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read moreThe Problem
Limecrete is a specialist manufacturer and supplier of internal and external premixed decorative concrete to the residential and commercial sectors. Creating decorative concrete is a mix of art and science, with many factors impacting the quality of the final product, with timing and oversight being key.
- Ready-mix concrete is a perishable product, so it is imperative that the correct water-cement ratio, slump, air content and homogeneity is adhered to, and that the product is planned to arrive on site at the correct time for a quality pour. Ready-mix concrete will turn solid up to two hours after the batching process, rendering the product unusable and causing potential damage to the agitator truck.
- The planning process for the delivery of ready-mix concrete is a logistical nightmare. Factors that need to be considered include time for batching and loading of the product to the truck, travel time to the site, waiting time, pouring time, wash time, and travel time back to the plant for the next load, all while also considering changing traffic conditions.
- Larger orders may also require multiple loads, and so timing the arrival, pouring and departure of multiple agitator trucks is crucial to maximise efficiency.
- Billing is based on the time the agitator truck arrives on site to when it finishes pouring the load, and so it is imperative to understand the complete amount of time the agitator truck is in use. Before solution implementation, the customer relied on verbal communication from drivers around the time they were on site and pouring which would sometimes be disputed by customers.
- Management are also unaware of certain driver behaviours while on orders, such as speeding, incorrect or excessive agitator drum RPM, and harsh braking/acceleration.
Project Overview
- Country Australia
- Application Concrete Supply
- Asset Types Agitator Trucks
- Website limecrete.com.au
The Problem
Limecrete is a specialist manufacturer and supplier of internal and external premixed decorative concrete to the residential and commercial sectors. Creating decorative concrete is a mix of art and science, with many factors impacting the quality of the final product, with timing and oversight being key.
- Ready-mix concrete is a perishable product, so it is imperative that the correct water-cement ratio, slump, air content and homogeneity is adhered to, and that the product is planned to arrive on site at the correct time for a quality pour. Ready-mix concrete will turn solid up to two hours after the batching process, rendering the product unusable and causing potential damage to the agitator truck.
- The planning process for the delivery of ready-mix concrete is a logistical nightmare. Factors that need to be considered include time for batching and loading of the product to the truck, travel time to the site, waiting time, pouring time, wash time, and travel time back to the plant for the next load, all while also considering changing traffic conditions.
- Larger orders may also require multiple loads, and so timing the arrival, pouring and departure of multiple agitator trucks is crucial to maximise efficiency.
- Billing is based on the time the agitator truck arrives on site to when it finishes pouring the load, and so it is imperative to understand the complete amount of time the agitator truck is in use. Before solution implementation, the customer relied on verbal communication from drivers around the time they were on site and pouring which would sometimes be disputed by customers.
- Management are also unaware of certain driver behaviours while on orders, such as speeding, incorrect or excessive agitator drum RPM, and harsh braking/acceleration.
The Solution
Fleetware approached the customer with a solution to their requests.
- Our Incognito trackers were installed on the customer’s agitator trucks to track their location, speed, and accelerometer information.
- A Bluetooth Tilt Angle Sensor was used in conjunction with the tracker to provide directional information and RPM speed of the agitator drum/barrel. As this sensor is Bluetooth it could be fitted to the drum/barrel in a convenient location, without any complex or messy wiring.
- A Rugged Tablet was also installed in the cab of the agitator truck to allow the driver to access the Readymix 360 Driver App for navigation to sites and notification of upcoming jobs.
- All the data was sent to Trackd, the GPS tracking platform. There, geofences were created to contain the customer’s plants and special sensors were created to interpret the directional information and RPM speed of the Bluetooth tilt angle sensor.
- The customer’s concrete batching software was integrated with Readymix 360, an exclusive planning and monitoring platform for ready-mix concrete logistics. Once there, orders were automatically created and assigned to vehicles where they could then be planned to incorporate loading time, travel time, etc.
- Vehicle data was then automatically pushed from Trackd into Readymix 360 including location, speed, and the direction and RPM speed of the drum/barrel.
- The Readymix 360 Operation Panel is used to view live status of the agitator trucks including what stage of the order process they are in (Loading, To Job, On Job, Pouring, To Plant)
- The Readymix 360 Reports module is then used to view all order information including pouring time and time on customer site to inform the billing process.
- The Trackd reports module is used to show driver behaviour including maximum and average speed, mileage, engine hours and a ranking based on Trackd’s Eco Driving parameters.
Readymix 360 Planning Module
Readymix 360 Multiple Truck Order Planning
Readymix 360 Operational Panel
Readymix 360 Reports Module
Trackd Reports
The Result
The implementation of the telematics solution allowed the ready-mix concrete company to accurately plan their customer orders for maximum efficiency, while also allowing them to actively monitor agitator trucks in the field including the drum/barrel activity while on orders for accurate billing.
Efficient Order Planning
Integration with batching software, automatic order creation, truck assignment, and a simple & intuitive planning module is a significant improvement from the manual paper-based process used before.
Real Time Tracking
Viewing the live status of orders via the Readymix 360 Operational Panel means the management team will always maintain visibility.
Driver App
The Readymix 360 Driver app on the in-cab Rugged Tablet means that drivers can focus on driving without worrying about their next order or the best route to the customer site.
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