Modern Contractor Solutions November 2024 - 24

technology solution
TELEMATICS
IoT Revolution
future of fleet management
By Ara Eckel
T
raditional telematics is a dot on a map-it is one-way data
that requires someone to sit at a computer, interpret what the
information is telling them, and then figure out what action users
in the field need to take. It can only do so much.
That's a big challenge.
But, telematics has the potential to do far more than only locating
equipment on a map and knowing when a machine needs an oil change.
Telematics' most significant contribution is that it provides information
to solve problems, such as geolocating a machine to find it, or notifying
users of the machine's health.
So, we asked ourselves, how can OEMs like JLG help with this?
The answer is to make data very intuitive, easy to use, and easy to
understand so that customers can act.
That's why when JLG launched its new IoT (Internet of Things) fleet
management platform last year, it had more than 20 distinct features.
And, only one was telematics. We believe its time to change the
conversation about how IoT technology revolutionizes what telematics
looks like on the job site.
NEW WITH IOT
With IoT, we see a world where we've evolved into this two-way machine
interactivity that doesn't just provide data but rather insightful,
actionable information.
As an OEM, our job has been to figure out how to make the actual
insights actionable for customers in the field, who interact with the
equipment firsthand. We do this by thinking about problems those
people need to solve with an IoT solution, immediately focusing on two
things that people could touch and feel:
1) Automate manual processes, because we know that when people
do things manually, there's a margin for human error. It happens.
2) Give our customers the efficiency of time back in their days.
Let's say, on average, if it used to take 45 minutes for a branch
manager to find a JLG machine in their rental yard or for a service tech
looking for the machine on the jobsite, now it takes less than one click
of a button. This is the classic scenario of reducing downtime and
increasing uptime but with a tangible nature.
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NOVEMBER 2024
OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES
We considered several other factors when developing our IoT solution,
such as delivering a platform that genuinely solves challenges for
specific types of equipment, such as specialty machines with unique
problems. For example, something as simple as machines sending data
about whether the ignition is on/off. Ninety percent of the time, access
equipment is used in an off state. Operators get it to height, turn the
machine off while doing their work, and then turn it on again to get
back down.
We also focused on digitizing customers' daily processes and looking
for ways to use IoT to automate manual tasks. For example, it allows
our customers to figure out how many hours an asset is in use and its
current state of charge or fuel level, whether it has any active fault
codes, etc. by simply touching a button or looking at a data dashboard.
One last transition we needed to figure out was moving from the
physical to the digital world. How could we digitize what used to be
a physical handheld piece of hardware through something like a
mobile app? A great example is using a Bluetooth analyzer through
the IoT application. With it, customers will no longer need to carry the
handheld analyzer and cable; they now have all the same usability and
functionality through their phones.
Customers need that efficiency, and they can now access it with the
power of their fingertips instead of the power of their feet.
IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS
With two-way IoT communications, there is a whole new level of
machine interaction and integration with the assets. Equipment owners
and operators using IoT mobile apps can find a machine by remotely
lighting the beacon light or honking the horn. Or, when looking at
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Modern Contractor Solutions November 2024

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