Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/117833
Contractor Connection telecommunications to monitor the activity of heavy equipment or other remote units. Information is sent, received, and stored, and the data is used to boost productivity, control costs, and manage projects more efficiently. ���I think it is going to explode in use,��� he said. Not every new technology lives up to its potential, of course, and Merritt cites earlier flawed attempts to electronically monitor fuel use in a fleet. ���But telematics has come so far from what it was initially. It is pretty much giving us more data and information than we really know how to use.��� The same wireless technology keeps URS and dealers instantly connected via smart phone texting and e-mailing. Twitter and other social media? Not so much, he says. ���We haven���t really explored Twitter.��� Looking for an Alliance Six years ago, Merritt attended a symposium sponsored by the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP). He subsequently thought that becoming a Certified Equipment Manager might be a good thing, so he sat down and ��� always the quick learner ��� passed the AEMP certification test in a single sitting. In pretty rapid succession, he became chairman of the organization���s Education Committee and, this March, moved up to chairman of the association. Now he has his eyes on equipment distributors. They are, as Merritt puts it, one leg of a three-legged stool, the other two being original equipment manufacturers and end-users, like URS. This ���equipment triangle,��� as AEMP calls it, can only work if equipment transactions are a ���win-win��� for all three dimensions of the industry. Because too few distributors are involved in the association���s work, the stool is not as strong as he would like it to be. ���We have a really good relationship with the OEM, the manufacturers, but we would love to see more dealers involved,��� Merritt said. ���We have to do a better job of selling ourselves and of showing how we are a benefit to them and them to us.��� He believes wider acceptance among dealers will come from just showing up for a gathering of equipment industry peers. ���Every time I leave a conference, I come back with a whole binder of stuff. I tell people, we have to look at this procedure, or at how long to keep equipment, or a million other things.��� Insight comes from such gatherings, he says ��� revelation, almost. Of course, it comes easier to people with open minds and career ambition, people like Bob Merritt, who just decided one day that he ���really could do more than just turn wrenches.��� And, evidently, he could. n Giles Lambertson is a retired journalist and freelance writer whose interest in the construction industry goes back to his carpentry days. He can be reached at geepeela@yahoo.com. A Great Way to Connect With Your Customers Equipment dealers have a new opportunity to strengthen their bond with customers while simultaneously beefing up their own fleet management expertise. It���s a certification credentialing offered by The Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP), whose membership is comprised of North American fleet managers with vast collective purchasing and fleet decision-making authority. The Certified Equipment Support Professional (CESP) program was created in 2011 as a tool to educate equipment suppliers on the challenges equipment managers face when making their dayto-day fleet decisions. The newest credential offered by AEMP, the program reinforces the association���s cornerstone philosophy, The Equipment Triangle, which underscores respect and profitability among equipment end users, dealers and manufacturers. ���We want to ensure suppliers truly understand how an end-user makes a purchasing decision, be it the purchase of equipment, parts, maintenance, and so on,��� Stan Orr, president and CEO of AEMP said. ���This certification is designed to enhance a supplier���s understanding of the expectations of an equipment manager. Similar to other AEMP certifications, the CESP covers the 17 core competencies necessary to be an effective equipment professional: Benchmarking; Customer Service; Employee Training; Environmental requirements as they apply to fleet management; Financial Management; Human Resources; Life Cycle Analysis; Negotiations; Outsourcing; Parts Management; Preventive Maintenance; Risk Management; Safety; Shop/Facilities Management; Specifications; Technology; and Warranty. AED dealer sales people and management wishing to achieve CESP certification must complete the application, purchase and study the ���Career Equipment Fleet Manager Manual��� (guest-edited by CED editor Kim Phelan), and pass the exam. To assist with exam preparation, CESP participants can attend the Professional Development Institute, as well as take other optional educational classes offered at AEMP conferences and online through AEMP University, aempu.org. For additional information, contact Vice President of Education Jim Phillips at 970-384-0510, ext. 202, jim@aemp.org. April 2013 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 29 26_Contractor_Conn_Feature_KP.indd 29 3/25/13 12:08 PM