Earthwave Technologies shows Construction Management System features at World of Concrete

Earthwave Technologies has featured a pair of fleet maintenance tools in its FleetWatcher portfolio during World of Concrete 2022: Construction Management Solution (CMS) and Escalating Idle Alert. These features aid in improving efficiency through data collection and analysis.

Construction Management Solution

FleetWatcher's popular Construction Management Solution (CMS) collects data from all construction equipment assets, regardless of class or manufacturer, and presents the maintenance due report with color coded entries providing "at a glance" status. Built specifically for the heavy equipment industry, this unique telematics platform shows equipment that is within 36 hours of its required maintenance in yellow, and any equipment at or past its maintenance due date in red. This allows fleet maintenance managers to better schedule in-shop personnel and service trucks in the field. Unlike OEM telematics which require separate logins for each brand, and present information differently, FleetWatcher works across all fleet equipment with a single login and presents the data in an easily understood format which can be shared with all applicable personnel via cell phone, tablet, or computer. FleetWatcher CMS is ideal for heavy construction contractors of all types and sizes.

Throughout the day, FleetWatcher collects specific and customized data from the attached fleet. That information is then processed and delivered through a Daily Snapshot in the specific data and format that users select. Reports, available online or in MS Excel format) can be shared with team members. Over 20 reports and hundreds of filtering options allow users to have the information needed to manage their business more effectively and efficiently. 

In addition to maintenance due, FleetWatcher tracks multiple data points including cycle times, productivity and down times, equipment utilization and underutilization, project status, budgets, shop costs, rental expenses, trends and behaviors, and more. It integrates with all major management programs including accounting, estimating, invoicing, and more.

Escalating Idle Alert

Equipment and operator idle time is a major problem in the construction industry. Industry research indicates that off-road assets average an hour of excessive idle per machine per day, at a cost of roughly $50 per hour (including fuel, services, and depreciation). Aggregate that across a fleet and the numbers are staggering. FleetWatcher's Escalating Idle Alert proactively informs managers when equipment has been idling for too long, allowing immediate corrective action to be taken. This can help slash idle time, and thus elongate equipment life span, or dramatically impact its value at trade in. Twenty-plus years of experience and collecting company data indicates that most companies have fleetwide idle times that average more than 50 percent. This excessive idle time not only wastes fuel, but it also costs companies in lost value including lost production. Users of the FleetWatcher telematics platform have reported significant reductions in idle time when using the Escalating Idle Alert feature. 

Unlike factory telematics, which can tell what a machine's RPMs are at a point in time, FleetWatcher monitors the rpm over time, and actively alerts managers with a text or email when a pre-set threshold has been reached. 

Users set an excessive idle time threshold and then enter that into the 3rd party telematics platform. When that threshold has been reached, an alert is sent, usually via email or text, to the foreman. If the unit continues to idle, a second alert 5-10 minutes later is sent to the foreman, superintendent, maybe also a project manager or equipment manager. If needed, a third alert, also 5-10 minutes later, is sent to the boss - a guy that most folks don't want to be advised of this sort of situation. Generally, the problem is resolved, and idling is eliminated, after the first or second alert. The parameters and alerting structure are completely customizable by the user.

Escalating Idle Alert is just one data collection feature of the FleetWatcher telematics platform. Data can be integrated with other business systems such as accounting, estimating, and job cost systems, bringing everything together for a more comprehensive view. FleetWatcher tracks multiple data points including cycle times, productivity and downtime, equipment utilization and underutilization, exact location of each piece of equipment, project status, budgets, shop costs, rental expenses, and trends and behaviours.