Page 8
Supply Post Central/Eastern Canada Edition · supplypost.com
Managing equipment data and machine control systems lies at the heart of providing safe, productive equipment at the lowest possible cost, says Hubbard Construction’s John Sharp. With some 1,500 pieces of equipment – nearly 400 of them heavy equipment – Florida, US-based highway specialist contractor Hubbard Construction Company has adopted an 8-point selection process in a bid to boost machine productivity. John Sharp is the company’s experienced Group Equipment Director. ‘If we don’t use it for 70% of the time, we’re not buying it’ Equipment utilization is key. When we look at our fleet, we want to own any machine that has 70% utilization on a regular basis. Anything else we rent as needed. The
core machines we own give us control over critical site tasks and reassure clients about how we are going to deliver projects when tendering. ‘Keep for first component life – then replace’ We have over 25 years of maintenance history that tells us how long to expect each machine type to last. Typically, that’s anywhere between 1015,000 hours over eight to nine years. Our goal is to run a machine for its ‘first life’, only retiring it as it approaches 85-90% of its major component lifespan. ‘If the repair time is over four hours – the dealer does it’ Modern machines are so specialized and computerized that for anything major you have to get a dealer technician in. We can’t expect our guys to know the
intricacies of all the major brands of machine – or put all the service modules on our computers. We are increasingly relying on dealers to keep our machines up and running. ‘Total maintenance = total peace of mind’ Every machine we buy comes with a total maintenance and repair contract. So, if I buy a Volvo ECR235E I expect that machine to be looked after by my Volvo dealer for eight years, 12,000 hours – and give me a guaranteed buyback at the end. ‘It’s the total package that wins the day’ We put values on each of the services a manufacturer and its dealers deliver to us. Price is the last thing we look at. We don’t buy the cheapest, but the one that delivers best value and lowest cost
VOLVO CE
Tech Key To Driving Down Contracting Costs
March 2018
of ownership. We rank manufacturers on eight aspects: • Field tech availability. • Workshop performance. • Parts availability. • Rental costs. • Rental availability. • Condition-based monitoring program. • Machine specification. • Purchase price. ‘Dealers have to help manage data’
Machine technology is a good thing – but dealers have to help manage it, as it can be very cumbersome. That’s why we require dealers to provide Conditioned Based Monitoring Program. Services like Volvo CE’s ActiveCare Direct (in North America) monitor the machine data and tell us what we need to know to increase productivity and uptime.
Manufactures and dealers have to deliver the value from all the machine data. I welcome dealers calling up and telling me a machine is underperforming, or being operated incorrectly – because that’s going to help me lower my cost per hour through less downtime or expensive component repair. ‘Machines have to be easier to use’ Continued on page 10