Telematics has not found much success in the automotive field, but off-highway equipment makers are adopting the technology. Heavy equipment providers are offering a variety of telematic systems that send data from equipment to maintenance personnel or dealers, providing far more information that can be used to keep equipment operating without breakdowns.
Telematic technologies are taking advantage of the growing use of CAN networking, which makes operational data available. Telematic system can transmit data to pre-selected sites, providing data on the operating conditions, as well as the location of equipment.
Data can be sent at intervals set by users, ranging from hourly to daily connections. “We can provide location information, workload an hours of operation, any error codes that have occurred, and trend information on operating temperatures,” says Peter Robson, product marketing manager at Komatsu America Corp. of Vernon Hills, IL.
Other vendors are bullish on existing systems. “Telematics has been extremely well received by early adopters,” says a spokesman for Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria, IL. John Deere is also optimistic about its Greenstar program, as well as its other telematic offerings.
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