JLG Industries unveiled its new telematics system customized for aerial work platforms and for the rental industry. Known as ClearSky, this new connected asset-management tool remotely communicates with equipment to gather vital equipment information and, with the support of intelligent back-office systems, makes it available 24 hours a day. This clear view of equipment information enhances rental companies’ ability to make smart decisions affecting machine productivity and equipment lifecycle.
JLG’s new system is scheduled to be available as an option on JLG combustion booms, except for the 150HAX, in summer 2008. JLG plans to extend this technology to additional product families.
This customized system offers significant operational advantages that translate into a lower total cost of ownership for equipment owners and end users. Features include:
· On-demand diagnostics and troubleshooting
· Preventative maintenance alerts based on real-world operating conditions help reduce unexpected failures
· Machine maintenance history
· Operating system integration
· Geo fencing
· GPS location with mapping on various levels (local, regional, national)
“Anticipating the needs and responding to requests of our customers, who are always working to lower their cost of equipment ownership and to increase uptime, JLG’s ClearSky is the critical management tool they’ve been waiting for,” said Craig Paylor, JLG president. “JLG, along with our supplier MasterTrak, has developed a customized telematics system that redefines the word. Ideally suited for the rental industry, ClearSky gives rental companies piece-of-mind knowing that their fleet is operating smoothly and productively. Rental companies know where their equipment is. They know when there is a problem and how to fix it. They can be confident that they are not spending money or time needlessly because they always know what needs to be done.”
With JLG’s connected asset technology, rental companies are able to recognize a problem before the point of failure. A rental company receives an alert of a problem before an end user calls, “pings” the machine with JLG’s unique on-demand feature to analyze the machine operating system, determines the problem and can send a technician with the correct parts to repair the problem. Or, companies can use JLG’s expertise in troubleshooting problems by allowing JLG to “ping” the machine and determine the fault for them. These capabilities can save time and money by eliminating unnecessary trips to the field, and by allowing service technicians to arrive equipped with the right tools, parts and training so they are more effective.
Increased rental revenue is another benefit of the technology. The system can identify equipment use once it’s been called off-rent, identify machine use beyond contract, and can help preserve pre-lien rights. In addition, rental companies are alerted when equipment goes beyond safe operating parameters, so this new system can help increase safety and identify training needs.
Equipment can have a telematics control unit (TCU) and associated hardware factory installed on new equipment, or retrofitted to existing equipment by authorized installers. The TCU provides a two-way communication link to the machine control system using satellite and cellular technology. The data is transmitted over the network to a data center where it is shared with appropriate users and displayed in various systems including customer operating systems.
MasterTrak is a key supplier to JLG on this new technology. MasterTrak, based in Wood Dale, Ill., provides the next generation of remote monitoring and equipment management solutions to the industrial equipment industry. Their products are designed to deliver cost savings and utilization improvements through the entire equipment lifecycle, impacting equipment reliability and managing total cost of ownership.
JLG Industries, an Oshkosh Corp. company, is based in McConnellsburg, Pa.
