Improving your level of Undercarriage sophistication is an essential first step towards a comprehensive Undercarriage strategy that both saves you money by reducing waste and downtime, and makes you money by increasing asset utilization and productivity.
At TrackTreads we see this Undercarriage sophistication being achieved through 3 distinct stages;
Understanding the $ value of Undercarriage across your fleet – having a clear picture of the money invested in undercarriage across your fleet, and subsequently the savings that can be achieved by managing this undercarriage is the first hurdle! Since approximately a third of the average fleet operates on tracks, this can be a sizable number of machines.
Taking ownership of the Undercarriage Costs – all businesses are based on revenue less costs to arrive at profit. Thus, costs are an important facet to be managed and undercarriage can be a large costs especially when it is not managed correctly. Every time undercarriage components are removed, if they are not 100% or better still 120% worn, money is being lost.
Deploying an Undercarriage Condition Management System – this is the first step to becoming proactive in undercarriage management. Undercarriage Condition Management systems are there to provide a single repository of data and to assist in managing the process. Deploying an undercarriage management system has a number of key steps: –
- Collecting Field inspection data – this is the collection of inspection data on a regularly scheduled basis, by inspectors who are sufficiently skilled in taking measurements correctly. Skilled inspectors will recognise environmental issues that can lead to premature wear of the components as well as good or bad operator techniques that impact the wear rates of the undercarriage components. The data collected and observed is recorded and returned to a central location for further analysis.
- Interpreting and analysing the field data – the inspection observations and measurements being returned from the field should be analysed against expected performance norms, historical data and other machine component performance data in order to arrive at recommendations of corrective actions needing to be taken to preserve the component wear rates. A task list of maintenance items should be scheduled to best fit production and maintenance schedules while focussed on achieving the maximum life from the undercarriage system.
- Performing recommended tasks and recording data – recording full details of the actions taken is the step that often falls between the cracks because it is not written into the business process. To calculate a true cost per hour, all maintenance events with costs need to be recorded in the system.
- Using data to reduce Undercarriage costs – Now that data is being collected regularly, a picture for a jobsite and its machines can be formed and decisions can be made as to what combination of components works best for the jobsite and the model of machine. Pricing of components and repairs is well known with accurate cost per hour calculated. Warranty is being managed and onsite inventory ensures minimal emergency situations.
The simplest and most cost effective way to achieve this ideal level of Undercarriage management is with an in-house Undercarriage expert. This expert can ensure the greatest value is achieved from your undercarriage components, address any operator issues identified and keep your fleet running with minimal downtime. There is no substitute for a well-trained Undercarriage expert in any sophisticated operation of a fleet of tracked machines.
TrackTreads are not only a global leader in Undercarriage management systems, we also provide training worldwide with the aim of creating Undercarriage experts. Our Undercarriage Workshop Forums aren’t about using our software, they are about sharing and spreading Undercarriage expertise. We are currently planning upcoming dates and venues so register your interest as early as possible.
Get further information and register your interest on the Undercarriage Workshops page or simply fill in the form below.
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