The telematics feed was developed to support computerized maintenance management (CMMS) systems. This is where it is having an impact, and this is where its strengths are promoted to the end user. This feed was never designed to provide data to the operations side of the business, however, so none of the systems can reliably tell us whether an excavator is digging a trench or loading trucks.
Every system produces data on machine location and time spent working or at idle. Location and time spent working are also used to reconcile the daily job cost report (DJCR). What if telematics were able to support the DJCR rather than question it?
The diagram at right illustrates this scenario.
How machine data powers maintenance management
Start on the left with the job superintendent and the green arrows. Job superintendents are responsible for completing a DJCR that records the resources used and the work done on the various operations performed by the crews on site. Available software applications support the process, which lies at the heart of the way in which companies measure performance, collect job cost information, and report progress.
In all cases, the superintendent must record who and/or how much. Who worked on the phase code and for how many hours, what machines worked and for how many hours, how much concrete was used, and how much pipe was laid. The quantity of resources used and the unit cost of the given resource drive the cost of the work; the quantity of the work done and the unit budget for the work drive the budget.
It is simple and straightforward when it comes to labor and materials. Timecards and delivery notes are checked and reconciled and flow directly into payroll and accounts payable.
It is more complicated when it comes to equipment. Who completes the “timecard” for the excavator? Who checks it, who reconciles it, and who makes sure that everything is in order? How do we know that the hourly rate used to represent the cost of the excavator for the time it spent loading trucks this afternoon is appropriate?
Regardless, the job superintendent must fill in the DJCR, must review it, certify it, and transmit the certified job cost and performance data along the thick green arrows into the company’s ERP (accounting system). There, it plays a vital role in the material the CFO uses to prepare the financial statements used to manage the business.
Now consider the righthand side of our diagram and the black arrows.
How can machine data improve project metrics?
Companies are progressively using GPS and geofence telematics systems to record the output from various sensors and obtain insights into the location and performance of the machine. The simplest of these devices will give information on the location of the machine; the most complex will provide fault codes, temperatures, and other mechanical information that helps to understand the mechanical aspects of the machine. All but the simplest will provide information on whether the machine is “working” or “at idle.” Is an accelerometer shaking? Is an alternator generating more than a certain voltage? Is oil flowing in the lines that drive the slew motor?
Sensor technology and the wireless communication needed to make the telematics systems work are complex, and there is frequently some noise in the signals produced. Most systems, therefore, have mechanisms for cleaning the data, and huge strides are being made to improve reliability and confidence in both the hardware and the software. A clean telematics feed, as shown in the top of the diagram, is gaining acceptance, and more companies are investing in telematics technology to improve fleet management.
The various sensors and telematics systems were designed to “put a mechanic in the cab” and help maintenance managers understand what is going on with the machine. The clean telematics feed flowing down the black arrow enables the maintenance manager to schedule preventive maintenance actions, measure fuel consumption, and perform a variety of other critical tasks.
Location and time spent “working” and “at idle” are also used to reconcile the hours worked reported by the job superintendent. There are many negative aspects to the reconciliation process, and there are serious complications associated with changes once the job superintendent has certified the DJCR and the data has flowed along the thick green arrows into the CFO’s data base.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could cause selected parts of the clean telematics feed to flow along the red arrow and help the job superintendent to fill out the DJCR?
We would be using telematics and all the associated technology to support rather than question the DJCR process. This would validate the data flowing along the thick green arrows and greatly improve the process.
The red arrow is, in many ways, the missing link. Relevant pieces of the clean telematics feed must flow to the job superintendent. The machines must be able to tell the job superintendent two things: that they are on site, and that they did work for a given period of time according to their method of measurement. The superintendent should acknowledge, adjust, and certify the hours worked and assign the certified values to the appropriate phase codes.
