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  • Workshop KPI measurement

    Workshop KPI measurement

    When a fleet is using an external workshop, even if there is a full service contract, there are few kpi’s that need to be measured. This is needed for the evaluation of the service level and for monitoring the time lost with maintenance operations.

    Kpi’s that are to be followed up by the transport company:

    1. Repetitive repairs
    2. Time spent waiting to enter workshop
    3. Price consistency
    1. Repetitive repairs needs to be followed up by the transport company to avoid paying twice for the same work. Of course, we talk about repairs that are workshop fault. Even if the workshop recognizes its mistake, there is a matter of downtime and lost production time. And this is affecting the transporters that also have full maintenance contracts. The fleet will have to know this kpi to help the future negotiation process.
    2. Usually, when the truck arrives at the workshop, will not go immediately inside the workshop. This is normal. What is not normal, is to have very long waiting times. Again, this is a kpi that has a negative impact also on fleets with full service contract.
    3. In common practice, there are price agreements for labor and parts. Sometimes, it can happen that the invoiced amount is not in line with the agreement made. This can be a mistake, lack of interest or on purpose behavior. When a lot of mistakes happen, then the customer, in our case the fleet, has to react and investigate the reasons.

    The kpi’s presented are some of many indicators that can be monitored with the help of a maintenance management tool. Measuring workshop performance and help fleet managers to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. All actions can help build a better relationship while keeping costs under control.

  • Benefits of using a tyre management tool

    Benefits of using a tyre management tool

    Either you do it directly, by your own, or you have externalized the tyre management you are taking care of your tyres. So, no matter the form, tyre management is a must for a company that wants performance and safety.

    In case you chose to use an internal tyre management tool, you can have several benefits:

    • You keep your independence vs suppliers
    • You have more flexibility
    • Exact cost/km analysis will be the base for tyre choice
    • All benefits made by improving the process will be in your company
    • Forecasting the costs is easier
    • You can integrate the tyre maintenance with the overall vehicle maintenance
    • Reduced downtime

    Of course, operating a tyre management tool requires resources, not so much financial, but human. The opportunity for the transport company lies in the ability to use already existing resources that are already working on some sort of tyre management. If these resources are provided with a modern tool, the efficiency increases and everybody feels more confident and safe.

    In the end, less time is spent on tyre management and the overall cost decreases. You can contact us and have a detailed discussion about your future increased performance.

  • How to control maintenance

    How to control maintenance

    Equipment maintenance is the main activity performed by fleet managers. Any kind of vehicle or equipment needs maintenance. The way fleets approach this activity can be resumed in three main categories:

    • Externalized
    • Internalized
    • Mix of externalized and internalized maintenance

    Depending on the company policy, the most suitable type of maintenance is chosen.

    Externalized maintenance

    This option could be seen as the easiest one. Here, the maintenance of the fleet is handed to a 3rd party and, based on a SLA, the partner(s) will perform the maintenance of the equipment.

    The fleet manager’s task will be to monitor the KPI’s of the SLA and to be in permanent contact with the partner(s).

    This option might not be the cheapest one and may come with restrictions. For, example, the equipment has to be made available for maintenance in a time when it is very important to run. The maintenance provider does not care so much about the business requests of the fleet and follows a procedure. If it is not discussed before, the provider may claim this and request compensations.

    Internalized maintenance

    The internalized maintenance will bring more challenges to the fleet manager. He has to organize everything from planning the equipment for maintenance to the check of invoices coming from service providers. He needs a good software and procedures to keep things under control.

    For the fleet owner, this option might be the cheapest one and may offer the best flexibility. On the other hand, the budgeting of the maintenance cost may be more difficult due to unpredictable events that in the case of externalized maintenance are the provider’s responsibility.

    Mix

    This option is chosen by may fleet managers and may come in different types of agreements. The mixed maintenance means that the responsibility is shared by the fleet and by another partner(s).

    One of the best examples is tyre maintenance. The fleet owner may have a contract with a local service supplier that will handle tyre changes and maintenance. Still, the tyre changes will be requested by the fleet manager and will not be decided by the supplier.

    No matter what option do you choose, make sure it fits best to your organization and you can stay on top of things all the time. If you have full maintenance contract, don’t let it just run by itself. Check the KPI’s, check the work done and measure the indirect costs.

    If you want to have full control and you choose to handle your own maintenance, drop us a line at info@proactsoftware.eu and we can assist you with a very practical software solution.

    Happy fleet maintenance!

  • Why are old tyres dangerous?

    Why are old tyres dangerous?

    After the recent UK Government initiative to ban the usage of tyres older than 10 year aimed to improve road safety for commercial vehicles, many business owners ask themselves what is the reason behind and how they can comply with the future regulation.

    When it comes to tyres, their manufacturing date is not something that we think of in the first place. What we have in mind when we consider to replace a tyre, is the remaining tread depth.

    The technical facts are telling us that old tyres are dangerous to drive and here is why we should take a look at the age of the tyre.

    All the tyres have a manufacturing date but not an expiry date. The manufacturing date can be found on the tyre sidewall, part of the DOT code. The DOT code ends with 4 numbers that represent the production week and year. For example, 4419 means that the tyre was produced in week 44 in the year 2019.

    One downside of the current situation is that the manufacturing date is marked only on one side of the tyre. This means that you have to make quite a big effort to check it on the inside of the tyre, not to mention if you have twin tyres. We hope that the manufacturers will change this and mark both sidewalls.

    But, how can we say if a tyre is “old”?

    From the legal point of view, there is no restriction to drive with a tyre that is even 50 years old. The law has limits only for the minimum tread depth.

    The vehicle manufacturers tell owners to replace their tyres every 6 years after the production date.Then, we have the tyre manufacturers recommendations. They state that the tyres should be changed every 10 years regardless of tread life, but from the 5th year an annual inspection must be carried out by a tyre professional.

    If there is such a debate, why the tyres don’t just have an expiration date marked on their sidewall? Because there are factors like head, storage underinflation and other conditions that can dramatically reduce the life of a tyre.

    Even if a tyre has never been mounted, it will age by just sitting in the warehouse. It is a slow process, but it is still there. Aging can be dramatically accelerated by improper storage conditions like direct sunlight and heat (for example storage in a container).

    Tyre operating in warmer climate will age more quickly than the one running in cooler areas.

    The condition of use also has a significant impact on the aging. Underinflation or overloading causes heat buildup which accelerates the aging process. Poor road condition or curb over driving have negative impact on tyre condition. Tyres on a vehicle that’s only driven on the weekends will age differently from those on a car that’s driven daily on the highway.

    How can you recognize an aged tyre?

    • Large or small hairline cracks in the sidewall
    • Discoloration caused by excessive sunlight exposure
    • Vibrations or changes in the dynamic properties of the Tyre Management Consulting
    • Tyre carcass deformation

    What a business owner of a fleet manager needs to do to stay on the safe side and contribute positively to the overall road safety.

    • Don’t buy used tyres. When you buy a used tire, you have no idea how well it was maintained or the conditions in which it was used. The previous owner might have driven it with low pressure. It could have hit curbs repeatedly.
    • Buy “fresh” tyres. Check the manufacturing date and make sure that is not too far in the past
    • Take a good care while using them. Keep the pressure at the recommended level and inspect the tyres regularly.
    • Ask for professional advice when you are not sure about your tyre condition

    Drop us a line at info@proactsoftware.eu if you want more details about how to perform tyre inspections.

    You can download here the guide that will help you recognize the nature and the cause of a tyre damage.

     

  • Easy system for keeping track of maintenance cost

    Easy system for keeping track of maintenance cost

    The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way fleets used to manage and maintain their equipment.

    By postponing the replacement of old units with new ones, the need for maintenance related activities increases. This puts pressure on the maintenance budget which was build based on the assumption that new vehicles are coming in.

     

    With increased maintenance spending, cost control is more important than ever. One way to easily check if your maintenance cost is under control is to have a detailed view of it.

     

    Booking all invoices on the vehicle itself does not offer you much information. You see a certain amount, but you don’t know what caused those costs.

     

    Why is the cost split important? Because it offers you:

     

    – a quick way to spot anomalies,

    – can compare vehicles between them

    – can check workshop performance

    – spot double repairs

    – can benchmark different vehicle brands

    – can decide if an equipment really needs to be repaired or it is better to be sold/scrapped

     

    In order to have a detailed view of the maintenance cost, you can set up a simple system to book theses costs on the cause that generated them. You can use a Cost Codes system.

     

    What is a Cost Code system? Each technical group of the vehicle (like brakes, engine, fuel system, electric system, batteries) receives a code. Whenever you get an invoice from the workshop for a repair, instead of booking the whole amount on the respective equipment, you split the invoice on the technical groups that generated it.

     

    For example: for an equipment, you receive an invoice of 2000$. The workshop made the scheduled oil change, changed the brake disks, changed one injector and the front shock absorbers. If you define Cost Codes for your vehicles, then, instead of having an amount of 2000$ just booked on the respective equipment, you will have the complete cost details. They can look like this:

     

    110 Oil service – 270$

    222 Injector – 730$

    301 Brake disks – 500$

    503 Front shock absorbers – 500$

     

    You can define you own Cost Code system, as detailed as you need it to be. The most important thing is to use it and then to extract the information you need to be sure you are spending your valuable budget exactly where is needed.

     

    We have built the Cost Code mechanism at the core of our software and our customers take benefits from the level of control they achieve and from the savings they make based on the information provided by the system.

     

    If you want to find out more, drop us a line at info@proactsoftware.eu.

  • Post-lockdown breakdowns – how to avoid them

    Post-lockdown breakdowns – how to avoid them

    Fleet managers can face a spike in breakdowns after the lockdown is lifted. With almost all employees working from home and sales meetings moved online, company car park is at a stand still. But standing still for days or weeks is something that cars don’t particularly like.

    How can we avoid an increase in callouts once the travel ban is lifted?

    All drivers should be instructed to perform some simple operations that will keep their cars up in shape.

    1.The battery is the most likely cause of a breakdown. Even newer vehicles, if left for long enough, can suffer a flat battery. Cars with alarms and connected infotainment systems have a higher power draw. Drives should start the engine once a week and allow idle for 20-30 minutes.

    EVs, Hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars should not be left with a flat main battery

    2. The brakes can seize if the parking brake is pulled for a long period. The parking

    brake should be released and the vehicle moved few meters back and forth.

    3. Before parking a vehicle for a longer period, it is a good idea to top it up with fuel. This will prevent condensation in the fuel tank.

    4. Tyres should be maintained at the recommended pressure. A partially deflated tyre will put extra stress on the sidewall and may cause a permanent damage.

    5. Paint finish can be damaged if birds droppings are not removed and wheels can be stained by brake dust. Cleaning the car regularly will ensure paint protection.

    These are simple steps, that any driver can follow. They just need to be reminded by their fleet managers to do so.

     

     

     

  • Lack of EV/hybrid technicians may affect uptime

    Lack of EV/hybrid technicians may affect uptime

    Private owners or fleet operators can face a longer repair time in care of a mechanical failure or collision if after-sales business will not prepare faster to handle the new models.

    As CO2 caps and taxation are expected to push more drivers into electrified cars over the coming years, and environmentally-conscious businesses seek to increase their electric van fleets, dealerships, workshops and bodyshops are under greater pressure to deal with repairs and maintenance to the batteries and high-voltage electrical components in these vehicles.

    While maintaining an electric or hybrid car or van is often no more difficult than one powered by a combustion engine, technicians must be specially trained in order to avoid getting shocked by the electrical system.

    Most manufacturers have programs set in place for training technicians to handle EV or hybrid vehicles. But not all dealers have the personnel or equipment to work on this type of vehicles.

    In the case of independent workshops, the situation is even more delicate. If specific tools are available, most of the service stations still miss EV/hybrid knowledge.

    It may be the case that, a fleet or a private owner, has to face a delicate task of having its vehicle repaired hundreds of km from his place. Such a situation will make the people ask themselves is the early adoption of electrification was a good idea from the beginning.

    On top of the inconvenience of logistics, the user may be confronted with a lack of competition which would have a negative impact on the flexibility and repair budget.

    On the collision repair side, the workshops are likely to become transplant facilitators. A damaged battery unit will be replaced entirely. Same will happen with other elements of the driveline or other driver assistance systems.

    Having a high price tag, a damaged battery could rapidly send the whole vehicle to the scrap yard in case of older units.

    OEM’s are just now starting to provide EV/hybrid trainings to independent service networks, an activity which was reserved only to official dealerships in the past.

    The after-sales industry has to adapt rapidly and the OEM’s have to provide much more support for the whole workshop ecosystem, being it independent or dealership.

  • How software solves a “range anxiety” issue on BMW i3s

    How software solves a “range anxiety” issue on BMW i3s

    The beautiful world of software can solve day to day practical problems and make our life easier.

    One of the main issues in adopting electric vehicles is the “range anxiety”. In other words, the driver of a normal car with internal combustion engine who is used to refuel completely in under 5 minutes almost anywhere, will be afraid that will remain without battery power in an EV vehicle.

    And then, what to do?

    BMW uses a smart software and a smart map to help users to overcome this anxiety. How it works?

    Using the navigation system, you can select your destination. Based on a lot of data like battery status, outside temperature, driving style, type of road ahead (national road, highway, gradient) and so on, the software will firstly calculate if the current charge is enough to get you there.  If the answer is yes, then it will show you the range remaining AFTER you get to your destination. How cool is that!

    You don’t need to make complex calculation or estimations. The software will do that for you a lot faster and a lot more accurate.

    Even if we don’t realize, the software is more present in our everyday life than we might think.

  • What would happen if all cars in Germany were electric?

    What would happen if all cars in Germany were electric?

    Germany has around 46 million cars on the streets. These cars drive, on average, 14.000 km each year (2016 statistics). It doesn’t look much but remember that this is the average. A sales representative may drive even over 100k per year while an retired person will make far less kilometers.

    Doing the math, it results that all the cars in Germany drive, each year, around 640 bn kilometers. That’s a lot!

    What would be the energy consumption if all these cars were electric?

    If we use an average power consumption of 18 kWh/100 km (which is quite low)  it results that, in order to drive all this distance, there is a need of aprox. 115 Terrawatt-hours (TWh) each year.

    The total yearly electricity production in Germany is aprox. 600 Terrawatt-hours (TWh). This means that the power production should increase by 20% in order to cope with the demand coming only from passenger cars. We didn’t count here the road transport industry.

    Today, only 52% of the 569 TWh which are consumed annually, are coming from clean sources (including nuclear as it has zero CO2 emmisions).

    With the current technology, the switch to electric vehicles will come with serious challenges in terms of infrastructure and power production mix.

  • Are battery component minerals the new oil?

    Are battery component minerals the new oil?

    In the race for electrification, we can make the same mistakes as in the case of oil. Of course, we all like electric vehicles because they are fast, silent, efficient and of course, green.

    But this may come with a price.

    We are all too familiar with the public opinion of the reason behind invading Irak, killing Libyan leader Gaddafi or other military interventions: it was for oil supply control.

    Cobalt, lithium, nickel are minerals that could be the reason for the next war or for the next regime-imposed by a foreign force. Let’s remember CIA’s 1953 “Operation Ajax” in Iran. It was the first covert action of the United States to overthrow a foreign government during peacetime. It was caused by the nationalisation of a British own company that gained control of the Iranian oil reserves.

    How can we prevent a future foreign military intervention in Congo, for example, that holds aprox. 65% of world Cobalt reserves? It would be easy to show the world how child labour is used by the mining companies to extract the cobalt ore. And that would call for an international intervention to stop that. And so, it begins…

    We must be smarter and to learn from our mistakes. The Western World has the feeling that green is easy and they bring their contribution to lowering the greenhouse gas production while they travel. But this is only one side of the story and we have to see the bigger picture.

    Scientist should work harder in finding battery alternatives or different technologies to produce clean energy.

    There are some scientist that suggest deep sea mining in international waters to prevent material dependency on a single country. Some even propose space mining.

    Regardless of the solution or solutions chosen we must be careful not to destroy the environment and the lives of people caught in the middle of the fight for resources.

    Otherwise, a technology that is supposed to help the World climate will only change the scope of the war: minerals instead of oil.

    Are battery component minerals the new oil?