TITAN Equipment Monitoring System In the News

Heavy Equipment News — August 2003
Smart Savings for the Job Site
by Greg Udelhofen

Contractor Expects $7,000 in Insurance Savings

Like most general contractors, Forest Line Construction of Sandy, Utah, has millions of dollars tied up in equipment. Hance Hunter, excavation project manager, has been using DPL Technologies’ AssetReporter monitoring system as a preventive-maintenance measure to minimize costly repairs. The system’s GPS capability also deters theft, or at least allows the contractor to track a piece of equipment if it is stolen. It also tracks equipment usage and provides maintenance notification.

DPL’s new Titan Anti-Theft system will do all that and a bit more. It can be programmed to allow a piece of equipment to operate during established work hours. If someone tries to override the system, it will automatically shut down.

“Before I arrived, the company had a backhoe and a tractor stolen,” Hunter says. “The new anti-theft system can be used to establish an operating field and times, and it will shut down the equipment if either one of those two parameters is exceeded.”

Hunter plans to install 10 units at $700 each, and expects to recover his investment within two years with reduced insurance premiums. The new system will continue to monitor equipment operation, which can generate additional savings, considering how much it costs to replace a damaged engine.

In a business where a contractor’s equipment is his livelihood, investing a little to keep your equipment running and on the job is an easy decision. As Hunter puts it, “We don’t have to worry about whether the machine is going to run, or whether it’s even going to be there when we show up the next morning.”