Burning the bottom line

For a number of reasons, fuel economy has been a pressing issue for the industry. Along with thinning margins and rising fuel prices, environmental concerns and the need for a sustainable fleet strategy are key considerations for fleet operators. As a significant part of project budgets, fuel consumption and maintenance expenses must be measured and reduced where possible.

The impact of idle times is often linked to unnecessary costs through fuel burn, which directly affects the bottom line and the environment. To add insult to injury, there are hidden costs attributed to unnecessary idling. Prolonged periods of idle time can also accelerate the rate of engine wear and the asset’s rate of depreciation as well as increase the need for preventive maintenance and oil changes — and this doesn’t even take into account productivity losses.

Industry benchmarks indicate that idling makes up around 40% of operating time, but the data across our construction customers shows that it can be much higher. Idling is problematic because, for every hour a machine idles, it wastes an hour of warranty, burns around 4 litres of fuel, moves closer to the next maintenance occurrence, decreases the life of the componentry, decreases operator efficiency and loses an hour of output. We estimate idling costs about £50 per hour for a medium-sized excavator, so reducing idling by just 1 hour a month can result in a return on your data investment.

With no consolidated view of the fleet, it is often the case that equipment operates sub-optimally, resulting in unnecessary costs, project delays, and a detrimental impact on the environment. An obvious solution is to use live machine data to highlight inefficiencies and underperformance.

MachineMax sensors are engineered to produce data, but they also create understanding. Fine-tuning every detail ensures the site lives up to its full potential, which means nothing is left to chance. Instead of relying on assumptions and estimations, rely on MachineMax sensors to reveal what’s really going on.

Are you burning your bottom line? Request a demo here: https://machinemax.com/pages/request-a-trial