EXECUTIVE FOCUS

{ SOFTWARE & TECH}

By Jason Fiume and John Rosenberger

BIG DATA EMPOWERS TELEMATICS

How leveraging big data to optimize your fleet can increase ROI.

54

A

utilization, operator performance, impacts and scheduled maintenances, it is more difficult to measure opportunities for improvement in such key areas. Implementing telematics systems on your equipment can be a cost-effective way to set a baseline. A baseline report will help identify outliers—hidden costs and missing hours—that are impacting your company’s bottom line.

s a supply chain executive, RIGHT-TIME MAINTENANCE questions SAVINGS about increasing For years, it was a common industry return on investment best practice for facilities to adhere (ROI) are always at to preventive maintenance, which the forefront of your entailed scheduling truck upkeep every mind. What are quick 90 days, regardless of truck usage. yet long-term ways The expectation was that performing to cut operating and regularly scheduled maintenance manufacturing costs? would help reduce or avoid unexpected How can you optimize your lift truck breakdowns and costs incurred when a fleet and reach maximum productivity? truck is not in operation. Are you running as efficiently as your What many manufacturers competitors? are moving toward is predictive Knowledge is power. Fortunately, with maintenance. This technique relies on today’s technological advancements, directly monitoring the equipment it’s becoming much easier to gain performance during normal operation real-time information about your fleet to anticipate possible failures based and operators’ performances. One on operating parameters exceeding key innovation leading the way in established tolerance thresholds. the manufacturing and supply chain The expectation is that, because industry is telematics systems. powered industrial equipment is Whether you have operated very differently been running with between customer sites, You cannot telematics systems on associated service intervals improve what will also vary greatly. your trucks for years or you are weighing cost you don’t know. Therefore, some preventive versus ROI, here are maintenance intervals some benefits may be too long based on the way the of implementing a system that you equipment is used within a facility. should consider. On the contrary, some preventive maintenance intervals may result BASELINE IDENTIFICATION in over-servicing trucks, leading to You cannot improve what you don’t unnecessary expenses. know. If your warehouse team has A recent study by The Raymond not been consistently tracking fleet Corporation of a company with an

SUPPLY & DEMAND CHAIN EXECUTIVE | March 2018 | SDCExec.com

SDC0318_54-55_SoftwareTech AW JY LS.indd 54

3/14/18 9:56 AM