Deciphering data entry and completing paperwork is a big time waster, when you could be using your efforts elsewhere. An inefficient work order process consumes valuable time and increases overtime costs. Automating and simplifying the work order life cycle can save you at least 20 minutes per job, eliminate data entry requirements and reduce overtime hours.
This animated demo breaks down an automated work order management system so you can see how the technology provides electronic work order dispatching, in-vehicle navigation, automatic vehicle location (AVL) and time-stamped job details to increase efficiency in the field and in the office.
Keystone Excavating Ltd., of Calgary, Alberta, is regarded as a leader, not only for its strong hold on the excavating market over the past 30 years, but for its decision to implement a mobile workforce solution. They wanted a solution that would let them streamline job costing, billing and timesheet management. The chosen solution includes in-vehicle computers installed in their more than 250-pieces of heavy equipment, which work together with mobile resource and process management software.
The Challenges
Before installing this new technology, Keystone’s manual paper processes and radio communications were no longer making the cut when it came to managing workflow in relation to employees, hours, clients, locations, and equipment. As Holly Goulard, Keystone’s Controller, explains, “When I started at Keystone, one timesheet was handled 11 times before being filed.” In another example, truck tickets and timesheets could be lost or submitted after the client was billed for the job, and Keystone would have to absorb those costs.
The Results
Since installing the mobile workforce solution, Holly says that one of the biggest benefits is the ability to capture real-time information. “We see real-time hours and know where every piece of equipment is. We’re billing the real deal. Our HR department knows who worked when and can verify that information.
In addition to reducing the number of people reviewing job codes and hours worked, Keystone has also been able to downsize scheduler staffing requirements, removing four full-time scheduler positions.
It was originally thought that this technology would save about 20 minutes per piece of equipment each day due to better time management, so each operator would get to their next job 20 minutes earlier. In reality, Holly believes the system is exceeding this number. She has also seen a quick return on investment. “The money we invested in this technology was expected to be returned in three years, and it has been returned in one. That isn’t even accounting for the overtime hours we’re saving.”
Because subcontractors make up 30 to 40 percent of Keystone’s business, Holly hopes that round two of this technology implementation will include these subcontractors adopting electronic devices in their vehicles in order to improve efficiencies in this segment of the business as well. But for now, mobile workforce management technology is helping Keystone streamline its operations and minimize its staffing requirements in order to remain competitive, regardless of the economic climate.
Microsoft Shuttle, which provides fixed-route and demand response service on Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington campus, wanted to take their GPS to the next level and support it with Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) software, automated communication, and data collection processes. Ultimately, Shuttle wanted to increase on-time fleet activity in order to reduce parking, single occupancy vehicles, and traffic congestion on campus.
Since implementing a GPS/AVL and mobile computing system, Microsoft Shuttle has been able to meet their response time requirements of four to ten minutes, and customer complaints have decreased. The technology helps drivers get to their destination faster, improves the collection of trip statistics, such as response times and passenger counts, and allows for better route planning.
Great blog article discussing the differing sides of the raging transit data debate. Rafe Needleman writes: “In local blogs and on transit sites, outrage over agencies and companies that claim ownership of the data is growing. The core argument against locking down such data is that it’s collected by or paid for by public, taxpayer-funded agencies and thus should be open to all citizens, and that schedule data by itself is not protectable content. The argument against is that the agencies might be able to profit from using the data if they can maintain control of it. The counter to that is the belief that if the data is open, clever developers will create cool apps that make transit systems more usable, thus increasing ridership and helping transit agencies live up to their charters of moving people around and getting as many private cars as possible off the roads.”
Curious about engine diagnostics monitoring and data collection, but unsure how it will benefit your company? One of Mentor Engineering’s Senior Project Managers, Shubh Sidhu, sat down to talk with us about the many possibilities engine diagnostics brings to fleets. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: What is engine diagnostics exactly?
A: Basically, engine diagnostics is the ability to pull information from the vehicle’s built-in on-board computer. This real-time data lets you diagnose vehicle issues. The data collected can supplement your vehicle monitoring program or it can be standalone data. Another important piece of information that engine diagnostics delivers is engine hours, or the amount of time the engine has been running. This data is crucial for things like maintenance and repairs.
To sum it up, engine diagnostics is the interface to your vehicle’s built-in computer that gives you access to vehicle monitoring and maintenance data that you couldn’t ordinarily get.
Q: What are the benefits of engine diagnostics monitoring?
A: The ability to monitor engine diagnostics remotely saves staff time and company resources. You can collect all the engine diagnostic information, pull it out of whichever back-end software application you are using, and you now have direct access to mileage reports, or hours run, whenever you want them. This allows you to better schedule vehicle maintenance, and gives you a clear view of what vehicles are up to.
From a cost standpoint, the maintenance piece is a big advantage. By integrating engine diagnostics monitoring with your maintenance program, you can collect vehicle Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), which can greatly improve the efficiency of maintenance staff. For example, if your maintenance team knows there is a faulty component on a vehicle in advance, they can have the parts ready when that vehicle comes into the shop. Downtime is significantly reduced and the vehicle is back on the road a lot quicker. In addition, the ability to know that there’s something wrong with one of your vehicles before it becomes a major problem equalsbig savings.
There is also a safety benefit. Engine diagnostics can send certain pieces of information to show the safe or unsafe use of a vehicle, like airbag sensors, or seatbelts being fastened/unfastened. You have the necessary information to let drivers know when equipment on their vehicle isn’t properly fastened.
Q: Do you have any real-life examples to help illustrate the benefits?
A: Let’s look at American Electric Power (AEP). One of the diagnostic pieces AEP collects is Boom Up/Down status.
With engine diagnostics, they know Boom and PTO (Power Take Off) activity relative to the total mileage of their trucks. A truck might have half a million miles on it and need to be replaced, but the boom has only been used twice. They can just take the boom off the old vehicle and put it on the new vehicle. A lot of money is saved by not replacing lightly used equipment.
Q: Are there any challenges that go along with engine diagnostics monitoring?
A: Regular commercial vehicles, pickup trucks, and even paratransit vehicles all use an interface called OBDII, or On-Board Diagnostics, which makes it relatively easy to collect engine diagnostics. Heavier duty vehicles and transit buses, on the other hand, use two interfaces: J1708 and J1939. The information on the interfaces of this latter group is more detailed. There are literally hundreds of pieces of information that can be retrieved, from the hydraulic oil temperature to the oil pressure. It’s challenging because it’s harder to predict what pieces of information you can get from your fleet as it changes based on vehicle make, model and year.
Q: Without engine diagnostics monitoring, what kind of business problems might companies run into?
A: Well, they would definitely experience more vehicle downtime, their maintenance department won’t be able to use their resources as efficiently, and if they do run into situations where a vehicle breaks down because the maintenance data wasn’t available, they’ll likely see money lost in both repair costs and lost productivity.
A blog for those of us who live and work in fleet management. Topics include engine diagnostics, driver safety, mobile workforce management, CAD/AVL, vehicle maintenance, truck distribution, global computing, work order management, and field services.
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With driver distraction being a leading cause of vehicle accidents, selecting an in-vehicle computer for your fleet that lets you control when drivers/device interaction is crucial to your fleet’s safety, as well as your bottom line.
