46
ASSETTRACKING/ANTI THEFT
IRNAPRIL-MAY 2014
A
sset tracking technology is starting to take
centre stage in the construction equipment
market - thatmuch is clear from the number
of telematics specialists andmanufacturers offering
tracking systems.
It was notable at Conexpo, for example, that
Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman made the
company’s CatConnect system one of the key
messages of his presentation to the world’s press,
calling it a “game changer for customers”.
That systemgoeswaybeyondsimpleasset tracking
– encompassing the integrationofmultiplemachines
on a site and productivity improvements – and it is
clearlya key strategy for Cat andotherOEMs.
Of course, most rental companies have a narrower
view of such technology than do end users. Rather
than looking at how systems can increase a
customer’s productivity – although that will surely
come–many rental companiesare insteadconcerned
about how they can manage their equipment and
how they can efficientlymonitor amixed fleet using
different OEMor thirdparty telematic systems.
There are now definite signs that the market is
adjusting to these particular needs by making the
technology more open, either by agreeing on what
data tocollect orbycreating systems that allow fleet
owners tomanagemultipledata streams.
For example, just before Conexpo a group of global
heavyequipmentmanufacturers, fleetmanagersand
industry associations announced an agreement on a
defined set of asset data that, when communicated
via telematics, can be sent to the end user or
rental owner.
Telematics agreement
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
and the Association of Equipment Management
Professionals (AEMP) – both based in the US -
announced that 19 data points will be part of a
standardbeingdevelopedandmaintainedby the two
Bird’seyeview
The impetus behind asset tracking and theft-prevention
technologies is fast growing, withmore andmore options
available to rental companies. MurrayPollok reports.
Associations and theirmemberships.
The organisations said data will be provided to
end users via an Application Program Interface (API)
server to server data sharing standard. That will
allow end-users and rental companies to use their
own business software to collect and analyse asset
data frommixedequipment fleets.
That push towards integrating data streams from
different telematics systems is evident also in some
of theOEMand thirdparty systemsbeingdeveloped.
One example is a newweb-based telematics portal
being introduced by Navman Wireless USA. The
system is designed to streamline the management
of mixed heavy equipment fleets by consolidating
machine data from all OEM and Navman Wireless-
trackedassets intoa single interface.
The solution complies with the AEMP Telematics
Data Standard, provides one-stop fleetwide visibility
without adding third-party hardware to machines
that already have factory-installed OEM technology,
and supports integrationof data intoanexisting ERP
system for broader businessuse.
Fleetoperatorscan requestdataaccesscredentials
from each OEM represented in their fleet, with data
from each reporting source securely transmitted to
operators’ serversand thenaggregated foruse in the
portal’sdashboards,maps and reports.
Information available from the portal ranges from
machine location, fleet utilisation, fuel burn, and
geofence and curfew violations to equipment use by
jobsite, aswell aspreventivemaintenance schedules.
“For thepast decade, contractorswithmixed fleets
have been increasingly handicapped in their use of
telematics by the fractured nature of the reporting”,
says Steve Blackburn, vice president North America,
Navman Wireless, “Only the largest fleets with
exceptional budgets and large IT teams have been
able toafford to consolidate thedata fromeachOEM
website.”
The portal is scheduled to begin testing in April,
with availability by subscription and priced
according to thenumber of assets tracked.
Open access technology
Manufacturers are also working to make
their machines easier to link up to telematics
systems. Terex AWP is introducing a ‘plug-
and-play’ system that it describes as the “the
industry’s first telematics-readyconnector” toenable
thirdpartydevices tobeplugged into itsGenieboom
lifts. The telematics-ready connector is available on
the Genie S-80, Z-80, S-100, S-120 and ZX-135 boom
lifts,with theconnectoradded tosmallerboomsover
the comingyear.
“Our customers havemanybrandsof equipment to
manage, and many proprietary types of telematics
solutions to go along with them,” says Christine
Zeznick, associate product manager, Terex AWP.
“The last thing many of our customers wanted was
another OEM providing a proprietary solution for
fleet management. Our solution provides a unique
andopenapproach tohelpour customers”.
The connector – factory installed and available
worldwide - is capable of providing machine hour
meter reporting, location, utilisation and security
capabilities such as geo-fencing, alarms by
movement, and remotemachinedisabling.
The growing interest in telematics is benefitting
third party suppliers such as Denmark’s Trackunit.
The company reported that its sales in 2013 grew by
almost 60%, and the company pointed out that the
potential for growth is enormous; “Analyses show
that only 5% of the total global market use online
fleet management systems like Trackunit. It is, thus,
amarket inanearlygrowthstage, andTrackunit sees
untappedpotential in the rental industry”.
It says rental companies arewell placed to benefit
from telematic systems because they allow them to
bill theircustomers for theexactuseof themachines.
The company is now building a stronger presence
outsideDenmark, recently opening sales and service
offices inGermanyand theUK.
Ctrack is another tracking company with global
coverage – its parent company is in South Africa
and it has offices all over the world. Richard Lane,
Ctrack’s European distribution and partnership
manager, tells
IRN
that it has products covering
trackingof equipment – includingnon-poweredunits
like trailers – aswell as loneworker products.
Steve Blackburn, vice president North America, NavmanWireless,
“Our new portal offers a single view of all telematics data
regardless of the source”.
Caterpillar is pushing its
CatConnect technology,
focusing on benefits of
productivity, equipment
management, safety and
sustainability.
Strattec Security Corp’s latest
theft prevention device is the
i-Guard, developed for the construction,
fleet and rental industries.
