Light equipment

ASSET MANAGEMENT AT ITS BEST

TELETRAC NAVMAN’S SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST JAMES FRENCH EXPLAINS HOW TELEMATICS CAN HELP OWNERS AND SUB-CONTRACTORS BETTER MANAGE ASSETS.

Generating over $360 billion in revenue each year, Australia’s construction industry produces around nine per cent of the nation’s GDP.1 With a projected annual growth rate of 2.4 per cent over the next five years, it’s important that those in the construction industry are equipped to meet rising demand in the years to come.

Knowing exactly where assets are at any given time can be challenging, especially when working on multiple projects. Luckily, the technology to track the assets in real time has gone beyond the mobile phone and the CB radio.

According to James French, Australasian Solutions Specialist at Teletrac Navman, knowing where and how assets are being used and understanding the margins can help asset owners calculate return on investment (ROI).

“By using GPS-enabled technology, you can instantly know where all your equipment is and get a real-time view into how your equipment is being used,” he says.

“You may notice that certain machinery gets little to no use. Instead of collecting dust, these assets can be sold off and the money reinvested in other assets that can be used daily. When the time comes when you need to use the asset you sold off, it can be hired. This helps reduce your upkeep on assets that you don’t need, and you can instead bring in equipment that makes you money.”

He notes that different businesses use telematics in different ways – from preventing loss of equipment to recovering stolen assets or even accounting for hire or rental costs.

“From hardwired telematics for your truck or yellow iron, right through to compact devices for your un-powered assets, these IP67-rated technologies are ruggedly designed to withstand the rigours of life on jobsites. “With options for battery powered telematics, you can track and locate everything, from trailers and containers, to ladders and toolboxes.”

SPOILS AND COMPLIANCE Spoils management is an essential aspect of infrastructure projects and it comes with its own set of rules and compliance. Whether transferring spoil to be recycled or shipping contaminated soil to an appropriate dump site, contractors need to ensure that the loads are accounted for and properly disposed of.

“By using smart fleet management solutions, you’ll be able to see immediately where your contaminated spoils are taken and be able to digitally store weigh bridge dockets to ensure they’re not lost or damaged. Drivers are also able to record mass per axle or gross vehicle mass directly into an in-vehicle device to help with further record keeping,” says French.

With dozens of trucks coming in and out of the job site every day to move spoils, controlling the flow of traffic across the site is tricky. Poor vehicle management can result in blockages, both on the site and on the surrounding roads. By combining fleet management systems with geo-spatial tracking, drivers can be directed to exactly where they’re needed.

“Not only does this prevent traffic from building up, but by being able to direct drivers on the fly, you’ll be able to keep the community safe. Trucks will go directly to their allotted gates instead of backing up,” French claims.

FROM DATA TO DECISIONS Using real-time insights and analytics collected and collated from the asset also enables fleet owners to make more effective data-backed decisions, French adds.

“When you are based on the site, you need to be armed with the right information, at the right time, to ensure the project is running smoothly. From managing budgets and timelines, right through to the movement of traffic, real-time insights allow you to make the right decisions across the board – providing increases in ROI as equipment can be utilised more efficiently. You can also more accurately invoice and be paid for every minute the assets are used.”

Depending on the scale of the project, French says asset data can be used to understand the costs at each stage. These costs can then be compared to previous budget estimates to help improve future spending.

“Connecting your assets and operators together ultimately leads to better communication across job sites. Businesses that undertake data-driven strategies will see improved productivity, which ultimately leads to you getting a leg up on the competition. It gives you the ability to better plan and budget your future projects,” he says.

“Regardless of your role across the project chain or in the business, technology arms you with the insights and the information you need instantly. Whether you’re the project owner and require a global view of each site, or a sub-contractor where you need to see each asset’s utilisation, fleet management solutions power real-time decisions.” Reference: 1. Australian Industry and Skills Committee.

Using real-time insights from the asset enables fleet owners make better decisions.

NVC Precast has grown from a small construction company in the Mitchell Shire of Victoria to a major player within the precast market.

PRECASTING

WITH A PURPOSE

FOR NVC PRECAST, MEETING THE APPETITE OF THE CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET FOR PRECAST ELEMENTS IS THE MAIN GOAL. BUILDING A MOMENTUM FOR INTERNAL GROWTH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT HAS HELPED GROW THE COMPANY TO WHERE IT IS TODAY.

Since its foundation in 1989, when it was known as North-Vic Constructions, NVC Precast has grown to be recognised as prestressed and precast concrete specialists, across both Victoria’s and New South Wales’ civil construction industries.

As Steve Reilly, General Manager Construction and Engineering at NVC Precast recalls, the company’s early days under the direction of Managing Director Dan Kleinitz laid the groundwork for it to become a major player within the precast market.

“When North-Vic Constructions started, it was a small construction company specialising in piling and bridge construction. Dan has slowly grown the business, with particularly rapid growth within the last five to ten years,” he says.

A turning point in the development of the company was when NVC decided to start making their own prestressed beams, which required significant investment into the infrastructure of the yard, Reilly adds.

This investment substantially increased NVC Precast’s production capabilities, he says.

“I would say that was one of the key boosters for the business, as we started to grow and take on not just our own construction projects, but also to supply the market with prestressed beams.”

In a similar way, NVC identified an opportunity to take on L-beam precasting, which the company has continued since. This, in turn, sparked growth in other areas beyond L-beams, leading to the company currently manufacture a wide range of precast elements.

According to Reilly, this significant growth from a small construction company to a major precast manufacturer has been fuelled by NVC Precast’s ongoing support for the local supply chain, working with key stakeholders throughout the region.

Located in Kilmore in Victoria’s Mitchell Shire, NVC Precast has been supporting the local construction industry and businesses as part of the continual growth of its own portfolio.

“Something that NVC has been mindful of, even while we work on major infrastructure projects, is that this company was founded on doing the smaller jobs,” Reilly says.

“So we are always mindful of backing that side of the industry as well. We are not just about supporting the tier one projects. It’s also about supporting the contractors who operate in all segments of the market and making sure that we still have the capability to complete the jobs they require.”

Ortensio Caroli, General Manager for Business and Finance at NVC Precast agrees, adding that investment into local sectors is an important aspect of NVC Precast’s operation.

“At any given time, we engage up to 100 individuals or companies. Whether that is on a sub-contract basis or as permanent employees, around 90 per cent of these people live within the Mitchell Shire area,” Caroli says.