtime.
- Establish a company-wide policy for tracking service and preventive maintenance.
- Establish service intervals for preventive maintenance activities at the unit level.
- Prioritize units for service based on operational needs.
- Streamline the parts ordering process.
- Integrate a GPS tool to reduce the potential of human error and capture more accurate hours and mileage.
- Use a fleet management app so field employees can report deficiencies and defects back to your corporate office, service center or yard in real time.
- Communicate proactively and effectively between multi-branch operations.
Reporting Deficiencies
Fleet management software ensures a digital trail is created any time a deficiency is reported. Take useful action with automated efficiency and help the service department by controlling all deficiencies reported from the field with fleet management software. Maintenance management should verify that all deficiencies affecting safe operation are corrected prior to issuing a certification to the owner or operator.
- Use a fleet management app to give power to the maintenance department to open a work order as soon as a deficiency is reported.
- Find a balance and reasonable point of checkpoints to not overwhelm the guys in the field with data entry.
Understand Your Labor Costs
Do you know your productive versus non-productive labor ratio? Fleet management software enables you to better understand how employees’ hours are allocated,
and from a high-level, assess departmental efficiency.
- Evaluate the efficiency of each team by measuring productive and non-productive labor
- Inputting labor information correctly will reveal the actual cost of that unit overtime and can influence future fleet-related decisions
- Establish goals and thresholds for non-productive and productive labor for your teams to keep them focused and reduce costs
Tracking Warranties
When it comes to maintenance operating costs, fleets look for any opportunity to reduce spending and improve efficiencies. One option that could be improved for many fleets is the management of warranty claims.
- Add potential warranties and flag down certain units in a fleet management app.
- Set system alerts in a work order for potential warranties.
Using fleet management software to manage a maintenance department can be an incredibly powerful tool, the company noted. If properly implemented, it can improve efficiency and productivity of service personnel and transform your service program from being reactive to proactive.
Equipment Maintenance Software Solutions:
KIS (Kuenz Information System)
