Cutting Through The Competition With Automated Forestry Operations

With around 1.70 million hectares of commercial plantation across New Zealand, the forest industry covers around 7 percent of the country - that’s about the same size as Kuwait, or Fiji. Expensive heavy-duty equipment, are dangerous and remote sites fraught with hazards, makes operations demanding for even a seasoned fleet manager.

Yet telematics can help ensure you get the most of out of each job. By integrating a GPS tracking system into vehicles and machinery, you are able to gather valuable data automatically about driver behaviour, vehicle utilisation and equipment usage to ensure you can get the most out of every job.

Safety and Communication

Worksites generally have many machines on the go at once. With vehicles working on felling, extraction, loading and delivery, operators are one wrong move away from a collision or accident. GPS tracking means that site managers know the when and where of everything onsite to minimise risks. Managers can view vehicle locations and access their data remotely, such as high speed and braking, so they can take immediate action regarding unsafe behaviour. GPS fleet tracking can work with sensors to create geofences, acting as virtual barriers that alert drivers and base when they move off approved tracks. All this can reduce the risk that vehicles will go onto unsafe terrain or a light vehicle, such as a ute, will cross paths with a heavy vehicle that might not be able to see it.

Many forests are out of cellular coverage, so fitting a satellite modem ensures drivers remain contactable. To manage satellite data costs, managers can choose only to receive alerts for incidents deemed critical.

Compliance

Plantation forestry and logging make a strong contribution to the New Zealand economy, with the sector directly accounting for 0.6% of GDP or $1,389 million. Both regulators, and increasingly, the public want to know that timber is harvested is in a way that is up to standard. GPS vehicle tracking can also collect data to prove that vehicles are operating on the right roads and areas, and not causing unnecessary harm to protected environments.

RUC

Many vehicles in the forestry sector use both private and public roads, so require a RUC licence. The licence only needs to cover the vehicle while it’s on the public road, but its distance tracker will record kilometres on private roads that unnecessarily eat into the licence fees. Businesses can apply for a refund on this portion of the licence, but need to supply accurate evidence such as data from GPS vehicle tracking.

Vehicle Use and Cost Saving

It’s expensive to operate machinery in forestry and ensuring optimum utilisation is imperative. Parked up machines cost the business money, and those left idling excessively increase wear and tear on engines and burn fuel needlessly. With the ability to know where a piece of equipment is and access engine hour data in real-time, managers can make informed decisions on equipment relocating and best use.

Taking advantage of a location-based solution with a built-in maintenance module will not only highlight what’s getting used and how often, but remotely alert managers when vehicles need attention. For example, managers will be alerted immediately to schedule a tanker on site when a machine is low on fuel. It all creates an efficient workflow and relieves some of the pressure on the back office, saving time on making countless phone calls and arduous data entry.

Driver Health and Safety

Recent statistics show that forestry can be a hazardous industry. The plantation forestry sector is responsible for around 9,500 employees in New Zealand, and it accounts for 3.2 percent of all employment in Gisborne and 1.5 percent in Northland. To ensure risk is minimised, it’s an essential requirement to be able to monitor the vehicles, the driver’s behaviour and the condition of machinery. Remote monitoring means employers don’t have to be onsite to understand what is happening. Duress buttons mean managers can act quickly in the event of a problem such as vehicle roll, while electronic logbooks make it easy to ensure work/rest requirements are being met.

Integrate GPS tracking into the forestry fleet to get real-time access to vital information.