Tracks of my engineers.
On: 11/11/2011 17:01 In: Experts Corner
Vehicle tracking software is well known for its cost saving and efficiency benefits... but it is also becoming a vital tool for businesses seeking to enhance their 'green agenda'. This makes the technology particularly important for waste and recycling organisations which have a requirement to develop and commit to innovative environmental strategies.
The software provides a wealth of strategic data including detailed information about journeys, mileage, excessive idling and fuel consumption. All this can help companies to reduce carbon emissions and run their vehicles more efficiently. Of course the benefits extend beyond environmental gains because the technology also improves productivity, cuts fuel costs and increases day to day operational efficiency.
A major challenge for many organisations in the waste and recycling industry is the effective management of a large workforce and fleet with a wide geographic spread. Viridor, a recycling, renewable energy and waste management company, faced this problem before installing vehicle tracking software from Remote Asset Management (RAM) 18 months ago.
Working with more than 90 local authorities, Viridor generates more that 100MW of renewable energy from land-fill sites across the UK. Methane gas is harnessed by Viridor and utilised in lean-burn engines to create electricity which is fed into the National Grid. To keep this large scale operation running smoothly, it is vital that the engineers remain safe on the road and that the company's fleet of vehicles is run as efficiently as possible.
Tracking technology has been fitted to 70 vehicles used by Viridor's waste-to-energy engineering experts who travel from 22 land-fill sites across an area reaching from Cornwall to Scotland. With trackers in place, Viridor is able to access real time data, giving a clear picture of the fleet's operational status. This has resulted in a significant reduction in mileage and fuel consumption.
Whilst a boost in productivity is another key advantage, the vehicle tracking software is not intended to act as 'big brother'. Instead it is there to support engineers in their day-to-day activities. They have access to all of the data collected about them, helping them to understand how their driving patterns affect efficiency and the environment. This has resulted in a drop in average vehicle speeds and helps drivers keep a clean licence.
For engineers working alone, the technology provides extra security in the event of an emergency. An independent 'lone worker' logging system alerts supervisors if engineers don't make contact at an allocated time, and if an engineer is un-contactable by mobile, RAM softwares real-time GPS data can pinpoint their exact location so that they can be found.
The tracking has also reduced the administrative burden for engineers who now generate accurate timesheets at the touch of a button, allowing them more time to concentrate on their core job role. This supports Viridor's policy of allowing engineers the flexibility to manage their own hours whilst providing management with confirmation of the exact hours worked on each site, by each engineer.
Thanks to its simplicity and the support of a dedicated customer service team, Viridor has been able to integrate and operate the software with ease, and a return on investment was seen within the first 12 months.
With the knowledge that vehicle tracking provides, environmental companies like Viridor are better placed than ever before to take positive actions to improve their green credentials.
