Access Lift & Handlers - Jan/Feb 2015 - page 20

20
ACCESS, LIFT&HANDLERS
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015
SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY
reducing fleet costs. TheGPSunit has no
external wiring or antenna andplugs into the
existingOBDII port ofmost vehicles.
The Trackall OBDII allowsmanagers to
wirelesslymonitor all their vehicles continually
and accurately from a robust, Internet-based
software package. TheOBDII data empowers
fleet owners to remotely track and receive
safety alerts such as air bagdeployments,
drivingwithout a seatbelt, harshbraking, rapid
acceleration, speeding, towing andmuchmore.
To determine emission test readiness, the
Trackall OBDII constantly tracks the11 vehicle
system components required for an emissions
test andnotifies if any fail to complete their
cycle. This saves the time and resources of
having to re-test, as any failing systemwill be
proactively identified and canbe correctedprior
to the emissions test.
ODBII alsomonitors the vehicle’s supported
temperatures, pressures anddiagnostic fault
codeswhich arewirelessly transmitted and
archived on the software for remote asset
diagnosis. All data is accessible from any
Internet-connecteddevice. Additionalmachine
data includes fuel level,mileage driven, engine
runtime hours, idlinghours andRPM.
“The Trackall OBDII revolutionizes vehicleGPS
tracking as it exists today, allowing anybody to
perform an installation in secondswithout any
wiring or external antenna,” saysNicoletti. “The
market has been asking for a true plug-and-play
GPS tracking solution to reduce installation time
and cost, andwe are excited to provide it.”
‘New’ applications
Meanwhile, HelenSowerby, COO at software
developer Result Group, says the company has
branched out into the oilfield rentalmarket,
whereSowerby says there is a clear need for
better costmanagement.
She says the oilfield equipment rental
software programs cover everything from the
logistics ofmanaging tools and equipment in
the field, includingdelivery andpickup from
well and jobsites, to the charging andutilization
recording that is essential for accurate cost
management andbilling to oilfield customers.
“We are seeing a change in the economics of
the oilfieldworld, with lots of pressures bringing
prices down– fracking, for instance–making
the cost of extraction very important,” she
says. “Until recently, a large customer that we
targeteddidn’t bother to track the costs of what
theywere supplying to the site. Now these types
of costs are becoming farmore relevant.”
Result Grouphas been around for nearly 20
years, having started inUKmarket back in1994
and then expanded into theU.S., Europe and
beyond. Sowerby says now around65percent
of the company’s business comes from theU.S.,
with some customers also in theMiddle East
andAustralia.
“We think of ourselves as having three
markets – specialist rental, re-rental and
contractors looking for rental software to
manage equipment,” Sowerby says.
The company’sRental Result software covers
the purchase of assets and the asset
lifecycle aswell as the rental process
– everything fromquotes andCRM to
logistics and equipmentmobilization and
the pickup and off-rental process.
“We tend to gowith the larger
companies or companieswithquite unique
products andbusiness set-ups,” Sowerby
says. “I, in terms of the uptake of new rental
management software in the industry, think
mobile apps have forced a sea of change in
senior executive thinking–people now interact
with a business in farmoreways than just over
the phone.
“Some rental companies have been very
forward thinking, but I would say themajority
are still waiting to seewhat the others do.
Themost obvious advantages of adopting
software tomanage your rental fleet are gains in
efficiency andproductivity, aswell as removing
unnecessary administration andproviding true
mobile connectivity.
“Rental software canhave a huge impact on a
company’s understanding of the availability and
reliability of equipment, aswell as true utilization
figures –giving a real-time take onwhat is
actually going on.
“We’ve seen an increase in enquiries over
the last 12months, with lotsmore construction
companies gettingmore interested,” she says.
“For 2015, I thinkwe generally expect to see an
increase.”
Mobile future
Looking ahead,managingdirector at inspHire,
GrahamDobbs, says theworld ismoving
increasingly towardmobile solutions.
“Customer service has always been important
but evenmore so nowwithheightened
awareness of choice,” he says. “[Companies]
will also look toward recommendations from
independent sources such as Facebook,
Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and other review
methodswill play a bigpart.
“Webportals for customerswill bemore
prevalent, [rental] providing the ability to do
more onlinewill encourage people to use them
more,”Dobbs says. “Mobile apps for hirers
will bemore indemand anddrive how rental
customers do business.”
Dobbs says the challenge for developers is
making sure that new software features are
useful anddesignedwith the users inmind.
“Keeping it simple is key,” he says. “[Rental]
softwarewill becomemore agile being able to
be used onmany different devices, integration to
a customer’s ownwebsite and other thirdparty
softwarewill becomemainstream.
“InspHire already offers cloudhybrid solutions
aswell asmobile applications and customer
webportals andhave done so for some time,
we are seeing companies takingmore of an
interest and adding to the already expanding list
of features and functionality.
“We also have a totally pure, cloud-based
solution, already inuse in some rental
businesses.”
Users of rental software can access a plethora of information via tablets, mobile phones
andmore.
DPL Telematics’ Trackall
OBDII vehicle tracking
system can fit in the
palm of your hand.
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