Finning, sole dealer of Cat® machines and equipment in the UK & Ireland, is urging its customers to sign up to the new Cat Productivity platform, a cloud-based system designed to gather and analyse a vast range of machine data that will boost machine performance and productivity.  Customers will be able to track how much time their machines spend loading, hauling and dumping and how work is progressing whether they are on site or not. Armed with a superior level of analysis, customers are better placed to make informed decisions to ensure each piece of equipment is performing to a higher level – across multiple sites and projects. Tom Barker, Performance Solutions Consultant for Finning UK & Ireland, said: “The Cat Productivity platform gives customers the information they need to implement the right changes to improve site productivity by lowering the cost per ton through measures such as reducing idle time, reducing fuel monitor material tracking, and track individual assets to ensure they are optimally positioned to reduce cycle time. “We already have a number of customers utilising the platform and have had some great feedback from them because it’s so easy to use and gives them all the information they need in one place, both for reporting purposes to their client and to implement effective changes which add up to big improvements in productivity.” Cat Productivity can be accessed 24/7 from any internet device and can be used for mixed fleets of Cat and non-Cat machines. It gathers accurate data from multiple jobsites and machines into one platform on everything from tonnes per hour, cycles per hour, load count by site or asset, working vs. idle hours and machine fuel burn, making reporting simple and improvements to jobsite operation easy to implement. In a Cat production study which looked at two scenarios, insights from Cat Productivity led to an optimised bucket-filling process which delivered a 20% advantage in cycle time, and an optimised truck-loading process which led to a 23% improvement in fuel efficiency.  Jobsite Dashboards allow users to view a summary of multiple jobsites and metrics at a glance on one screen such as number of assets, tonnes per hour and cycles per hour, while one click into the Productivity tab allows a deeper dive into weekly load counts by asset and site for example, and cost totals for idle time and per tonne. The platform also provides an interactive map so users can monitor the movement of their assets 24/7 and monitor dump events.  To help customers get the most from Cat Productivity Finning are offering the platform as part of three support packages – Inform, Advise or Partner – which start from a set-up only bundle and range to a full partnership package to assist in implementing a continuous improvement programme.  For an exclusive look at the new Cat Productivity platform register for FINROCK 22 to see a live interactive demonstration. Registration is completely free – register your place here: www.finrock.live Alternatively call the Finning team on 0800 169 2186. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The undercarriage is one of the most important components of any piece of heavy equipment. It might not seem so at first, since the undercarriage only accounts for a small portion of the machine’s upfront cost. However, the undercarriage represents an average of 50 per cent of your machine’s ongoing operating and repair costs, so regular maintenance is vital if you want to avoid a hefty repair bill. Here are our top tips for extending the life of your undercarriage. 1. Wear and tear The undercarriage carries the weight of a machine, so it’s natural for its moving components to wear over time as the machine completes work. However, you can extend the service life of your undercarriage components by dedicating a bit of time to proper maintenance and using the machine in the best possible way. Poor maintenance and rough operation will impact wear rates and increase the need for repairs. Operators will start to see visible changes on the machine, such as sprockets wearing down from flat wedges to a point. As track pads wear down, they will become flatter, increasing the likelihood of slipping during operation. At this point, operators will be forced to stop work and have the undercarriage repaired, leading to costly downtime on site. So, how can operators prevent unnecessary wear? 2. Best practice Firstly, operators can make informed decisions when selecting and operating equipment, which will result in slower wear rates. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to undercarriages, so choosing the right undercarriage and track width for the environment can impact operations. For example, standard tracks are the best fit for firm ground conditions with minimal slopes. On the other hand, low ground pressure tracks are wider and therefore better suited for softer, wetter ground conditions. Awareness of operating methods and site conditions can also influence the lifespan of tracks and undercarriage components. When operating machinery, reducing any unnecessary tracking and avoiding abrasive material, such as rocky areas on site, can slow track wear. Operators should also take extra care in areas where a lot of material can get into the undercarriage. For example, when operating in a muddy environment or on a landfill site, they may need to clear out debris regularly throughout the day. It is also best practice to consider the speed of the machine, for example increasing speed when pushing heavy loads can cause slippage and excessive wear. Working on banks for long periods of time will cause one side of the undercarriage to wear, so keeping the machine on level ground as much as possible can prevent uneven wear later on. 3. Daily checks During the day, excavators and other heavy machinery will churn up the ground, resulting in mud, debris and other material building up in the tracks. Leaving this in the undercarriage will add weight to it, reducing fuel economy as well as accelerating wear. Cleaning out the undercarriage at the start of each workday reduces the risk of material build-up causing an issue. Incorrect track tension may lead to increased track wear, so it is important to check this prior to operating the machine. If tracks are too tight, it creates added load, accelerating component wear. If the track is too loose, it can become unstable and derail. Adjusting the sag to the measurement recommended by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will prevent problems like this occurring. The more often operators inspect their machine, the sooner they can identify and rectify any issues. Operators can also get more support from their equipment supplier. Finning UK & Ireland’s Custom Track Service (CTS) includes regular visual inspections to provide operators with a detailed report of a machine’s undercarriage. The inspectors also use ultrasonic equipment to check for wear of the internal components of the undercarriage. This, combined with visual checks, can help estimate part lifespan, enabling owners and operators to accurately forecast repair costs. The undercarriage takes the weight of the machine and material on site and if it breaks down, the machine remains stationary, incurring costs from downtime and repairs. By choosing the correct type of undercarriage for the application, following best practice during operations and carrying out regular maintenance, operators can ensure that their repair costs will decrease and productivity will remain high. Finning can assist with preventative maintenance and inspections as part of its Customer Value Agreements. Find out more about choosing and maintaining your machine’s undercarriage on our website.

Catching the early warning signs of failure is critical in maintaining safety when working with construction machines. It also avoids unplanned downtime and costly breakdowns. Here, Nick Kakoudakis, Technology and Remote Services Manager at exclusive Caterpillar® dealer Finning UK and Ireland, discusses how digital connectivity means that Finning can ensure the longest life from its equipment. If you’ve recently insured a vehicle, you’ll have probably heard of the black box. Installed on some insured cars, these devices monitor how the car is driven and report that information back to the insurance company. This information is used to encourage safe driving and to capture vital data in the event of an accident. A watchful eye-in-the-sky While installing a black box in a car is relatively cheap, managing downtime, breakdowns and user-profiles across a highly varied fleet of construction equipment can be costly. The costs can include everything from recovery and repair of the equipment, as well as the resulting loss of production uptime and construction delays. Unlike the black box, Finning’s solution — Cat Connect — combines the use of smart technology and services on equipped machines, making sure everything is running as effectively and reliably as possible. The insight and information received helps to improve jobsite efficiency, whether the goal is to maximize production, reduce cost or improve safety. When installed on Finning Cat equipment, Cat Connect records every parameter on a Cat machine and reports the information back to Finning HQ. The technical team of experienced Cat certified engineers then work through the data and looks for any problems and opportunities for optimisation. For instance, a few minutes of idle time for a dump truck may be necessary during loading and unloading, but a backhoe operator keeping the engine running during a lunch break may lead to bore glazing on a diesel engine. If a machine is running idle then it is incurring extra fuel, maintenance and staffing costs for no real benefit — the team at Finning can spot issues like this and advise appropriate action. Similarly, an engine might be running rough. Perhaps it has been unused for a while and the fuel is stale, or the fuel mixture is misconfigured for the type of work or weather conditions — the team at Finning identifies these problems and can advise users to replace the fuel or alter the fuel mix to compensate. Tracking outside of the fence Cat Connect devices also include GPS, which allows engineers to track the machines as they move around the work area. This also allows for “geofencing”, where an alarm is triggered if equipment is moved outside a designated area. In one instance, Finning engineers were alerted by a geofencing alarm in the middle of the night. Using the GPS tracker on Cat Connect, the machine was successfully tracked and retrieved the next day from a secluded lay-by, over 20 miles away from the worksite. Without Cat Connect and its real-time alarms and customer-configurable alerting capabilities via text or emails, it’s very unlikely that it would have been recovered, especially if the equipment was stripped for parts. Uncovering operational optimisations Real-time condition monitoring not only helps to predict failure and keep equipment running, it also uncovers some surprising systemic problems. One particular example was on a worksite that had a substantial hill that earthmoving equipment often traversed. Going up the incline was no trouble for the heavy equipment, but it was found through condition monitoring that the operators were allowing vehicles to coast when travelling back down. By not using the retarder correctly, the operators were inadvertently exposing the powertrain to extreme stresses. Finning advised the customer that this was a problem, and the operators were retrained to use the retarder correctly and safely. This action directly increased the working life of the equipment, saved thousands of pounds in costs and eliminated the potential downtime. For more information about Finning’s Cat Connect service, and more, visit www.finning.com.