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Momentum IoT was named the winner at the 2019 CompassIntel Spring Awards in the category of Connected Solution Leadership: Fleet Tracking Management for IoT and M2M.

The awards are voted on by over 40 industry-leading press, editors, journalists, thought leaders and analysts who identify the best in three primary categories: Mobile & Wireless, IoT (Internet of Things), and Emerging Tech, along with CompassIntel.com selected “of the Year” awards.

“We’re excited to recognize the innovation that Momentum IoT has introduced to connecting assets with ease and simplicity,” says Stephanie Atkinson, CEO and Founder of Compass Intelligence.  “Momentum IoT has made fleet tracking affordable and achievable for small to medium sized businesses.”

Momentum IoT disrupted the fleet tracking model by utilizing a SaaS payment model, so there are no contracts or upfront fees to use the platform.  The tracker is cloud-based and does not require customization, so users can plug the device into their asset and view them on one screen.  Additionally, the company also offers a free trial of its products.

“We’re honored to receive this award,” says Justin Silva, CEO of Momentum IoT.  “We’ve set ourselves apart through the ease of use and ruggedness of our design coupled with providing the highest level of security available with no contracts.  We want to make telematics accessible to everyone and will continue to be a solutions-based leader in our field.”

Trackunit and GAM (General de Alquiler de Maquinaria) have announced a partnership agreement to implement the Trackunit fleet management solution, based on the Trackunit RAW hardware, across GAM’s 18,000 Spanish rental equipment fleet.
After a successful trial project, GAM is digitizing its vehicle fleet, which has grown to become the largest rental fleet in Spain and one of the largest heavy-equipment rental companies in Europe. GAM also has operations in nine other countries including countries in Latin America.

The deployment of the Trackunit fleet management solution has already started and GAM customers will soon be able to take advantage of the increased level of digitalization. The Trackunit solution will enable GAM to develop new business models offering better individual service, more accurate documentation of usage, which will help eliminate downtime.

Access to machine-data via the Trackunit Go app and Trackunit Manager software allows service technicians to analyse more machines and assets concurrently and have easy access to schedule services and repairs at a convenient time. GAM has already started training, installation and back-end implementation of the system.

The partnership agreement was signed after GAM did a meticulous screening of possible solutions and then chose Trackunit after a qualification test in Europe and Latin America. "GAM has chosen to be a part of something bigger - an ecosystem of customers, suppliers and partners - and they see the qualities and future perspectives of the Trackunit solution. We are certainly looking forward to a valuable partnership", says Soeren Brogaard Jensen, Trackunit CCO

"With the Trackunit fleet management we harvest the benefits of getting direct and easy access to equipment data and are able to significantly increase our fleet efficiency. Implementing the new system is a challenging work across the organization, but we are very excited about providing a qualified and differentiate value added service to our customers", says Ana Jorge, GAM Director for Fleet and Logistics.

New working relationship for BT Fleet Solutions and Winton Engineering announced at Commercial Vehicle Show...


In a move to enhance the benefits both businesses can provide to customers, BT Fleet Solutions and Winton Engineering have agreed a new working relationship to provide maintenance and servicing on Winton Engineering systems using BT Fleet Solutions’ network of garages and mobile engineers.

The contract will allow BT Fleet Solutions to better service both internal and external customers’ vehicles with on-vehicle power systems. Having worked together through mutual customers since 2006, this relationship is the logical next step for the businesses who are both highly-respected suppliers in the UK utility sector.

Simon Ungless, business development director at BT Fleet Solutions, said: “Winton Engineering’s systems are used by many BT Fleet Solutions utility customers, so the additional services we will now provide will serve to further strengthen our product offering and relationships with these customers.”.

For Winton Engineering’s existing customers this will provide increased coverage for maintenance and servicing of the Winton on-vehicle power systems. It will also provide them with a greater flexibility for systems to be serviced either on site using one of BT Fleet Solutions’ mobile engineers, or at one of BT’s 65 garage locations, reducing the time and fuel required by customers to reach their nearest available site.

Winton customers using BT Fleet Solutions will also have the added benefit of being able to get their vehicles serviced at the same time in addition to servicing the Winton systems, a significant potential reduction in VOR (vehicle off road) time.

Andy Jones, managing director at Winton Engineering, commented, “BT Fleet Solutions is a respected name in the UK utility market and so working with them matches nicely with the positive reputation that the Winton on-vehicle power systems have for robustness, reliability and efficiency.”

Paragon has enhanced its routing and scheduling software with the introduction of resource management functionality to help fleet managers better manage utilisation of all available drivers.
The new functionality allows fleet operators to track drivers’ holidays, shift patterns and hours worked, automatically factoring all of this in to transport plans. With the driver shortage problem continuing to challenge transport operations, enhanced resource management is vital for fleets of all sizes.

 

Driver availability is just one of hundreds of parameters that a planner has to juggle when creating transport plans. Planners are under pressure to take account of individual driver preferences such as shift times, break times and overnight assignments, all the while aiming for maximum efficiency across the transport operation. The new resource management functionality from Paragon will allow fleet managers to:

 

• Manage holiday entitlement and approval to avoid too many drivers being away at the same time;
• Automatically generate advanced shift schedules to provide forward visibility and control;
• Comply with working time limits at an individual driver level;
• Track individual driver hours accumulated to avoid overtime.

 

Planners can now ensure delivery routes are efficient and make the best use of drivers and vehicles while factoring in drivers’ preferences. Furthermore, the planning process itself becomes more efficient. Planners can automatically allocate available drivers to a plan, removing the need for the transport office to spend time allocating drivers to routes. Total visibility of all drivers’ availability, captured in a single system that feeds in to the planning process, brings a reduction in planning time and eliminates the risk of human error. This represents a significant improvement over using paper-based or multiple software systems.

 

Building on the required skills functionality which is available as standard in Paragon’s routing and scheduling, fleet managers are also able to create their own list of driver skills such as qualified gas fitter or carpenter and the appropriate tools required for each job. Paragon’s routing software will then ensure that calls are only allocated to appropriately skilled drivers and that skilled resource is allocated appropriately.  

 

“Our new resource management functionality allows fleet managers and planners to do more with less. At Paragon, we invest about a third of our turnover in research and development every year helping customers develop a continuous improvement process that solves real-world, everyday transport problems,” said William Salter, Managing Director of Paragon Software Systems. “With resource management functionality, you gain peace of mind that you are achieving maximum efficiency from all your available assets, including drivers.”

 

“The partnership will enable us to expand our proposition and take advantage of Ctrack’s advanced telematics expertise,” explains David Taylor, Global Business Director of Eworks Manager. “Ctrack is a likeminded business – possessing a similar outlook and mindset – with a complementary customer base and geographic reach. We quickly recognised the growth opportunities from working together both in the UK and within our international markets.”

 

The system integration will use Ctrack’s application programming interface (API), enabling real-time tracking data to be shared with Eworks Manager’s software solution that is designed to manage every aspect of field service workflow. This can include a wide range of fleet information including current position, trip summary, odometer reading, exception alerts such as speed violations, driver behaviour and tamper alerts.

 

This will enable Eworks Manager to build on its existing in-house vehicle tracking capabilities to develop unique and highly-functional management tools that empower a business with added intelligence, insight and control. By combining Eworks Manager’s web-based administrative system with both mobile and vehicle tracking technology, field service customer can ensure that internal and external processes are effectively managed and monitored.

 

Jason Laight, Head of Indirect Sales at Ctrack UK Ltd commented: “We have significant experience integrating our fleet tracking software with leading third-party applications such as ERP, routing and scheduling, work management, GIS and transport management. We are working closely with Eworks, using our advanced API and in-house development team, to develop a bespoke solution for the field service marketplace. This will benefit new and existing customers from both businesses as well as appealing to service organisations looking for a telematics-enabled workforce management solution.”

Arriva to introduce major CO2 emissions reduction programme across European bus fleet.

Arriva, a leading European passenger transport company, have signed a contract with TomTom Telematics, recently acquired by Bridgestone, to install its telematics system on up to 15,000 buses across the UK and nine countries in Mainland Europe.

 

Arriva is committed to reducing the global impacts of travel, improving air quality in congested towns and cities, and minimising its own environmental impacts as a business.

 

This latest technology investment - which provides drivers with instant feedback around braking, acceleration and idling - will enable Arriva to reduce fuel use from its bus operations by up to six per cent each year and cut CO2 emissions each year by up to 72,000 tonnes. This is the equivalent of reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by more than 15,000 cars being driven in a year.

 

Jo Humphries, Arriva Group Transformation Director, said: “This investment in TomTom Telematics is an investment in our drivers. Every second of every journey, our 32,000 drivers have to make the right decisions to take passengers safely from pick-up to destination.

"When supported by regular coaching and training, our drivers will be equipped to drive the best they can. In doing so they can provide even safer and more comfortable journeys for passengers and reduce fuel usage to deliver substantive reductions in CO2 emissions.”

 

Thomas Schmidt, managing director of TomTom Telematics, said: “Arriva has recognised the business benefits that can be gained by improving operational visibility and empowering drivers to improve their performance behind the wheel.

 

“Our fleet management solution, WEBFLEET, gives Arriva powerful insights into areas for improvement across its extensive network. For instance, it highlights inefficiencies affecting the amount of fuel usage in a day.

 

“We are delighted that our innovative telematics technology will continue to help Arriva fulfil its long-term environmental and operational goals.”

 

The contract will support the installation of the technology on Arriva’s bus fleet in Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK.

At this week's Housing 2019 event in Manchester, location and mobile technology experts, Localz, talked about the impact of the IConomy to the field service industry. In this article Localz explains how the field service industry can utilise mobile technology to deliver “uber” style housing repairs and deliver frictionless customer services in the fourth industrial revolution.

 

Consumers are sick and tired of impersonalised and inflexible services which do not fit into their routine. They want to be able to schedule an appointment that fits into their schedule and be able to track and adjust it in realtime. eBay, Deliveroo and Uber are all addressing the need for instant booking, tracking and assurance for its customers. These companies are putting the customer at the centre of its service, giving them control, reassurance and convenience and overall building trust. They are setting the benchmark for all industries and now customers are starting to demand the same experiences from every organisation they engage with. 

Applying the success from leading brands and incorporating customer and field service engineer pain points, Localz advises on the key steps to ensure frictionless customer experiences in today’s digital age. 

1. Be digitally available 

Providing convenience means being digitally enabled on various platforms, this includes customers being able to book an appointment via a laptop, tablet or smartphone and smartwatch. Alongside device enablement they also want to be able to book an appointment via different means including, email, telephone, on a brands app and in the future via voice recognition. It is vital that you stay on top of the latest technology and ensure you know how your customers want to interact with you. 

1. Confirm and reassure
Once an appointment is booked you need to continually remind and reassure your customers that you are coming. It is vital to provide customers with regular updates throughout the appointment life-cycle, from confirmation to receiving the appointment, to a reminder the day before and the morning of including real-time updates of an ETA. 

2. “On my way”
On the day of the appointment provide the customer with a real-time location tracker of the service provider so they can check the platform and are deterred from calling the contact centre. If there are going to be any changes to the appointment then the platform can be triggered to automatically provide push updates on the service providers ETA. 

British Gas has seen no-access, failed appointments fall by 20%  by using “On my way” notifications. Customers are more informed and therefore aren’t forgetting appointments or rescheduling if needed to. 

3. “Find my engineer”
The ‘Find my Engineer’ solution provides the ultimate transparency by giving customers access to real-time location tracking when the operative is en route. Accurate ETAs are provided, which take live traffic conditions into account. Localz own research shows that 65% of consumers say that viewing their service provider’s ETA is the most important feature on a service provider’s mobile app. This is particularly important in the housing sector as the length of appointments can vary greatly. By providing real-time updates enables customers to track the engineer and get on with their day so they are not stuck within the confines of their own home for hours. 

By enabling for two-way communications between service engineers and the customer will help to streamline appointments. Two-way communications make it easy for customers to tell you and your operatives important information without having to join a call centre queue. Provide contact centre staff with the same transparency and real-time tracking, so they can give a consistent and reliable message if a customer still decides to call.

OVO Energy’s engineers have cited that using two-way communication has an increase in customer satisfaction. By enabling engineers and customers to directly speak to one another it removes the middle man, which can be a frustrating experience for both parties. 

5. “Rate Your Service”
One of the key ingredients to successful communication and one that is often forgotten is the power of listening. Asking consumers to “rate” and feedback on the service will lead to consumers feeling important, cared for and if you respond accordingly listened to. 

This is something that Uber has done very well. By allowing consumers to rate their driver it not only leads to customers feeling heard but it enables the organisation to increase the safety of the solution.Both outcomes of providing the score is both of importance to the consumer and the company alike. In environments where interactions are frequent and where 'promises' can be fulfilled reliably and repeatedly trust can be established. 

 

To find out more about Localz’s solutions click here.

 

Speedy Asset Services, the provider of tools, plant and specialist equipment, is adopting video telematics technology as standard on all new vehicles as part of the company’s commitment to road safety and fleet risk reduction. 

The company has installed VisionTrack’s VT2000 connected forward-facing camera on a further 50 recently acquired vans, which will provide Speedy Asset Services with added visibility of any collisions, near misses and harsh driving events.

“We have taken the decision to make video telematics part of our fleet replacement programme, with all new vehicles to be fitted with VisionTrack’s industry-leading road safety technology,” explains Gareth Jones, Road Risk Manager at Speedy Asset Services ltd. “The connected vehicle cameras will help target further improvements as part of our award-winning fleet safety strategy that has already reduced road collisions by 37 per cent, while also enabling us to avoid unnecessary insurance costs.”

The latest roll-out follows the successful adoption of a connected multi-camera DVR system on a fleet of HGVs. The solution has provided all around visibility of the vehicle and shares all captured information with VisionTrack’s cloud-based IoT platform. This has enabled Speedy Asset Services to view HD video evidence of road incidents within second of them occurring, as well as gain a better understanding of driver behaviour to identify areas of risk.

Speedy Asset Services had previously used a competitor SD-card vehicle camera solution within its fleet operation, but the devices required video to be manually downloaded before it could be viewed. It often took up to three weeks to receive footage from drivers, while the solution was also prone regular equipment failure. In contrast, the video telematics system provides real-time alerts in the event of a collision and access to footage, so Speedy Asset Services can immediately check on the welfare of the driver and prove liability in less than 30 minutes.

“As one of the first fleets in the UK to achieve DVSA earned recognition we have demonstrated our commitment to keeping our people, customers and members of public safe by meeting all driver and vehicle standards. As part of this, we understood the need for an advanced and scalable video telematics system that safeguards drivers, prevents road collisions and mitigates fleet risk. We are working closely with VisionTrack – a technology leader that is driving innovation in connected technology and smart transportation – to take advantage of their unrivalled ambition, expertise, service and support,” concludes Jones.

Simon Marsh, Managing Director of VisionTrack commented: “We combine the most advanced and reliable technology with first-class service and support to provide solutions that deliver true value. With a growing number of fleet and transport operations seeking innovative ways of protecting vehicles, drivers and brand reputation, we are now partner of choice for connected vehicle cameras and video telematics.”