Caterpillar introduces remote Cat Connect tech

cat connect

Caterpillar has introduced a new suite of Cat Connect technology that offers remote equipment diagnostics and software updates.

Cat Remote Services includes Remote Troubleshoot and Remote Flash, which leverage telematics data to allow Cat dealers to remotely keep up to date on equipment in the field.

“A machine or engine not at work isn’t making money for the customer, which cuts into the company’s profitability for the job. Remote Services provide a solution to more effectively and efficiently maintain equipment,” said Herwig Peschl, Caterpillar’s global marketing manager.

“Customers can continue to use their assets while the dealer reviews and diagnoses a fault code from the office. In many instances, if a repair is required, the dealer can then dispatch the right technician with the right parts and tools to fix the machine or engine right the first time, saving time and money.”

Remote Troubleshoot

Remote Troubleshoot analyzes real-time asset data, so the dealer can run diagnostics testing on the connected product and pinpoint potential issues. This saves the dealer technician travel time to the jobsite and eliminates equipment downtime during diagnosis. The machine or engine continues to do its job throughout the process, so jobsite productivity doesn’t suffer.

Once the cause of the fault code or alarm is identified, the dealer could possibly resolve the issue remotely, saving time, money and the inconvenience to the production schedule.

If a repair is necessary, dealer technicians are dispatched to the jobsite with the correct information, parts, tools and instructions to make the repair.

Remote Flash

Remote Flash ensures Cat equipment operates with the most current version of its on-board software. The new Cat Connect service enables remote updates to the software of a connected machine or engine — at a time convenient to the operation — without the need for a technician to visit the jobsite.

With Remote Flash, Cat customers receive notification from their Cat dealer, or in some instances, directly from Caterpillar, when a new software update is available. Machines or engines can then be updated at the jobsite without waiting for a dealer technician to arrive and install the update.

Once a customer receives the flash-file push notification for a targeted product, the authorized user simply confirms the machine or engine is ready to begin the flash, initiates the process and confirms the post-flash performance.

Currently Cat Remote Troubleshoot is available on Next Gen excavators, and Cat Remote Flash is available on Next Gen and 336F XE hydraulic excavators, M3 Series motor graders, L and M Series medium wheel loaders from the 950M to the 972 XE models, and 10 models of oil and gas engines.

The new Remote Troubleshoot and Remote Flash work for Cat machines or engines with an on-board PLE641 or PLE742 card and telematics 2017B software or newer.

caterpillar appNew Cat app

Caterpillar has also introduced the industry’s first mobile app designed to allow customers who spend their time in a truck, at the job site or on-the-go to take advantage of equipment telematics data.

The new Cat Connect app delivers streamlined data directly to mobile devices, helping customers monitor machine location and health, react faster to fault codes and maximize uptime.

The final product of a voice-of-customer program, the new app is optimized for contractors who need to track critical machine operating data from the field.

“App development included 150 customers and dealers from around the world to learn what they considered most important from their telematics data,” said Fred Rio, director of digital and technology for Caterpillar Construction Industries.

“The vast majority of the feedback, regardless of brand fell into three customer challenges: tracking machine hours and location, receiving equipment fault codes and managing maintenance without being tied to the computer back at the office.”

The mobile equipment management tool allows users to monitor their fleet, request parts and service and connect with their Cat dealer from the work site.

The exact location of all equipment tracked by the app is displayed on the mobile device, along with the machine’s operating hours, health and utilization data. It also enables operators to get the most from their equipment by moving an under-utilized asset to precisely where it is needed most.

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Customizable push notifications alert Cat app users of machine operating condition, even if they don’t check into the app every day.

Upcoming planned service indicators, based on machine operating hours, are sent to the user, so service can be scheduled for when it doesn’t impact production. Fault codes, such as engine alerts, provide warnings of critical service issues that need to be addressed before a downtime event occurs. The flexible app allows users to establish different thresholds for when an event notification is sent.

Once downloaded, the user can log in by using existing credentials to load previously stored Cat machine data. New users can sign up and enter equipment data into the app by clicking “Get Started.”