SmartEquip has added Atlantic Aerials, Manalapan, N.J., and Northern California Caterpillar dealer Holt of California to its network.
Atlantic Aerials is the first customer of FocalPoint Software by Visum to utilize SmartEquip to steamline its service process, eliminate parts order errors and increase the utilization of its rental fleet.
“As the owner of a mid-sized rental company I am continually looking for ways to improve efficiency, accuracy and expenses,” said Atlantic Aerials owner Bob Palamara. “Our parts procurement and management area needed an update, as the technicians and parts department were always operating in conflict rather than partnership. After I was sold on SmartEquip, my second challenge was to get my current rental software provider, Visum, who developed FocalPoint software to integrate with SmartEquip, which they agreed to do. The SmartEquip team worked extremely well with me and the FocalPoint team. I have to say that the communications between everyone worked extremely smoothly. We have been using the program for over six months now and my expectations have been greatly exceeded. Technicians have accepted the product and now are much more intimately involved in the parts ordering and selecting of parts, and all clerical errors have been eliminated. FocalPoint automatically generates purchase orders, inventory control, pricing on the software side, and SmartEquip allows me to place orders to my largest vendor JLG, to my smallest vendor, my local NAPA store, with the push of a button. This frees up my parts staff from phone calls, phone holds and clerical errors.”
John Johnson, vice president – Cat Rental Store adds that “the equipment rental market in California is extremely competitive and to be the market leader, we have to continue to find ways to improve efficiency, by lowering costs and by increasing revenues. SmartEquip allows us to not only optimize our existing technicians and parts staff, but also establishes a single, consistent process that is easy to understand for new employees, reduces errors and accelerates their productivity.”
SmartEquip and Holt are working closely together in expanding benefits to automating equipment inspections, supporting technician training and a number of other areas. Holt of California, based in Pleasant Grove, Calif., has been the Caterpillar dealer in North Central California for more than 85 years.
