Fleet management, Driver Assistance on Smartphone

One very notable new development from ELOKON is the merging of the ELOfleet forklift fleet management system and the driver assistance system ELOshield, which can now both be operated for the first time on one and the same commercially available smartphone.

Alexander Glasmacher, Managing Director of ELOKON GmbH said: “This makes both systems not only very user-friendly, but also combines their functions and enables new applications. It made eminent sense for us to offer products that our customers can operate intuitively via our smartphone app.”

Fleet management system

A new cloud-based product – ELOdms – will also be on show. This enables companies, whether they are SMEs or global enterprises, to manage their entire mobile business inventory in one software solution. All information, such as core data, invoices or instruction manuals are centrally accessible whenever required. ELOdms enables the centralised management of not only forklifts, but also batteries, chargers, AGVs and mobile robots, allowing companies to realise their potential for digitisation.

LogiMAT is an excellent platform for us to give live demonstrations of the benefits of our systems for more productive and safer intralogistics to visitors. But equally important are the opportunties that trade shows and events offer to network with customers and industry partners when looking to future product innovation. So we are eagerly looking forward to going to Stuttgart at the end of April.”

ELOKON introduces smart products at IMHX

Since the last IMHX and during the pandemic, ELOKON’s engineers have been busy developing new additions to its range of assistance and fleet management systems, and the team is looking forward to showing how these can improve safety and efficiency in the warehouse on Stand 5E55.

Exhibits will include the ELOfleet cloud-based fleet management system, which works with mixed fleets and offers benefits such as optimised fleet size for reduced operational costs, significantly fewer truck-on-truck accidents and enhanced protection of the workforce. Central document and battery management systems are new functionalities which are included in the latest variant of ELOfleet.

ELOKON will also be introducing ELOcate – a UWB radio-based Real-Time-Location-System (RTLS), which can track and locate all movements of people, forklifts and AGVs within the warehouse. Should any irregular or risky scenarios occur, ELOcate is able to automatically trigger an alarm. “This system brings a higher level of transparency to intralogistics, and enables warehouse route planning to be optimised, work processes to be made safer and accidents prevented,” said Gavin Tull, ELOKON’s UK Sales Manager.

The driver assistance system ELOshield features new functions such as data analysis. The increased use of automated equipment alongside forklift trucks in busy warehouses and production facilities also prompted the introduction of a new AGV module for ELOshield. Small AGVs can easily be overlooked by larger pieces of equipment and this module is designed to protect them from damage from other materials handling vehicles when they are operating in close proximity.

Tull concludes: “Due to the ongoing automation in warehousing and in manufacturing, there is an ever increasing level of interaction between humans and operated as well as autonomous equipment. Our smart systems are the ideal solutions for enhancing occupational safety whilst maintaining high levels of productivity.”

 

Teletrac Navman signs telematics deal with ASCO

Teletrac Navman, a global market leader in telematics technology, has secured a contract with logistics and materials management company, ASCO, to supply its mobile asset and fleet management technology for the optimisation of a 350-strong fleet of vehicles in the UK.

Headquartered in Dyce, Aberdeen, ASCO provides logistics and materials management services, operating across markets including new energy, decommissioning and oil and gas. The company required a telematics solution for its fleet, that would increase business compliance through tachograph downloads, increase safety with driver behaviour monitoring and reduce fuel speed and CO2 output.

ASCO selected Teletrac Navman’s TN360 AI-powered vehicle tracking software due to its ability to deliver telematics functionalities in real-time and provide simplified, smart, predictive, and actionable insights. Included within the platform is an ‘Insights’ tool, which provides platform users with visibility into business and fleet operations, to make meaningful and critical business decisions. It can be voice activated – using natural language search terms – so that users can ask a question and receive visuals results in response, enabling teams to share data and identify anomalies and patterns in their data, to make fast, efficient business decisions.

Rebecca Ogg, Buyer at ASCO, said: “We operate a large-scale and fast-paced business and needed to find a holistic telematics solution that would accommodate varied assets needs, from trucks, vans, trailers and fuel tankers. We really valued the fact that Teletrac Navman’s TN360 solution provides a much greater level of visibility into the data we capture from our fleet. And as a result, we believe this technology will provide us with a more transparent way of working with our customers and will allow both parties to be more informed, so that we can turn data into decisions that benefit both our business and our customers.”

The package includes the Pre-Trip checklist app, which simplifies the capture of maintenance and compliance information. Drivers can complete digital checklists via the app, such as vehicle pre-trip inspections and driver fit-for-duty assessments and data is automatically captured within the telematics platform. In addition, the EasyDocs app enables businesses to upload, store and share important documents across entire fleets and mobile workforces. This cloud-based filing system is specifically designed for fleets and enables staff to save time looking for documents.

Peter Millichap, Marketing Director at Teletrac Navman UK, said: “Our primary aim is to ensure that our customers can access the most relevant and accurate telematics data from their fleets, without the complexity and inefficiency of paper or spreadsheets. As the world advances across all areas to become more digital, and the transport and logistics industry pushes towards a safer and more sustainable future, it’s imperative that fleet managers can access data and make decisions for the betterment of their business and the industry as a whole. We are thrilled to have been awarded the contract with ASCO and look forward to working with them.”

ASCO has approximately 90 drivers in the UK – split between Scotland and England – and 60 personnel who will require access to the solution, ranging from admin to IT and operations to managers. All of whom will receive virtual training on the telematics solution with Teletrac Navman, which is scheduled to go live on the 1st November.

Ogg added: “As we look ahead to meeting our Net Zero Green House Gas emissions by 2040 target and make the switch to electric vans, we also see Teletrac Navman’s EV Readiness Tool being a very useful addition to our platform.”

Teletrac Navman’s EV Readiness Tool analyses all telematics data to provide operators with detailed recommendations of where electric vehicles could be adopted into their operation. Moreover, the smart algorithms behind the tool not only tell you the feasibility of switching, they also calculate the total cost of ownership of an EV switch versus the existing fleet (purchase price, residual value, taxes, insurance, maintenance, electricity costs), as well as the total CO2 and fuel savings the business would make.

Robotics Fleet Management: buy or build?

As the robotics market continues to accelerate — with many robotics enthusiasts diving into the development of robots and their accompanying systems — you might be wondering what would be best for your business: to buy or to build?

To help make your decision-making process a little bit easier, Meili Robots‘ industry report explores and discusses the seven key considerations for buying or building a fleet management system (FMS) for your robot fleet.

Implementation & maintenance costs

An important aspect of building or buying an FMS is the costs and speed of the implementation process. While a third-party FMS can be integrated into your existing systems within hours, it can easily take a year or more to develop your own scalable solution.

Meanwhile, resources and expertise are also crucial factors for deciding whether to build or buy a scalable FMS. Depending on the size of your fleet, you will need to consider hiring a team of developers to establish the necessary infrastructure and interface of your software.

Perhaps the most important consideration for buying or building an FMS is the maintenance of the system. If you do decide to build your own FMS, you will need to keep your system up to date — meaning you would most likely need to hire in-house developers. If you were to buy an existing FMS, you would instead have automatic access to external developers from the third-party provider.

Compatibility, functionality & scalability

Many third-party FMSs can easily be integrated into existing systems and might be customisable to your exact requirements. However, this usually costs extra and takes more time to deploy. On the other hand, when building your own FMS, you get to design and develop your software exactly the way you want. Keep in mind that this also comes with additional maintenance to keep your system up to date.

If you have the resources at hand to develop your own FMS, you get a lot of flexibility in terms of functionality — having the ability to add new features and updates as you see fit. With an existing FMS, you will be dependent on the third-party provider for updates and new features.

Most existing FMSs are specifically designed to make it easier for you to scale your business. If you were to build your own FMS, you need to ensure that you have a strong, scalable software foundation so it can keep things running in the long run without running into any complexities.

For further insights into the seven key considerations for buying or building a FMS, please download the free report on Meili Robots. Here, we dive further into the implementation speed, cost estimates, functionality, system compatibility and security as well as connectivity, data monitoring, and current market insights.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT

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