Hastings Deering HDAdvantage is helping customers analyse the performance and health of their Cat machinery. Roads & Infrastructure magazine learns more from Corbet's Group's experience.
If one were to view Hastings Deering’s values, words such as ‘care, communication and commitment’ are emphasised again, and again. As part of its commitment to support customers, long after a sale has been made, the Caterpillar machinery supplier now has 14 workshops across Queensland and the Northern Territory. For the Hastings Deering service team, technology plays a role in delivering their support to customers, through the HDAdvantage service and maintenance program. HDAdvantage is a management tool, enabling customers to monitor data, which gives an insight into the overall health and productivity of their Cat construction machinery. As Ross Meyer, Hastings Deering’s Manager of Business Solutions explains, the HDAdvantage tool offers the “next step” in machine maintenance. “HDAdvantage is a complimentary service program which combines Hastings Deering’s service capabilities with the Cat technology,” he says. HDAdvantage provides access to machine data, such as working hours, daily fuel burn, service history and machine location. It can be accessed via both the Cat platforms –the Cat App and My.Cat.Com – and the Hastings Deering online portal, allowing operators to receive notifications for service reminders and critical machine faults. In addition, customers will receive crucial alerts and preventive maintenance notifications recommending what needs to be done and, most importantly, putting them in contact with the Hastings Deering Service Support team to provide immediate solutions. It’s designed to reduce chances of unplanned downtime and helps to maintain the heath of the construction machine for customers. CORBET’S GROUP’S EXPERIENCE Lee Wodetzki, Operations Manager of Corbet’s Group, has benefitted from the HDAdvantage. He says the program has provided him a greater understanding of the machinery in their fleet. “The system encompasses most of the aspects a business requires to manage equipment from an ownership perspective,” he says. For over 40 years, the family-owned company has offered a range of services, including heavy plant and equipment hire from its base in Gympie, Queensland. This includes hire options for dozers, excavators, grinders, front end loaders, graders and rollers. The company owns a fleet of around 1000 units, 100 of which are Cat machines. Wodetzki says the HDAdvantage is actively used on each Cat model. “The biggest benefit for us is being able to remotely track Service Meter Unit (SMU) hours and plant utilisation. Our maintenance department appreciates the remote access to fault codes and warranty information,” he says. “The HDAdvantage program has been easy to use by all departments in our business.” Wodetzki and his team have been actively using HDAdvantage as part of their works on the Cooroy to Curra section of the Bruce Highway Upgrade program in Queensland. This project involves a 62-kilometre realignment and upgrade of the Bruce Highway to four lanes between Cooroy and Curra and is among Queensland’s highest priority road projects. “All of our Cat gears on the Cooroy to Curra project are tracked with HDAdvantage. It’s really helped in reconciling hours against client generated reports,” Wodetzki says.
