Fleet management, monitoring and optimization

Fleet management, monitoring and optimization

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About Infor 3

How to get the most out fleet inspection dataBy Kevin Price 4

Fleet optimization: one size does not fit allBy Kevin Price 5

Integrated GPS tracking – A powerful tool for Map-21 complianceBy Kevin Price 6

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ABOU

T INFOR

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Infor EAM is the most configurable enterprise-grade asset management solution on the market. It gives you the power to improve capital asset management in ways that increase reliability, enhance predictive maintenance, ensure regulatory compliance, reduce energy usage, and support sustainability initiatives. Available in industry-specific editions, it also gives you unparalleled flexibility to zero in on the specialized, industry requirements that can turn your company’s asset management into a competitive advantage.

Infor EAM customers gain:

• Up to 50% reduction in maintenance overtime, labor, and contractor costs

• 20% reduction in maintenance material costs

• 20% reduction in downtime

• 20% or more in energy reductions

• 5% reduction in new equipment costs

• 10% increase in fleet availability

• 50% increase in warranty cost recovery

• 50% reduction in purchasing process costs

The Infor EAM advantage

Visit www.infor.com for more information!

http://www.infor.com


Fleet ManagementSYSTEMS

How to get the most out of fleet inspection dataBy Kevin Price

Monitoring and ensuring the health of the fleet: it can be a well-managed, efficient process or something much more haphazard. Having vehicles out of service when least expected and possibly when needed most creates safety, cost and potentially legal issues. How can fleet managers keep their fleets running in a fixed, measurable way?

Leveraging inspection detail is paramount. Notice the word “leveraging” — not “collecting.” Nearly all fleet managers gather inspection information, whether manually, via mobile devices, or by using a telemetry system that can monitor the print diagnostics of a bus, for example. But how do they make the best use of the collected data?

Planning a maintenance program isn’t simply a matter of scheduling vehicles for service. What equipment will you need? Is it sure to be available during that two-hour window? Will special tools be required? How about parts—will you have what you need on hand? Can you count on the availability of a technician with expertise on that particular vehicle type? And if several procedures or repairs are needed, but not all can be accomplished within the scheduled timeframe, which are most crucial, and when will you be able to take that vehicle out of service again to perform the remaining work?

Considering all the factors that must be taken into account when building an efficient maintenance program, it’s not at all surprising that technology plays an increasingly critical role in getting it right. Manual systems are tedious and time-consuming, especially for larger fleets, and prone to error. It’s tough to make informed decisions if managers are spending all their time gathering data and don’t have up-to-date, accurate, timely reports on which to make decisions.

Asset management software can provide the missing piece of a fleet monitoring plan. Such systems can take the data managers provide—either manually or by integrating with a telemetry application—and quickly build operator checklists for both preventative and upcoming maintenance, among other things. Fleet managers will gain a better understanding of how a driver who regularly exceeds the speed limit, for example, is impacting tire

wear, brake usage and fuel consumption. They’ll quickly determine when they can schedule each vehicle for service, based on the availability of tools, equipment, parts and technicians, as well as warranty schedules and any special circumstances.

Some experts think the fleet manager’s role will someday be at the board level—because of the ever-broadening skill set required to be successful. Fleet managers today need to know not only about vehicles and maintenance, but also about planning, finance, insurance and managing staff. Technology will help pave the way to this newly expanded role by supporting faster, more effective decision-making.

Kevin Price has more than 17 years in Infor’s asset management business, holding roles in sales and service, as asset solutions director for the Infor Public Sector group, and now product director for Infor EAM, MP2, Spear Technologies, and Infor Energy Performance Management. He is based in Greenville, SC. Kevin welcomes your feedback and questions. Please don’t hesitate to email him at [email protected]

Asset management software can provide the missing piece of a fleet monitoring plan.

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Fleet optimization: one size does not fit allBy Kevin Price

Optimization: what does it mean for a fleet, and how can it be achieved?

Here’s one definition of optimization: “Finding an alternative with the most cost effective or highest achievable performance under the given constraints, by maximizing desired factors and minimizing undesired ones.”

That’s not exactly earth-shattering news, but still food for thought: have all constraints been taken into consideration? Have the desired outcomes been identified in detail? Which negative factors have the biggest impact on profitability?

For every fleet, optimization will mean something different. A big-city agency may be constrained by yard management issues—rows and rows of buses backed up in a crowded depot. A union shop must have technicians certified and available to work on the particular makes in the fleet. Regional topography and weather are huge considerations. A bus company in Canada needs to be especially cognizant of having the right gear on the right rig in the right season. A fleet near the ocean will be susceptible to saltwater corrosion and other effects. Start-and-stop traffic and mountainous roads will significantly impact fuel consumption and brake wear.

Not having enough data isn’t usually a problem; it’s more challenging to sift through all the data that is available to figure out what’s important to measure, and what matches an organization’s individual definitions of constraints, desirable outcomes, and undesirable factors. Warranty information is especially important so that both forced and voluntary recall work is done in a timely manner and the costs will be recouped from the manufacturer instead of diluting profitability.

Nearly all companies and agencies understand that having technicians enter information as they work is more efficient than entering it later. But the constraints around that practice are not always considered. Bus mechanics in the middle of a job, for instance, can have hands covered in grease, and stopping to enter data in the traditional way doesn’t work. Perhaps the method of entering it needs to be examined—such as offering a kiosk with pre-programmed options instead of a keyboard—or the data entry required needs to be reformatted as a checklist instead of a form.

Company culture is a compelling factor that is often overlooked as a constraint—in all industries. One oil and gas company identified what, on the surface, appeared to be a better way to collect data in real time: new hand-held devices for rig personnel. The devices needed to be rugged enough to be dropped on a steel platform, safe enough

not to spark on that platform, and able to float. The company made a substantial investment—$15,000 per device—and yet nobody used them enough to justify the investment. The reason? The rig staff liked coming into the air-conditioned office to enter their inspection data. They didn’t want to be stuck on the hot platforms even longer by now having to enter data via field devices.

The point is that organizations need to identify their own personalized definitions of optimization, based on their own constraints—and then be able to measure the progress being made. The metrics tracked must also be customized, so that they show what an organization is doing, how well they are doing it, and how they can demonstrate that they are doing it well. While almost anything can be measured, that doesn’t necessarily mean it should be. The SMART method is one way of figuring out the usefulness of a metric:

• S – specific; clear and unambiguous• �M – measurable; able to be quantified against other data vs.

“yes/no” measurements• A – attainable; reasonable under normal conditions• R – realistic; fitting within an organization’s specific constraints• T – timely; achievable within the given timeframeAn enterprise asset management (EAM) system can help fleet

managers optimize according to their defined constraints and metrics. Knowing the asset’s history when scheduling maintenance or repair is invaluable: when the asset last ran, where it was running, what is

needed now, who is needed to address it (taking into account union status, certifications and availability), and what materials are needed for the job (Refrigerant? Tires? Core work?)

A system should be able to schedule in increments of one minute for the greatest efficiency. It should facilitate better yard management through spatial capabilities that help determine which vehicles should be parked closest to or furthest from the exit, depending on recent repair issues or upcoming maintenance. It should generate campaign

slips after a warranty review that can be sent to the manufacturer for reimbursement—and it should incorporate VMRS (Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards) numbers so the fleet organization and the manufacturer are speaking the same language.

Finally, a solution should be mobile, light, capable of being deployed in the field without requiring extensive data entry—allowing technicians to record as they work, saving up to 45 minutes per technician per day in the process—and flexible enough to work within the constraints of each individual organization.

Optimization is a worthy goal—but only worth embarking on once it has been clearly defined and constraints have been identified, with a solution for addressing them.

Kevin Price has more than 17 years in Infor’s asset management business, holding roles in sales and service, as asset solutions director for the Infor Public Sector group, and now product director for Infor EAM, MP2, Spear Technologies, and Infor Energy Performance Management. He is based in Greenville, SC. Kevin welcomes your feedback and questions. Please don’t hesitate to email him at [email protected]

An enterprise asset management system can help fleet managers optimize vehicle usage.



Integrated GPS tracking – A powerful tool for MAP-21 compliance


By Kevin Price

Anyone managing a fleet, especially someone who has ever “lostsight” of a vehicle, understands how valuable it would be to have

integrated GPS tracking, the technology that enables automatic vehicle location (AVL).

Using AVL, those who manage service, emergency and public transport vehicles — as well as any other mobile asset — can quickly identify and report on the location of each piece of equipment. They can also manage the driver crew more effectively, improving accountability and operational performance. AVL lets managers see which drivers are adhering to arrival and departure times, taking the correct routes, and so on. It enables comparisons of routes to determine those that are most efficient at both peak and low traffic times. It allows a real-time view of which vehicles are where in case route changes need to be made on the fly.

AVL has three components: locating hardware, which is the component necessary to identify the position of a vehicle on the earth’s surface; the communication package, which relays the positional data; and the display system, which shows the location of the vehicle as it travels in real time.

Adding vehicle tracking information into an asset management system that includes geospatial information provides a comprehensive

way to track these assets and make better decisions, since the data is updated continuously. For organizations governed by MAP-21 regulations, the usefulness of AVL is even greater.

MAP-21, or the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act that was signed into law in 2012, is a long-term highway funding authorization that created performance-based guidelines for organizations receiving those funds. In essence, transportation authorities must use funds to support federal goals, which include “improving safety, maintaining infrastructure condition, reducing traffic congestion, improving efficiency of the system and freight movement, protecting the environment, and reducing delays in project delivery.”

Clearly, an integrated GPS or AVL system gives a transit agency an edge by enabling them to track, record, and analyze how vehicles are performing in

real time—helping to reduce traffic congestion, improve efficiency, and reduce delays, which are all direct requirements of MAP-21.

Consider what can happen if assets are not tracked efficiently. After a series of snowstorms wreaked havoc on the equipment and schedules of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), a report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) revealed that MBTA had failed to take basic steps practiced by other cold-weather transit agencies. APTA found that MBTA didn’t have enough or the right kind of snow-clearing equipment, and the interim director admitted that such equipment had been on hand 20 years previously but hadn’t been tracked or maintained. Having an integrated GPS system that continuously tracked vehicles and equipment in real time would have gone a long way towards saving MBTA from this disaster.

Kevin Price has more than 17 years in Infor’s asset management business, holding roles in sales and service, as asset solutions director for the Infor Public Sector group, and now product director for Infor EAM, MP2, Spear Technologies, and Infor Energy Performance Management. He is based in Greenville, SC. Kevin welcomes your feedback and questions. Please don’t hesitate to email him at [email protected].

An integrated GPS or AVL system gives a transit agency an edge by enabling them to track, record, and analyze how vehicles are performing in real time.


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Fleet management, monitoring and optimization