INDUSTRIES

5 Ways Cat^® Construction Technology
Can Help Your Operation

Technology and equipment management can improve your bottom line.

Caitlin Maddock-Bahr | Social Media & Digital Strategy Manager

When you think of Cat^® building and construction equipment, you think of power and versatility. The efficiency gained through Cat construction technology should receive just as much attention. We chatted with experienced Cat expert Claude Binchet, Cat Marketing Manager for Technologies, to find out how the technological features on Cat equipment can help businesses improve their bottom line.

“When it comes to developing construction technology, Cat starts with the pain points of their customers,” Claude says.

Here are five ways Cat technology can help your construction operation.

1. Using data for equipment management.

You have deadlines to meet and projects to complete. You don’t have time for data. Luckily, Cat is obsessed with data and dedicated to helping businesses improve the health of their machine fleets.

Construction and building operators make hundreds of decisions every day. Cat Equipment Management gives customers quick insights to make intelligent choices in a short time frame. When a machine sits, it’s idle and it’s burning fuel. Unfortunately, this is common. If it’s idling too much, a business owner needs to know when to take actions to reduce idle time, reduce fuel burn and reduce costs. Cat VisionLink^® allows you to create a report that shows how much fuel costs.

Setting goals is an important part of growth. “We know of a business that created an award using VisionLink data reports,” Claude says. “Operators were incentivized to reduce their equipment idle time. It was fun for the operators, built morale and also raised the company’s fuel efficiency.”

In an extreme case of equipment management, a business in South Africa used Cat VisionLink to track and retrieve a stolen machine.

2. Helping you do more with less.

It is becoming more difficult for building and construction businesses to find reliable, experienced help.

“There have been a number of studies that show construction companies do not have enough workers to complete projects,” Claude says. “We try to provide solutions to businesses that need help, as well as create technology that attracts a new crop of workers who crave digital control and safe work environments.”

Ready to Add Cat Command to Your Business?

Find out whether remote technologies like Cat Command make sense for your operations.

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Innovations like Cat Command allow operators to control machines remotely. Remote control not only reduces the risk of operator injuries, but it also allows for quick shift changes and reduced fatigue. Operators can work quickly and confidently on rough terrain.

3. Increasing safety on the jobsite.

With a collective workforce that has less experience, safety has become a bigger issue in the construction industry. Cat continues to develop equipment features that help reduce accidents and mistakes on the jobsite. Cat 2D E-fence helps operators avoid hazards like traffic and wires. Sensors detect hazards and automatically stop motion before a machine reaches predefined boundaries.

Cat Detect can differentiate people from objects. The feature delivers proximity-sensing systems to limit machine movement in tight spaces, while cameras and other sensors let operators know if there are people working near their machines. Safety is the number one priority on any jobsite, and technology helps eliminate risks.

4. Keeping equipment productive.

It’s all about time on the field. A productive construction business knows how to maximize uptime and reduce downtime. Cat VisionLink has an easy-to-use interface that displays a calendar with maintenance planning and scheduling. Using technology to be proactive and stay ahead of issues can prevent breakdowns.

Technology can also improve machine performance. Cat Grade technology automates the grading function of a motor grader. When digging a foundation, an operator can automate machine control with just a touch of a button. The quick and precise grading allows operators to make passes, so they can finish a task in less time.

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Sometimes downtime can’t be helped. An excavator operator might have to wait for a dump truck. A dump truck operator might have to wait for a crusher. With Cat VisionLink productivity, construction businesses can reference telematics and jobsite data from equipment to see what kinds of improvements can be made to jobsite processes. The cloud-based platform can be accessed anytime from mobile phones, tablets or desktop devices.

Jobsite management goes deep into the numbers. Through Cat VisionLink, a production dashboard displays things like load counts, hourly production and total runtime of each machine in a fleet. This data allows a customer to plan for every job and determine what equipment is needed, as well as how much time they will need to meet a deadline. A VisionLink cost dashboard displays the working and idle costs to allow users to see expenses by jobsite location. Knowing when machines are operating at higher costs than expected enables businesses to make smarter decisions.

5. Increasing sustainability.

Customers need to reduce their impact on the environment. By helping customers increase the efficiencies of their machines and efficiencies on the jobsite, sustainability goals can be met.

“Equipment efficiency will automatically reduce the impact we are having, collectively as an industry, on the environment,” Claude says.

Cat is committed to making technological improvements to its equipment and attachments to increase sustainability. Cat engineers and designers are currently working on solutions to improve customers’ ability to track CO2 emissions.

Cat technology makes an impact.

The good news about Cat technology is that you don’t have to make an added investment to take advantage of the insights. VisionLink comes standard on all Cat machines, so even smaller construction businesses can use data to streamline their operation. Talk to your Cat dealer to find out how you can put jobsite data at your fingertips.

Get more helpful business advice.

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CAITLIN MADDOCK-BAHR

Social Media & Digital Strategy Manager

Caitlin Maddock-Bahr exercises her storytelling expertise as a social media and digital strategy manager. In this role, she not only helps Caterpillar connect with their audience, but helps customers connect with the brand.

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