Effective mobile fleet management requires data for decision-making. Data on fuel consumption, engine operating hours, vehicle condition, location, and more. But collecting that data was always difficult, until the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT.) HydraForce mobile IoT technology lets remote machinery capture data and send it wirelessly to where it’s needed.
Data isn’t enough though. For good decision-making, you need a tool to access, view, and use it, preferably from wherever you are working. That’s the role of the GlobE IoT platform.
GlobE is an IoT management platform that works through a web browser. Designed, through HydraForce’s partnership with Epec Oy of Seinajoki, Finland, GlobE lets fleet managers communicate directly with vehicles or other machinery, regardless of where they are. Using GlobE, managers can retrieve statistics and log files and send software updates to optimize and improve data capture and equipment performance.
Capturing Data For Fleet Management
IoT remote management needs hardware on the vehicles or machines and tools to communicate with them. HydraForce offers a family of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) for this purpose. These plug into the vehicle CAN bus and interface with the HydraForce EPEC-6200 communication gateway. GlobE then connects to the ERAU-6200 over cellular wireless as needed to move files back and forth.
Beneath GlobE, the ERAU-6200 communication gateway can be managed through the HydraForce GatE secure access tool and other third party tools. This provides encrypted communications that handle data movement and enable remote monitoring and software updates along with diagnostic functions.
Epec GlobE
Data Capture Capabilities
The ECUs can acquire a trove of data relating to the performance of the vehicle and any integrated hydraulic systems. Examples of operating parameters that fleet managers could capture include:
- Engine operating hours
- Temperatures and pressures
- Geo-location
- Fuel consumption
- Plus anything else available over the CAN bus
GlobE IoT Platform Capabilities
GlobE is a cloud-based remote management tool used through a web browser. This means there’s no software or special programs to install and the acquired data can be retrieved by those with the correct access credentials, from anywhere.
GlobE enables monitoring, logging, and storing of machine data acquired through HydraForce Electronic Control Units (ECUs). With bi-directional communication capabilities, it also enables adjustment of machine settings and updating of hydraulic system control software.
Fleet managers can use GlobE to review an extensive set of data about machine condition and usage which supports decision-making for fleet productivity improvements and preventive maintenance. Experience shows that GlobE, working with onboard IoT devices, yields new insights into when, how, and where vehicles are being used. This in turn highlights opportunities to increase utilization and lower costs.
Benefits realized from using GlobE include:
- Improved scheduling of vehicle assignments
- Increased vehicle utilization
- Better estimating for future jobs, projects, and activities
- Protection against theft and misuse
- Improved scheduling of preventive maintenance
- Fewer breakdowns
Data Security
Businesses want and need to protect their data. GlobE was designed and built to satisfy the security expectations of the most demanding users. Core security functions/capabilities include:
- User Management — Control who can create or edit enterprises, including dashboard templates, files, users, and profiles.
- Device Management — Oversee who gets access to what devices for viewing only or managing/writing capabilities.
- Data Storage — Per the Data Center Risk Index 2016 study, Finland, the location of the cloud servers used by GlobE, is ranked the fourth safest data center country in the world.
Improve Fleet Efficiency With GlobE IoT Platform
Fleet operators invest heavily in their vehicles and strive to maximize ROI. Data on where, how, and when vehicles are used, along with condition monitoring, supports this goal. GlobE is the tool that makes it possible.
IoT technology enables data capture from a wide range of vehicle sensors and devices. HydraForce ECUs work seamlessly with the HydraForce gateway device, the GatE remote access tool, and GlobE to deliver that data to where it can be used to maximum effect.
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