How IoT Is Revolutionizing Traditional Telematics

Traditional telematics is a dot on a map — it is one-way data that requires someone to sit at a computer, interpret what the information is telling them and then figure out what action users in the field need to take. It can only do so much.

That’s a big challenge.

So, we asked ourselves, how does JLG help with this?

The answer is to make the data very intuitive, easy to use and easy to understand so that our customers can act.

With IoT, we see a world where we've evolved into this two-way machine interactivity that doesn’t just provide data but rather insightful, actionable information. As a software OEM, our job has been to figure out how to make the actual insights actionable for our customers in the field, who interact with the equipment firsthand. We do this by thinking about problems those people need to solve with our solution.

Telematics is far more than locating equipment on a map and knowing when a machine needs an oil change. Telematics' most significant contribution is that it provides information to solve problems, such as geolocating a machine to find it or notifying users of the machine's health.

So, we’re changing the conversation about how IoT technology revolutionizes what telematics looks like on the job site.

New with IoT

With the launch of ClearSky Smart Fleet, we immediately focused on two things that people could touch and feel immediately:

1. Automating manual processes because we know people who do things manually, there's a margin for error, just human error, it happens
2. Giving our customers the efficiency of time back in their days.

Let’s say, on average, if it used to take 45 minutes for a branch manager to find a JLG machine in their rental yard or a service tech looking for the machine on the job site that needs to be fixed or serviced, now it takes less than one click of a button. This is the classic scenario of reducing downtime and increasing uptime but with a tangible nature.

Other notable IoT features

There were several other considerations we’ve accounted for in ClearSky Smart Fleet.

We also delivered a platform that genuinely solves challenges for aerial lift equipment, specialty machines within the industry with unique problems. For example, something as simple as machines sending data if the ignition is on/off — 90% of the time, access equipment is used in an off state. Operators get to height, turn the machine off while doing their work and then turn it on again to get back down.

Another component we focused on was digitizing our customers’ daily processes, looking for ways to use IoT to automate manual tasks. For example, it allows our customers to figure out how many hours an asset is and its current state of charge or fuel level, whether it has any active fault codes and so on, by simply touching a button or looking at a data dashboard.

One last transition we focused on was moving from the physical to the digital world. How could we digitize what used to be a physical handheld piece of hardware through something like a mobile app? A great example is the Bluetooth analyzer available through the ClearSky Smart Fleet application. Our customers no longer need to carry the handheld analyzer and cable; they now have all the same usability and functionality through their phones.

That's the efficiency that our customers need, and they can now access it with the power of their fingertips instead of the power of their feet.

IoT’s important contributions

With two-way IoT communications, there is a whole new level of machine interaction and integration with the assets. For example, equipment owners and operators can now use the ClearSky Smart Fleet mobile app to find a machine by lighting the beacon light or honking the horn. Or, when looking at data like machine status, users can light up all the machines within Bluetooth range and have them clearly identified through color, seeing immediately if any have active fault codes that need to be addressed. It’s efficiency of time and finding an asset right away.

It's about turning data into actionable information, using audio and visual representation principles to advance technology and machine interactivity.

It’s about giving our users access to insights with the ability to interact with the machine in ways they can see, feel and touch.

It’s about empowering the people at the branch location and on the job site with a new level of data sophistication and interaction they've never been blessed with before. For example, I'm a fuel truck driver, and I was told to arrive at the job site and refuel the telehandler. But which one? With ClearSky Smart Fleet, you can see all of the machines on-site at the touch of a button. Based on the visual color of the beacon light, the machines indicate (green—good, yellow—mid, and red—low), and I know the exact one that needs attention.

That’s the power of revolutionizing telematics as part of a comprehensive IoT offering, like JLG’s ClearSky Smart Fleet solution. Its connectivity evolved.

To learn more about how to get your fleet talking like never before, visit SmartFleet.JLG.com.