Finning urges industrial OEMs to up engine efficiency with connectivity tech

Industrial engine supply and service specialist Finning UK & Ireland is highlighting the important efficiency benefits – such as increased availability and reduced risk – of the Cat^® Remote Fleet Vision (RFV) performance monitoring platform by introducing a new entry level pricing structure for those looking to trial the technology.

Offering 24-7 insight into asset performance, the Cat RFV platform gathers a wide range of data points from within the engine and connects these to a single remote platform for analysis – customised to individual business needs. The Cat RFV can also be connected to datapoints across the piece of equipment the engine is installed in, allowing owners to build a full picture of performance and decide how uptime can be optimised.

Now Finning has made access to this technology even easier with low-cost entry level pricing. Matt Bryan, Product Support Lead – Industrial at Finning, explains: “The RFV platform is proven to offer important performance benefits for Caterpillar customers around the world. Industrial customers can benefit from an unparalleled level of visibility into how their engine is running, allowing them to make timely decisions on performance adjustments, as well as diagnose faults and share error codes with Finning to facilitate quick, first-time fix maintenance.

“Alongside this fantastic depth of engine data and insight, the flexibility of the system allows it to be used to monitor key performance indicators across an entire piece of equipment – from a water pump to a rock crusher and all points in between. This means owners have just one consolidated platform for monitoring their assets.”

Aggregate Processing and Recycling Limited (Agg-Pro), one of the UK’s largest suppliers of crushing, screening, washing and recycling equipment, has recently benefitted from fitting Cat RFV equipment to all engines that pass through its workshop in Tamworth. The installation of PL542 remote monitoring systems on various Cat engines, from C4.4 to C9.3, in the company’s crushing and screening units enables monitoring of engine performance, run hours, and load factors. This capability replaces the previous methods of estimating, contacting customers, or dispatching engineers for data collection.

Tony Gadsby, Service Manager at Agg-Pro, expressed his delight at the benefits realised: “Having an accurate picture of engine performance and run hours makes a big difference to optimising the reliability and uptime of our operation. Whilst previously this has been difficult to obtain, the support from Finning in supplying the Cat RFV platform has made it a reality – and given us a ready-made way of offering something that our competitors can’t.

“Alongside being able to give our customers better advice on engine performance, it is now possible to remotely troubleshoot issues to further minimise downtime and track assets wherever they are across the country. We are now planning on expanding the use of the platform to all new Cat engines in use across the company and upgrading the fleet in the field too.”

Bryan concludes: “It’s never been easier to trial the system given the highly competitive pricing levels we have introduced. Installation is straightforward with Finning experts on hand to support every step and advise on how to maximise the platform’s benefits – and crucially, get more from your equipment.”