The correct implementation of new machine tech can drastically improve ROI
To gauge the benefits of its technology suite, Caterpillar conducted a roadbuilding production study.
The experiment included building two identical 120-metre-long stretches of road. One road was construction using traditional, low-tech methods, while the second road incorporated telematics, grade control, payload control and compaction control.
“We took the same operators, the same fleet of equipment, the same road design and we built identical roads,” Mike Lenzie, Marketing Manager at Caterpillar, explained during a recent Technology Days event at the company’s Edwards Demonstration & Learning Center in Illinois.
The end results were night and day. The road built using Cat’s tech suite required 34 per cent fewer equipment hours, consumed 37 per cent less fuel and required 31 per cent less manhours.
Overall, the road built using technology required 46 per cent less project hours.
“At 46 per cent fewer project hours, you could use that same fleet of equipment to go out and do almost the entire same project a second time,” Lenzie said. “Using that same fleet, you’re getting a much higher ROI on your equipment and capital investment.”
In terms of productivity, construction is lagging behind other sectors in the economy. A study by McKinsey & Company examined productivity over two decades. Construction productivity improved by 0.4 per cent year over year, while the economy in general improved by 2 per cent each year.
“We’re trying to create solutions that solve some of that challenge,” Lenzie said.
VisionLink
One of those solutions is Caterpillar’s VisionLink, which now consolidates My.Cat.Com and the Cat App into one centralized solution for fleet management. The latest version of VisionLink provides an integrated full-fleet management solution for asset tracking to maximize machine uptime and optimize utilization.
The platform’s refreshed interface helps customers efficiently manage their entire fleet, regardless of manufacturer. Improved asset insights retrieve a broader range of data from owned, leased or rented equipment and attachments, allowing companies to make better informed asset management decisions.
The new mobile app allows users to stay up to date on key metrics, location of assets, fuel level, idle time and more, all through a smartphone.
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Fuel usage alone can account for a third of operating costs in the field. VisionLink can help owners determine where they can reduce excess fuel consumption.
“More than 50 per cent of the time, machines we track through telematics are idling,” said Chih Liang, Vice President of Caterpillar, noting idling also impacts maintenance and resale value. “When the machine idles, obviously it is not doing productive work.”
VisionLink’s new “Needs Review” feature allows customers to focus on critical items, bringing to focus areas where actions need to be taken and providing a workflow to schedule tasks. Within “Needs Review,” the new “Task Management” function allows customers to create quick tasks or a task from scratch. It allows for task assignment and ensures task progress and completion are documented.
With fleet management unique to every operation, customers can assign machines the in-app name of their choosing. Easy-to-use dashboards allow for asset management by projects, groups and geofences. Additionally, customers decide who can and cannot access VisionLink by defining access levels for personnel. Customized reports can be generated and sorted automatically to facilitate tasks such as identifying underutilized equipment.
VisionLink Productivity
To make it easier for owners to manage their assets and increase productivity,
Cat has rebranded Cat Productivity to VisionLink Productivity. Renaming Cat Productivity is the first step in integrating it with the new enhanced VisionLink.
VisionLink Productivity is a cloud-based application that can help customers analyze jobsite performance and improve productivity based on actionable information, making their businesses more efficient and ultimately more profitable. It is scalable to any size operation, regardless of asset brand, and can be accessed anywhere via mobile, tablet or desktop.
Today’s VisionLink also offers customers streamlined subscription levels to provide the right combination of features. As well, the new VisionLink continues to offer core telematics data standard with every machine to answer questions about assets, including daily machine location, utilization, fuel usage, maintenance reminders and integration with Caterpillar’s extensive digital ecosystem.
“When you take all information off the machine, you get a lot of data. But being data rich doesn’t make you rich,” Lenzie said. “It’s all about the information that is perceived to allow you to take actionable steps.”
Cat Grade and Compact
VisionLink Productivity now incorporates Cat Grade 3D and Cat Compact data into its reporting platform. Leveraging Cat Grade Connectivity, the platform enables 3D design files and updates to be distributed to all machines at the jobsite, eliminating the need for USB uploads. VisionLink Productivity further improves accuracy through GNSS corrections for position validation rather than installing a base station with high set-up costs for short projects. Grade Connectivity also minimizes machine downtime by reducing the need to send a technician onsite to diagnose Grade related issues, improving overall jobsite productivity.
Cat Compact summary dashboards show the amount of work completed for each day and calculate the fill volume. Using the Cat Compaction Algorithm (CCA) or Landfill Compaction Algorithm (LCA), it will also show the per cent of covered area at target compaction. Landfill material compaction density can be viewed when operators enter weights per day.
Cat Payload e-Ticket
The new e-Ticket feature eliminates the need for manual or printed tickets generated by onboard Cat Payload systems. Key personnel can now receive an electronic copy of the tickets via email, including detailed information on individual buckets, total payload, truck and material type. Tickets can be quickly recalled using ID or number or filtering based on material type or truck name. Key performance indicators tracked by e-Ticket include ticket count, average truck rate, pass count per ticket and total ticket payload.
Operator coaching
Operator Coaching is another new tool to empower operators of all experience levels to enhance their skills, efficiency and productivity. Two categories of operator coaching tips – Operating Efficiency and Machine Health – are tracked. During machine operation, the operator receives an onboard notification when an action with a corresponding tip is detected. This helps to improve operational efficiency and increase machine longevity.
When paired with the offboard VisionLink Productivity, managers can remotely view what coaching tips their operators have activated. This enables site managers to track improvements over time and focus training on areas specific to the operator’s needs and overall operations. Dashboards, lists and maps allow quick views of each coaching tip’s count, time and location.
Caterpillar often hears from its customer base about the need to address the growing skilled labour gap as veteran operators retire.
“For those operators that are coming in, they may not have the skill levels immediately that more seasoned operators have. So, our technology will try to improve on that,” Liang said.
