November 2013
| Business World Magazine | 159
has to go onsite to service a piece of equip-
ment. The technician may not immediately
know what is wrong with the equipment.
He’ll make one trip to perform a diagnostic,
then leave to access the necessary parts, and
return again to correct the problem. With
telematics, the technician can faster diagnose
what needs to be serviced, and in one visit,
arrive with the necessary parts to make the
necessary adjustment. The process is faster,
more convenient and cheaper.
Telematics also help equipment owners
better protect their investments and safe-
guard against problems arising from improp-
er usage of that equipment. For example,
take accidents involving cranes. Jones says
cranes come with alerts which allow the op-
erator to know when he is doing something
he shouldn’t, yet in many cases, crane opera-
tors know how to push the limits, and may
even know how to turn the alarm indicators
off. “Telematics allows the performance data
to be gathered, and sent to a server where it
can then be accessed by someone in manage-
ment so they can better know the operator
is using any piece of equipment ... if the op-
erator is constantly pushing the limit or do-
ing something wrong, management can take
corrective actions,” says Jones.
Jones acknowledges that many in the field
don’t particularly care for the fact that their
use of company equipment is being closely
monitored. At the same time, he says costs
arising from equipment repairs or replace-
ment because of improper usage is a challenge
for management. He says some companies
have created scorecards based on the collec-
tion of performance data as part of incentive
systems where employees are rewarded for
operating equipment in the correct manner.
As Jones says, “Telematics is being used to
help reinforce good operator behavior.”
CROSS PLATFORM
CONVENIENCE
Beyond the customized, factory installed
solutions for OEMs, LHP also provides af-
termarket solutions for those with a mixed-
fleet. In this capacity, LHP Telematics ser-
vices again provide greater convenience
and cost effectiveness through the ability
to normalize data streams. For example, say
you have heavy duty construction equip-
ment, a couple of Ford F150s, and some
other equipment. Each separate vehicle may
have its own kind of telematics functional-
ity. One may come with a device that mea-
sure fuel usage by the hour while another
may measure engine operating time by the
