ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘news’ CATEGORY

Real-time monitoring of workflows is driving efficiencies in monitoring and management of street works in Wokingham, Surrey, following the adoption of Mayrise Street Works from Yotta.

Wokingham Borough Council has introduced mobile working for its street works staff  that allows them to check compliance of works, report overstays and recommend fixed penalty notices using Mayrise Street Works.  The software is designed as a complete solution for local and highways authorities managing street work notices and includes mobile working functionality that allows street works officers to access up to date information in order to monitor works in progress and investigate completed works. It is reducing the reliance on paper records and unnecessary trips to the office, thereby maximising officers’ time in the field and productivity.

Graham Barnwell, Traffic Manager at the council commented, “The introduction of mobile working in street works, supported by Yotta’s Mayrise software, is already delivering operational efficiencies. By enabling officers to access the information they need, when they need it, we are allowing staff to focus on the job in hand. By reducing the need for inspectors to return to the office or interrupt colleagues to obtain relevant information we are already seeing an increase in productivity and improvement in the service we provide to the community.”

 

The council is currently using rugged Honeywell Dolphin mobile computers running Mayrise Street Works Mobile software. The devices allow the Council’s street works officers and inspectors to remotely access the Street Works Register in order to research activities in progress and investigate works after they have been completed.

Using their mobile devices staff working in the field can also generate defect inspection reports, recommend fixed penalty notices and check compliance with permit conditions. Inspectors can report overstays to provide evidence of an offence which sends a warning to the promoter that the works are overrunning. Defect notices can be directly sent to the works promoter, mapped and with photographic evidence this ensures the utility has the information to locate and fix the apparatus in the quickest possible time.

Mayrise Street Works is designed to ensure best practice and provide up to date information on the status of all works. It also offers full compliance with the revised EToN 6 specification which aims to further reduce the impact of roadworks, through the better co-ordination and sharing of information between local authorities and utility firms.

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

Technology analysts Juniper Research are forecasting that in revenue terms the telematics sector will continue to outperform all other M2M markets over the next five years, with one in five passenger vehicles connected globally by 2019. Connected cars will represent 20% of the global car market
by 2019, the company predicts.

Smartphone-based models have become the key disruptor for M2M, as sectors such as healthcare, consumer electronics and retail continue to evolve. Juniper Research forecasts that the M2M sector will generate service revenues of over $40 billion globally by 2019 - doubling the size of today’s market.

Smart metering to see global growth

The new research, M2M & Embedded Devices: Strategic Analysis & Vertical Market Forecasts 2015-2019, observed that the roll-out of smart metering initiatives will see rapid up-take over the next six years, driven in part by governments’ ambitions to increase efficiency.

According to research author Anthony Cox: “Both India and China are expected to see rapid adoption of smart metering as new metering infrastructure is installed and smart cities are created.”

 

The utility sector however is not expected to generate similar revenues to that of the connected automotive sector.

Mergers, acquisitions, new applications

Agriculture and environmental applications are starting to emerge as important new sectors in the M2M market, with applications as diverse as wild-life and farm animal monitoring, and increasing productivity through precise field mapping. Some of the industry’s most powerful players are coming together, such as the merger of KORE Telematics and Raco Wireless, and the acquisition by Huawei of the M2M technology start-up Neul.

Other key findings include:

• The US remains the leading geographical region for M2M, ahead of Western Europe. China is becoming increasingly important as initiatives by the country’s major carriers begin to take shape.
• Implementation of Big Data analytics will play an increasingly important role, particularly in areas such as telematics, smart metering and healthcare.

Key questions, says Juniper are:

1. Which market verticals hold the greatest promise in terms of service and connectivity enablement revenues?
2. What are the prospects for cellular-based M2M modules?
3. How are smartphones and Big Data playing a role in the M2M universe, and how will these devices and technologies affect the M2M market moving forward?
4. How is the API landscape developing and what role does it play?
5. How will the IoT and the M2M universe interrelate with one another?

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

A next generation cloud version of the field service management solution Siclops has been announced by Advanced Field Service. Siclops LIVE provides SMEs and large, multi-site companies with real-time visibility of their clients, jobs and engineers to increase efficiency and profitability levels.

The cloud-based functionality means it is a scalable and more affordable option for businesses operating across multiple sites, saving investment in expensive IT infrastructures. The solution is compatible with desktop, tablet and smartphone devices and seamlessly integrates with finance, CRM and telephony systems offering secure access to comprehensive information to improve productivity.

The system enables service management firms to easily manage all aspects of their business anytime, anywhere. Users can quickly access accurate mobile data relating to field workers, customers and suppliers from a single solution to speed up response times and enhance customer service levels by eliminating manual paper-based processes.

The user-friendly interface includes interactive business intelligence dashboards that display the current status of calls, jobs and contracts, along with extensive search facilities to assist with project management and scheduling requirements.

 

Greg Ford, managing director of Advanced Field Service, comments, “Siclops LIVE has been built on world class and reliable cloud technology which underlines our commitment to the field service industry. The solution has been specifically developed to address the challenges that growing service organisations face by providing unprecedented visibility into their field staff to drive efficiencies and operational control.

“By providing customers and suppliers with instant access to real-time information, they can gain unprecedented insight into the most, and least, profitable areas of their business, in order to deliver exceptional customer service.”

Ffor organisations employing that repair, service or install equipment in the field the system includes built-in specific data forms ensuring full compliance on the move with leading industry regulations, such as NICEIC, SIA, NSI, HSE and F-Gas.

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

Smart meter installation and maintenance company Trojan Utilities has reduced its fuel usage by 24% after implementing a telematics system from Masternaut across its 100-plus strong fleet of vans. The system is used for a range of purposes by multiple departments across the business.

The Masternaut system provides Trojan with in-depth driver behaviour monitoring, looking at speeding, mileage and harsh events, helping Trojan to determine the effect various improvements have on fuel usage. The system is also used to dispatch engineers to proactively plan jobs and reactive emergency installs. The two-way messaging system allows engineers and Trojan Utilities to import contact numbers and communicate whilst out in the field too.

Since installation, Masternaut’s system has helped deliver a reduction in fuel usage through a combination of dynamic scheduling and improved driver behaviour. Reducing harsh events, idling and miles driven by each driver has seen a drop in fuel usage of 24%.

Driver behaviour overall has seen a major improvement with a 97% reduction in instances of speeding, helping make Trojan Utilities’ mobile workforce and other road users more safe.

By 2020, every home in the UK is projected to be able to use smart meter technology to see how much energy a household is using and manage it more effectively. As of May 2015, Trojan Utilities has installed over 160,000 smart meters, a figure that is rising by over 2,500 meters per week, with telematics helping it to manage that level of installations on a long-term basis.

 

Gemma Openshaw, Operations Director, commented, “Masternaut has become essential to our business, because it offered us everything we needed in one package. The system is used every day and we can’t operate without it. Without Masternaut, our fuel bill would be much higher so the system is effectively paying for itself. As a business, we’re operating in a challenging sector and the system has helped us cope with the rigours of installing in excess of 2,500 meters per week. That figure is only going to rise as we get closer to 2020, but with Masternaut, we’re confident that we’ll continue to stay ahead of the curve in the growing demand for smart meters.”

Steve Towe, Chief Commercial Officer and UK Managing Director, Masternaut, added: “The smart meter technology roll out is scheduled to be completed by 2020, and with millions of properties across the country needing them installed, this is certainly a significant challenge for all involved.”

He continues, “Telematics is giving Trojan Utilities a significant edge in managing this task, giving fleet managers total control and visibility of their fleet UK wise. In addition, the system is providing benefits in the form of reduced fuel usage and improved driver behaviour, reducing costs and improving driver welfare.”

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

 A Supervisor app has been added to its FieldMaster mobile applications suite by Trimble to help managers stay efficient and effective on the go by empowering them to do more work in the field and manage their day-to-day operations remotely.

With the FieldMaster Supervisor app, managers can leave the office and still have visibility into their fleet and mobile workers from their smartphone or tablet.  “Mobility is an increasingly valuable tool for field service organisations,” said John Cameron, general manager of Trimble’s Field Service Management (FSM) division. “It allows a traditional office role to move into the field and still access up-to-date information about the performance of the field operation. The result is a more effective operation where managers in the field have the information they need at their fingertips.”

FieldMaster Supervisor is available with Trimble Fleet Management and Trimble Work Management solutions.
Key features include:[unordered_list style="bullet"]

• Viewing all locations of your entire team on a map
• Seeing each team member’s job progress, including tasks at risk
• Finding the nearest worker to another team member or customer
• Navigating to key locations using turn-by-turn directions
• Inspecting job performance and documenting status in the field
• Receiving important vehicle and driver performance alerts in real-time[/unordered_list]

FieldMaster mobile applications are a core component of FSM’s integrated suite of field service management solutions that includes Fleet Management, Work Management and Driver Safety. It also includes a Technician app which is an advanced collaboration tool for mobile technicians that allows them to receive, access and update job information in real-time for improved effectiveness on the job.

The mobile apps are available from the Google PlayStore and the Apple App Store.

---

 

Be social and share this news

The Danish Ambulance service is to deploy almost 600 Motion C5 tablet computers as part of an innovative “Intelligent Ambulance” project that has been proven to save lives, Xplore Technologies Corporation has announced. The C5 units, which will be deployed across five regions, will enable ambulance teams to capture, accurately and quickly, all relevant patient data and transmit it to the hospital ahead of arrival.

Typically, a patient in an ambulance has hand-written notes that are passed on at admission into the hospital. As a process this is deeply flawed: the notes can be illegible and the risk of loss is substantial. Even if complete, perfectly readable notes are delivered to the hospital immediately on arrival, there is an inevitable delay as the information is actioned. This delay can increase if specialist doctors, teams or equipment are needed. Furthermore, with handwritten notes, there is typically only one perspective given – that of the ambulance personnel that has taken the details from the patient.

By comparison, the Intelligent Ambulance, equipped with the C5, can transmit vital observations direct to the hospital while the patient is en-route. Details on blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and oxygen saturation can be updated in near real-time. This information creates the Pre-Hospital Patient Journal (PPJ) that is used to determine a ‘trauma score’ that defines aspects of the care set up for the patient.

The C5 was chosen ahead of competitive units on the basis of improved screen quality and robustness. The camera captures and transmits high-resolution images of injuries, whilst the barcode enables consistent and reliable classification of patient data. Transmission of the data is secure and robust with the C5’s WWAN support. The C5 Mobile Dock which secures the tablet in place in the ambulance is a critical component of the solution, designed and tested to exceed crash impact test standards and enabling the workflow that transmits the PPJ to the hospital, ahead of arrival.

 

Because of the forms within the software, the information is always accurate, understandable and critically arrives at the hospital before the patient, so facilities can be set up in advance, reducing the delays at admission. As the PPJ is shared across all responding and relevant personnel, teams can collaborate to deliver the best levels of patient care and specialist requirements can be sorted before ambulance arrives at the hospital.

The project was co-ordinated by CSC Scandihealth and Atea, with software developed by Judex, hardware supplied by Lexit and installation carried out by Radiocom.

Ian Davies, Sales Director, Northern Europe, Xplore Technologies said: “This project is a clear validation of the improvements that mobile computing can bring to clinical care and strong evidence that the tablet form factor is better suited to the emergency services, compared to ruggedized laptops. The ability to capture and transmit, better quality information, faster is the bedrock of patient care improvements. The Intelligent Ambulance project is set to make a real difference across the Danish Ambulance Service and the C5 will be a critical part of that success.”

 

---

 

Be social and share this feature

A device to protect lone workers against the daily risks of their job has been launched by telematics provider Matrix Telematics.  The pocket-sized LoneWorker device incorporates the latest in GPS and sensor technology to help employees working on their own stay safe while carrying out their day-to-day work. It delivers end-to-end real-time tracking, giving organisations the ability to monitor the movements of their staff who are out in the field and provide both parties with vital security protection.

The device is discrete and ultra-sensitive to the slightest movement, claims Matrix.  The product can be configured in hundreds of ways so can be customised to match business and employee needs. This can include the ability to send a distress call if the device records unusual activity or a lack of motion, reminders to the employee to ‘check in’ after a certain amount of time, or for a control centre to dial in and listen silently to audio from the device. Alternatively, employees can activate an emergency button and open up a two way conversation with head office if they fear for their safety. All data can be integrated with a company’s CRM system which provides organisations with easy access to the information when it is required.

 

Geoff Ball, MD of Matrix Telematics said: “The definition of a lone worker has changed dramatically. From social workers to delivery drivers, postmen to pest control; lone workers make up almost a quarter of the UK’s working population, but the nature of their job leaves them open to a unique set of risks that employers need to be aware of.
“While most lone workers will hopefully never experience any problems, to have the peace of mind that there’s someone just at the other end of the line should they need it is a big reassurance for employees and a sensible precaution for employers to take.”

LoneWorker also helps organisations to report on employee activity and productivity enabling staff to record where and when jobs take place , automating timekeeping and billing processes.

 

---

 

Be social and share this news

Marathon Data Systems, a leading provider of cloud-based field service management and fleet management solutions, announced today that it acquired Foxtrax GPS, a cloud-based leader in fleet tracking technology. The company also announced it is changing its name to WorkWave™  to reflect its transformation into a leading solution provider for businesses with significant mobile workforces and to reinforce the tight integration of its cloud-based platforms for marketing, office management and fleet management. 

“The Foxtrax products, customer base and team round out WorkWave’s mobile-first portfolio,” said Chris Sullens, CEO and president of WorkWave, formerly Marathon Data Systems.

“Foxtrax is well known for its excellent service and functionality. By integrating Foxtrax’s cloud-based solution with Viamente, our leading cloud-based route planning and optimization solution, and our proprietary smartphone apps, we can now provide our 7,000+ clients in the field service and ‘last mile’ delivery verticals the most powerful, intuitive and cost-efficient solution available in the marketplace. Everything our clients need to gain full visibility into their field operations will be conveniently available in one place.”

 

In conjunction with this acquisition, Marathon Data Systems has changed its name to WorkWave, reinforcing the tight integration of its cloud-based platforms in marketing, field service management, route planning, and optimization and GPS. “This is a huge step in our corporate evolution,” added Sullens. “Unifying our messaging and product portfolio under the WorkWave brand reinforces how our product offerings connect every aspect of our clients’ businesses, providing an unprecedented level of insight into their office and field operations, enabling them to truly delight their clients and supercharge their business performance.”

WorkWave offers an integrated suite of cloud-based business management and fleet management solutions for the field service and “last mile” delivery verticals, including:

WorkWave Fleet, formerly Viamente, is a comprehensive cloud-based route planning and optimization platform that leverages a proprietary optimization algorithm, an intuitive user interface and a robust set of APIs to provide ”last mile” delivery companies a simple, dynamic and powerful solution for planning, tracking and analyzing their delivery routes.

WorkWave GPS, formerly Foxtrax GPS, is a cloud-based telematics platform that offers real-time vehicle tracking, comprehensive driver behavior alerting and tracking, and satellite-based asset tracking for companies in the field service, ”last mile” delivery and other fleet-based industries.

WorkWave Marketing, formerly Marathon Marketing Services, offers a full suite of website and lead generation services for the field service, automotive and other industries. This rapidly evolving, integrated marketing platform allows companies of all sizes to cost-effectively enhance their brand and drive leads into their businesses by leveraging WorkWave Marketing’s in-house website design, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), social media and reputation management offerings.

WorkWave also offers industry-leading solutions for the pest management industry, the general field service industry and the lawn and landscape industry through its PestPac, ServiceCEO and QXPress brands respectively.

 

---

 

Be social and share this story

Haulage telematics platform specialist Microlise yesterday made the move into the field service arena with the launch of new product Clear, a product designed specifically for the field service and fleet sectors..

Clear empowers drivers to improve performance, delivering safety, cost reduction and environmental impact benefits, whilst also providing fleet compliance and comprehensive task management functionality.

Microlise recognises that driver engagement is crucial in achieving strong return on investment from telematics. Clear provides drivers with the insight required to understand and improve driving performance, using the Microlise Driver Performance Management mobile app, available on both iOS and Android operating platforms.

With this information readily available, drivers are able to improve their own performance, whilst management can manage by exception, with any debriefing or training resource directed where it will have maximum benefit.

The Clear solution is also designed to deliver compliance and fleet safety, with built-in vehicle walkaround checks ensuring vehicles are maintained and any issues flagged to the relevant teams within the organisation. A comprehensive reporting suite provides management with insight on compliance in terms of work patterns and HMRC requirements, where private vs personal mileage can be tracked.

This reporting suite also gives managers valuable information on fleet utilisation and productivity, delivering additional operational benefits, whilst real-time vehicle tracking gives fleet managers the insight to understand the location and operational status of every vehicle in the fleet.

 

“Clear will deliver huge benefits to organisations operating fleets of vehicles” said John Mills, Head of Mobile Workforce Telematics at Microlise. “The product has been developed with the specific needs of these organisations in mind, and we’re excited to be working in such a dynamic space.

“Whilst telematics solutions are traditionally centred on vehicle tracking and driver performance, Clear comes complete with a range of other features that will help organisations to be compliant in terms of HMRC reporting, DVSA regulations and in-house vehicle safety standards. Comprehensive task management and communications further enhance efficiency and service levels.”

The launch of Clear was marked yesterday with an exclusive event at Millbrook Proving Ground, hosted by transport industry lobbyist Quentin Willson.

Delegates were given  the opportunity to drive the Millbrook Alpine Circuit in vans provided by event sponsor Hertz, with the top drivers on the day experiencing a Hot-Lap with former ‘Stig’ Ben Collins, who also gave delegates feedback on their performance in the Vans and discussing good driving practices in general and his career experiences.

Find out more about the day plus how Field Service News Editor Kris Oldland fared as a van driver in the next issue of Field Service News.

---

Not an FSN subscriber yet? Click here to register for free now!

 

---

 

be social and share this story