Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/468886
The Benefits of Telematics OPERAT T elematics has been around for many years, but its capabilities have grown, as has its availability. Most of the big equip- ment manufacturers now include telematics systems in their new equipment. The hardware is on the machine and is included in the price, but manufacturers do things a bit differently when it comes to the information. Some manufacturers provide it as a courtesy, some offer it free for a period of time, and some charge a fee. "In Komatsu's case, we include all the information and communications as part of the standard machine package," says Ken Calvert, director for Machine Systems, Komatsu America Corp. "It's something extra the customer gets with our ma- chines." Telematics systems provide infor- mation on a multitude of items, such as fuel consumption, engine tem- perature, distance traveled, machine location, payload weight, idle time, just to name a few. They all fall into four main areas of benefi t for cus- tomers — security, product health, productivity, and resale value. "Monitoring idle hours is certainly a big consideration," says Derek Dostie, project manager at the fam- ily-owned United Brothers Devel- opment Corp. in Jacksonville, Fla. "When the machine is idling, we're still paying for fuel. Also, when you decide to sell the machine and only half of the hours on the machine are working hours, it decreases the resell value." The technology monitors and gathers the information, then sends it via satellite or cell tower to stor- age devices where it can be saved and accessed. Automatic email and text alerts can be sent to the owner, if a problem is detected that needs immediate attention. "I receive health alerts that, in the past, we wouldn't have received," says Caleb Peek, fl eet manager for Turner Contracting, Inc. in Bedford, Ind. "I get an email alert or an alert to my cell phone that lets me know about a problem before any serious damage is done to the machine." GPS sensors in the system allow customers to know where their machines are and what they are doing at all times. Telematics can tell the owner whether the machine is running or not and if it's moving or sitting still. If the machine is stolen, the system can pinpoint its location, which enables it to be recovered quickly. Calvert says telematics are here to stay. "Manufacturers are going to continue to include telematics as part of the machine purchase," he says. "The best companies, and the future most profi table companies, will learn to take advantage of these systems in new ways, probably some we ha- ven't even thought of yet. Over time, it will be a bigger part of the way people go about owning, maintain- ing, and using their machines." AGGREGATES MANAGER The technology behind telematics isn't new, it has been around for several years, but the systems have improved over time, and the amount of information provided has increased. More machines are coming from the manufacturer already equipped with the sys- tems, which provide constant monitoring of important data that can affect machine performance. The four main areas in which customers can benefi t from this information are security, product health, productivity, and resale/residual value. Telematics can help an owner improve overall pro- ductivity by providing information about how much work a machine has done hourly and daily. The system shows how many times a haul truck has been loaded and dumped, and how many tons of material it has carried. It also shows how many times the buck- et on a wheel loader or excavator has been loaded. With this information, the customer can identify areas where changes might be made in order to fi ne-tune operations and increase production. 1 Why telematics? 4 Track productivity