Challenge:
Preston Hire wanted valuable insight into asset utilisation and operator behaviour, as well as a way of tracking the hire equipment going in and out of its yards, and needed a provider that listened and understood the business and its goals. The team needed to track each crane and its outrigger legs are in or out, the boom is lifted or dropped, and whether the engine is in use. For health and safety, they also needed to understand how the cranes are used and the behaviour of the operators, as it can be a safety hazard if outrigger legs or the boom are not adjusted correctly for movement across sites. Furthermore, they want insights into machine utilisation to assist customers in operating an efficient site, by tracking frequency of use, time of day, idle, and other useful detail.
With the GPS-based insight, we’ve been able to accurately and fairly bill an extra couple of thousand dollars for the extra period our equipment was in use. We’ve got an opportunity to let our clients know when, where and how the cranes on their sites are not being used according to best practice.
- Sean Reid, National Sales Manager
Solution:
To assist in running a transparent, safe and cost-effective business, Preston Hire installed Teletrac Navman’s GPS tracking devices into their brand-new fleet of mini-crawler cranes. Even with his busy schedule and assets located country-wide, he’s able to remotely manage and track the cranes and see exactly how they are being used.
Over the Christmas holidays one of Preston Hire’s cranes was already on a customer’s site, but it was on a stand down period and was not intended to be used until the agreed hire start date. The crew were ahead of schedule and, unaware, started using the crane before the scheduled start day. Reid was able to see when the crane was in use and charge accurately and fairly.
Preston Hire has made use of the live site tool to set a boundary around each of their yards, giving him transparent, real-time insight into the movements of their equipment. Yards have been geofenced to remotely track exact times and dates cranes exit or enter sites and get email alerts to track it all.
Results:
The implementation of Teletrac Navman has led to several significant benefits for Preston Hire NZ:
- Objective data improves overall customer service
- Visibility of unplanned use of equipment guarantees accurate billing
- Geofencing and live site tools enhance security for the high-value equipment
About Preston Hire:
Preston Hire provides specialised, quality equipment for your construction, infrastructure, civil and commercial hire and service needs across four locations in New Zealand: Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and Tauranga. With over 50 years of industry experience, Preston Hire prides itself on transparent communication and their customers can count on them for attentive service, reliable equipment hire, and solutions that save both time and money.