TELEMATICS
The use of telematics in
the access industry is at a
tipping point,
Euan
Youdale
reports.
T
he area ofGPSfleetmanagement
and vehicle tracking, also known as
telematics,has beenmakingheadway
in the access sector for some years.Now it’s
ready to take hold asmore-and-moreOEMS
realise it is amust have for their customers and
themselves.
AI
spoke to two producers of telematics
systems,one basedprimarily inEurope and
the other inNorthAmerica, tofind out what
the future holds.
Basic telematics systems have beenmore-or-
less generic, as JoergenRaguse, sales director at
Denmark-basedTrackunit, explains, although
that is changing. “Whether you use it with a
generator, an excavator or an access platform,
it would bemore-or-less the same,however in
the last few yearswe have seenmore-and-more
integration to specific access-related control.”
An example of this, saysMrRaguse, comes
with IPAF’s Smart PALCard.Trackunit’s
complementary product, the 401SmartID,
has a device that allows the operator to use the
machine as long as the information on the card
matches the required
level of training for that
unit. “Manufacturers
of access equipment
will alsowant to use
telematics differently
to other customers to
study themovement of
the boom, for example,
during use,”he explains.
Trackunit delivered
some 35000 units
during 2014,withmore
than 25% of them being
installed on access
equipment, especially in
the rental business.Fifty
percent of those sales
went to rental companies and around 15% to
OEM’s.
The company has two strategies; one aimed
at end users such as big rental and construction
companies, and the other atOEM’swhere
Trackunit’s product is branded as the
manufacturer’s own solution andprovides
information to resellers, service partners and
end users.MrRaguse says the proportion of
Trackunit’s sales going toOEM’s is likely to
increase to 50% in the next five years.
“We see from ourmain customers, like
Lavendon,Riwal andCramo, that they are
installing a lot in access equipment.The
margins are probably better for the big
machines than small scissor liftswhere the
rental revenue is significantly less than the big
booms.So, thesemajor rental companies start
from the top, the ones that generate themost
revenue, like the big diesel booms and then
electric booms and they thenworkdown.”
The level of telematicswould also vary
greatly on the type ofmachine, “Theremight
be a trend, for example,”addsMrRaguse,
“to put aminimum system on small scissors,
where youdon’t have a huge amount of access
control and additional features,but you are just
monitoring the location of themachines and
how it is being used for invoicing purposes.”
Detailed information
From a data pint of view, addsMrRaguse,
theOEM’swant detailed information on the
machines. “Right now the rental side is all
about position, engine information -whenhas
themachine been used?
“We see now from theOEMs that
theywant a systemwhere you getmore
information,meaning there is a lot of
preparatory information that needs to be
analysed in cooperationwith them.For
instanceCAN buswhere they can getmuch
more data, including fuel information and fault
codes.”
Thiswill be something installed from
the factory and, forTrackunit, it is a very
important part of thatOEM solution. “Infive
years I expect that almost allmachineswill be
fittedwith something from the factory, andwe
have beennursing thatmarket for quite some
years.”
The company has a partnershipwithGenie
inEurope and isworking on a potential one
with the samemanufacturer inNorthAmerica
in 2015, it says.
Data in
demand
Trackunit 401SmartID,
using RFID card.
Trackunit 401SmartID
with keypad.
34
access
INTERNATIONAL
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015
