Telematics rollout for Australia

Haulotte has recently launched their newest technology SHERPAL, a fleet management solution that has now started to be installed on several machines in Australia. Over 250 Coates Optimum 8’s have already had the telematics solution installed with more to follow.

Easy to use, SHERPAL fleet management system offers remote access to machine data, proactive energy management and assists with preparing for technical call-outs and identifying on-site unsafe behaviors.

Monitor your fleet from anywhere, in real-time

SHERPAL uses an on-board GPS system to instantly locate machines in the field. The interactive map allows owners to track a specific asset or get an overview of the entire fleet. As the SHERPAL device constantly monitors what is happening on the machine’s CAN bus communication network, it can intercept and transmit a wide range of data. Much more than just GPS location, it displays crucial information to remotely perform an efficient and advanced diagnostic, such as:

> the machines’ operational status in real time,
> the machines’ hourmeter and next maintenance deadlines,
> engine and battery status,
> fault codes, root causes, and even instructions on how to fix the problem

Dan Goodfellow, Group Manager - Products for Coates explains what the introduction of SHERPAL will mean for their business.

“We are very interested to see the data that comes from the roll-out of SHERPAL on our Haulotte fleet. At Coates we are focused on digital transformation in every aspect of our business. Gathering this critical data about each machine and feeding it into our system will enable us to plan better and provide the solutions to our customers” said Dan Goodfellow from Coates.

SHERPAL is enhancing fleet safety and health

The Energy Management module ensures reduced maintenance and replacement costs. By monitoring compliance with maintenance instructions (battery charging and water refilling, particulate filter regeneration, etc.), SHERPAL allows owners to extend the lifespan of batteries and engine components, and simplifies energy management.

The SHERPAL telematics solution embeds security features to better protect the equipment. It is possible to set up geofence borders on job sites to avoid machine theft. An alert is triggered automatically if a machine moves outside of the authorized areas.

With a focus on safety, SHERPAL can also identify risky behavior and send an alert in case of entrapment or overload situations. Monitoring hazardous machine use and occurrences makes it easier to implement appropriate safety policies on the jobsite.
 

Scheduling and repairs made simpler

Telematics data enables a quick and responsive customer support. SHERPAL is useful to plan the technical teams’ travel and ensures more effective call-outs by precisely identifying the issue, and the actions or parts required before planning an on-site repair.  

Meanwhile real-time hourmeter readings allows proactive scheduling of preventative maintenance campaigns. For easy planning, users can view the list of machines needing upcoming maintenance. This advance planning is invaluable for service providers like Haulotte, explains their National Service Manager Paul Barber.

“For us at Haulotte it is extremely valuable to know when each machine is due for its scheduled servicing. It means we can plan accordingly in terms of parts, resources, and availability. Given the geographic spread of Australia, this has an added benefit where our technicians can visit a remote site breakdown already knowing the problem and what parts are needed thanks to the data given by SHERPAL”, said Paul Barber.

SHERPAL drives business growth

Using telematics opens new opportunities. Thanks to the timefence feature, users can define usage time slots and thus detect more easily the non-contractual use of the machines. An alert is sent if the equipment is working outside of the defined time frame, allowing the equipment owner to charge according to actual use.

The permanent record provides better insights to improve the equipment’s uptime. By analysing them, it is possible to identify underutilised machines. Usage, fault, and maintenance history are also very helpful to enhance the equipment resale value. The operator benefits with data from the basket including weight and working height recorded.

“There are cases where people are just hiring the same machine they always have, but with this data the hirer can recommend the right machine for the work carried out. They might need something with more outreach rather than the height", adds Paul Barber.

Two ways of accessing telematics data

Access to the SHERPAL data can be gained either via the MyHaulotte.com service portal or alternatively integrate the data into their existing system to display machine data.

By using a standard Application Programming Interface (API) Information and functions are organized by topic to ease the integration.

“The data we capture from the Haulotte machines will be fed into our fleet management system along with other data from other areas to give us a clear picture of our machines in use” adds Dan Goodfellow from Coates.