Fleet Maintenance - 62

GUEST EDITORIAL
improved operational efficiency, and detailed
dispense history.

» Well-designed systems,
such as Graco's Pulse Pro Fluid
Management system, can
answer the five "Ws" for every
dispense job: Who performed
the dispense? What specific
fluid was dispensed? Where in
the facility did this dispense
take place? When did it occur?
Why (i.e., which work order and
customer record the dispense
was tied to)? And even, how
much fluid was dispensed?

Increase shop
efficiencies through
fluid management

Photo courtesy of Graco Inc.

Considerations for system conversion.
Effective fluid management in fleet vehicle,
automotive, heavy truck, and heavy equipment
service can reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies, while generating helpful data
about dispense history. Complete engineered
systems successfully deliver these benefits, as
components are designed to work together to
deliver the most accurate data possible.

Why choose fluid
management?
Effective fluid management systems allow
fleets to control expenses by accurately
managing their inventory of fluids such as
oils, gear lube, coolant, and antifreeze. One
benefit offered by fluid management systems
is that metering all dispenses ensures the right
quantity of the correct fluid is used, avoiding
costly mistakes. With this added control, facilities are able to capture additional savings by

By Joshua Holmstadt

SENIOR GLOBAL PRODUCT MARKETING MANAGER,
GRACO INC.
Graco Inc. supplies technology and expertise for the
management of fluids and coatings in both industrial and
commercial applications. Graco designs, manufactures,
and markets systems and equipment to move, measure,
control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials. A
recognized leader in its specialties, the Minneapolis-based
company serves customers around the world in the manufacturing, processing, construction, and maintenance
industries. Holmstadt is a senior global product marketing
manager for Graco's Lubrication Equipment Division.

62 Fleet Maintenance | July 2019

purchasing fluids in bulk. With an increasing
number of vehicles on the road today requiring
expensive synthetic oils rather than conventional ones, precise dispense and inventory
management is key to keeping costs down.
With the large volume of fluid being stored
and dispensed, inventory accuracy and shop
efficiencies are critical for expense management. Well-designed fluid management
systems provide parts and service managers
with the information necessary to order enough
fluid at the right time and track volumes of
used or wasted fluids. Fluid management
systems that allow pin code and work order
entry at the meter increase technician productivity as they can stay in their bay and have
everything they need at their fingertips. This
will result in an increase in both efficiency and
the number of vehicles serviced while turning
more profit for the service facility.
Another critical reason for implementing
a high-quality fluid management system
is the ability to recall transaction data. The
detailed dispense history provided can help
shop managers in visualizing production and
discovering patterns or workflow roadblocks
in order to improve efficiency. Additionally,
having fluid dispense history can provide an
audit trail showing the date, time, type of fluid,
and how much fluid was dispensed for a particular vehicle, confirming that the correct oil was
used or the proper volume replaced.
In short, fluid management systems deliver a
range of benefits to fleets, including increased
inventory control, greater dispense precision,

Factors to consider

There are several factors to consider when
looking to update a fluid management system.
These include:
* Not all fluids need to be converted at once.
Oftentimes customers migrate only one or
two oils over to a fluid management system.
Typically, customers will choose fluids that are
the most expensive and are causing the biggest
financial burden due to shrinkage. Another idea
is to start with the mobile roll-around dispense
carts or specialty fluids. The wireless capabilities of some systems allow for easy monitoring
and tracking of mobile carts and drums.
* Migrate one bay at a time. Another phased
approach is to convert one bay at a time to a fluid
management system. This is a great method to
understand the true ROI from a single bay being
transitioned to fluid management. Fleets can get
a comparative analysis on technician productivity and fluid reconciliation for that bay compared
with bays not using fluid management.
* Fluid management is easy to install and use.
While some may believe that fluid management systems are difficult to install or operate,
the wireless fluid management systems available are in fact easier (and less expensive) to
install than a wired system. Furthermore, they
provide fleets more control than standard written or oral dispense and tracking practices, and
greatly simplify processes.
* Expanding fluid management to tank level
monitoring will save a fleet money. While
installing tank level monitors in a fluid
management system isn't necessary, it does
provide huge benefits. Imagine no longer
having to call a bulk fluid supplier to schedule a refill of fluids, or having to call a fluid
recycling vendor to evacuate used oil before an
overfill occurs. With some fluid management
systems, uncertain manual processes can be
replaced with a reliable automated system that
monitors tank levels and schedules deliveries
and pickups for the fleet.
* Work with a good lubrication partner. A
fleet must trust who they choose to install
their fluid management system. Look for
suppliers who have years of experience in
fluid management and lubrication, and who
have dedicated technicians available to
provide service, when it's needed.

Cost savings and
improved efficiency
The complete picture offered by top-quality fluid
management systems gives insight into how to
improve shop efficiencies. With this kind of
comprehensive data, fleets can make smart business decisions about inventory and processes.
In combination, the data, system efficiency,
and precision dispensing make fluid management critical to managing costs and ensuring success in fleet and municipality vehicle
service applications.

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