Efficiency gains come from connecting people and plant

Oxford based OxLok has announced a partnership with TomTom WORK to link the software through which OxLok manages its Asset Alert monitoring devices for plant and equipment with TomTom WORK’s WEBFLEET vehicle tracking and connected navigation.

This new link between the two systems - one that tracks and monitors the location of items of plant and equipment and one that tracks and can communicate with people on the move – is set to bring major efficiency gains to plant owners and operators.

The partnership now enables any user of WEBFLEET who needs to bring people, such as service engineers or truck drivers, and plant or equipment together, to do so much more efficiently, saving valuable time. This can improve the utilisation of high-value plant, increase the productivity of personnel, enhance customer service and response times, and result in significant cost savings.

Further time can be saved by the ability of Asset Alert to automatically provide information on the status of the plant ahead of the engineer’s or driver’s arrival. This could include, for example, its fuel status, enabling the equipment to be refuelled and made ready for use or immediate movement to another location.

Construction companies, leasing and hire companies, utility concerns and other users or owners of non-mobile plant, such as generators, pumps and lighting rigs, will be able, through Asset Alert, to:

Know the precise location of each item at scheduled times.
Be aware of its condition in relation to those aspects being monitored
Arrange, ahead of the arrival of an operator or collection vehicle, for it to be prepared for use or to be moved.

And through TomTom WORK WEBFLEET, to:

Instantly give instructions to an engineer or driver - and have them acknowledged - about the task to be done in relation to the item.
Provide navigation by the most direct route to the location and to the ultimate destination using safe voice instructions and 3D maps.
Maintain control throughout from the operating base and be able to provide accurate expected time of arrival information at any chosen destination.

Asset Alert is a simple ‘black box’ device that is secured to an asset and which can transmit GPS location and other data through a GPRS link to a computer on which the information is seen and can be recorded. The device is battery-powered using a battery with a lifetime of between three and five years and which removes the need for access to a permanent power source.

WEBFLEET is a fleet management system from TomTom WORK that provides connected navigation between a control centre and vehicles and people on the move. This can include vehicle tracking, in-vehicle navigation, voice and/or touch screen communication, and the ability to record data and produce reports to enable better fleet management.

Keith Dobson, CEO of OxLoc, comments: “Amongst the advantages of linking Asset Alert and WEBFLEET is the ability to allocate the nearest or most appropriate person to remote equipment, resulting in reduced travel time and fuel costs. Drivers navigate straight to the correct place, knowing that the equipment will be operational and making life easier and less stressful.

“Often equipment does not have a long-term power source, which is the real advantage of monitoring location and condition with the Oxloc Asset Alert battery-powered device. This, combined with the award-winning TomTom WORK package, provides business with new ways of reducing costs and improving utilisation.”