19
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015
ACCESS, LIFT&HANDLERS
SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY
organizations have an integrated and efficient
business process plus real-time visibility and
complete control over the business performance
parameters, it is difficult to survive, let alone
succeed,” he says.
Ramco’s focusmarkets are theU.S., Asia
Pacific, theMiddle East andAfrica. “For 2015,
we believe the equipment rental industrywill
continue to grow in all keymarkets,” Singh says.
“Rental companies are looking at leveraging
innovation, coupledwith features likemobility,
cloud, analytics and location-awareness, to
improve visibility across business operations and
also provide real-time informationpertaining to
fleet utilization, performance improvements and
customer service. Organizations are also looking
at leveraging technology to improve their return
on assets.”
Asset solutions
DPL Telematics, a provider of advanced asset
monitoring and telemetry technologies, recently
released theMultiTrack system.MultiTrack is
a solution forwirelessmonitoring and remote
tracking of any powered or unpowered asset to
improve logistics,manage inventory and curb
theft. The portableGPSunit requires no external
wiring or antenna and canbe hidden on any
asset, installing in seconds, says TonyNicoletti,
director of sales andbusiness development
for DPL.
“TheMultiTrack allowsmanagers to remotely
monitor any asset accurately from a robust,
Internet-based software package ormobile
app,”Nicoletti says. “The unit is the first
telematics product of its kind to feature no
external wiring or antenna, an internal battery,
‘little to no sky view required,’ waterproof design
andmore.
DPL also recently unveiled its release of
the Trackall OBDII vehicle tracking system.
The Trackall OBDII is an solution forwireless
monitoring and remote tracking of vehicles to
increase driver safety andproductivitywhile
heavy equipment andbuyers in international
exportmarkets, likePeru, Poland or Russia.
CEOMichael Rohmeder says, “The resale of
equipment at the end of its useful rental life is
a key income stream for rental companies.We
are trying to break down trade barriers. Pricing
is all-in and transparent, including customs,
transport, logistics costs and independent
equipment inspections.”
Kwipped.com
Kwipped is an online platformdesigned to
connect rental supplierswith customers. Users
cannavigate rental availability, execute rental
contracts and co-ordinatingdelivery. It takes into
account issues like insurance, security deposits,
accessories, return shipping, replacement costs
and the reliability of both the renter and the
supplier. Founder andCEORobert Preville says
the sitewill “enable businesses to expand their
capabilities andbid onprojects theymay have
previously passed ondue to lack of access to
the necessary equipment.”
Indoogoo.com
Indoogoo is a heavy equipment tradingwebsite
that has introduced a service usinggeolocation
technology known asMyRentals. The idea is
to create comprehensive search results from
both local rental companies and other Indoogoo
users, helping them locate and rent heavy
equipment fromdifferent sources. CEO and
founderMark Turner says, “With this service,
everyone canbe a renter. It gives all users the
opportunity to hire out their equipment when
it is not inuse. Renting equipment shouldbe
straightforward.”
Allequip.com
IronPlanet launchedAllEquip.com, a global
online, “buy now”marketplace of used
construction equipment. IronPlanet CEOGreg
Owens says, “We are committed tomaking
the buying and selling of equipment faster and
easier.” AllEquip is said tomanage the complete
transactionbetweenbuyer and seller, from
listing on the site to final payment. Every item for
sale has a guaranteed inspection report.
The ‘smaller’ guys
Another company thinking in the same vein is
Point-of-Rental.Winner of a2014
ALH
Award for
itsMobileWorkforce solution, judges said the
softwarewas a robust system for small,mid and
independent rental companies.
“It puts a smaller rental company on the same
platform as a bigger corporation. You canuse
yourmobile deviceswith it, have it tied to your
websites, have e-signatures andpictures at
time of delivery, etc., this is amazing,” judges
said. “Toomany timeswe have seen technology
make lifemore difficult. This does not do that. It
works. It’s great.”
MobileWorkforce is aweb-based application
rather thandevice-specific.MobileWorkforce
canbe utilizedwith any Internet-enabledmobile
device, be it iPhone, Android, any number of
tablet devices or even a laptop. Taking full
advantage of the touch-screenuser interface of
mobile devices, themodule reduces tasks from
what wouldnormally be several time consuming
steps down to a few simple clicks.Mobile
Workforce allows themobileworker to eliminate
the paper equationby performing tasks onsite
without having to be granted full access to the
company server.
Multiple factors
Meanwhile, RamcoSystems’ vice president for
enterprise assetmanagement, Rajeev Singh,
says that rental organizations thrived onmultiple
factors such as efficient customer service,
maximum fleet utilization, strategic rental terms
and cost-effective asset lifecyclemanagement.
“It is a large canvas towork on, andunless
Many software solutions can be utilized
with any Internet enabledmobile device,
be it iPhone, Android, any number of
tablet devices or even a laptop.
