Fleets can keep costs down and increase productivity by tracking fluids in real-time. Advancements in technology have continued to improve the ability to manage and track these fluids. Fluids ranging from engine oil to hydraulic oil, transmission fluid, coolant, power steering fluid, windshield washer fluid, and diesel exhaust fluid can all be easily dispensed and managed on-site. By using a software-based or cloud-based fluid management system, fleets can better optimize the tracking and management of these fluids.
A fluid management system assists fleets by not only keeping inventory in check through dispensing precise amounts and limiting the use of more expensive fluids, but also streamlines the process of dispensing these fluids, increasing shop and technician efficiency.
“It gives people a systematic way of handling their fluids,” says Mark McClatchey, product manager at Liquidynamics, a manufacturer of lubrication handling equipment. “Everybody knows what to do and how to do it … and [a fluid management system] has a nice audit trail of the transactions.”
Bringing back accountability
Accounting for all fluids dispensed is a necessary task and a top notable feature when using a fluid management system. When a proper tracking system is not in place, allowing fluids to be dispensed at any time, in any amount, and by anyone in the shop, accountability cannot be monitored. With a fluid management system, a fluid cannot be dispensed unless there is a work order attached to it.
“In a shop, you really want to ensure that you have records of where all your fluids are going,” says Joshua Holmstadt, senior global product marketing manager at Graco, a manufacturer of fluid handling systems and components for both industrial and commercial applications.
Katherine Blyth, president of computerized fuel and fluid management solutions provider Trak Engineering, also states one of the main benefits of using a fluid management system for fleets is having a record of all fluids.
“You can account for every single drop of fluid that is dispensed,” Blyth says.
Tracking fluids is similar to keeping inventory on filters, tires, or any other part used to service a vehicle. Holmstadt notes that parts are not utilized unless they are properly checked or billed out.
“By putting in a fluid management system, you bring that accountability back by basically saying oil [or any other type of fluid] is not going to be used unless we can track it back to a place,” he says.
Fleets can then use this data to better understand not only their expenses, but also their fluid usage.
“Say, for example, you have a particular vehicle that appears to be burning oil or needs more oil more often than other vehicles,” Holmstadt says. “That can be an indicator that there’s an issue and you can work on it proactively before it has a major failure.”
Prevent avoidable expenses
Fluid expenses can add up quickly. Accidental overfills, dispensing the wrong fluids, and even taking time to check inventory on the fluids and/or tanks are avoidable. A fluid management system prevents these incidents from happening and also keeps a tight control on inventory in real-time.
Mark Pfleeger, vice president of sales and new business development at Liquidynamics, says that in the past, someone would have to look at how much fluid the shop received each month, determine how much fluid the shop used by referencing the fleet’s records, and would then adjust the balance based on what the tank actually measured.
“Someone would have to do a physical accounting of that inventory daily, weekly, and/or yearly,” he says. “The losses add up. Recent studies show 10 to 15 percent loss of inventory. What’s happening is that it’s not getting invoiced properly.”
Pfleeger adds that having a fluid management system helps mitigate loss because the fluid cannot be dispensed without a proper invoice.
Fluid management systems help to streamline the workflow process in the shop instead of using the traditional sales and work orders that were completed on paper. The possibility of getting tossed around, forgotten about, or even lost was a concern.
“Back in the day, a worker does three to four transactions, may have received a call, and then forgets to put the paperwork on the sales order, so the customer never got billed for the order,” Liquidynamics’ McClatchey says.
Having an electronic system where all repair and maintenance information is entered, along with what type and how much of a fluid is dispensed, reduces the chance of errors from occurring. With many fluid management systems, the fluid entered on the work order is the only fluid that can be dispensed. This can especially come in handy for more expensive synthetic oils.
Setting up a fluid management system
When setting up a system within an existing facility, there are options to consider regarding installation without causing interference to technicians or maintenance operations.
However, before the installation process begins, fleets have a number of steps to consider.
“There’s a number of different factors that you do due diligence on the front end in order to facilitate the proper recommendation,” says Joe Bamford, regional sales manager, SKF Industrial Sales–Lubrication, a global technology provider.
He suggests looking at the number of dispense points needed, the number of fluids to monitor, the ability to add dispense points down the road, the technician’s current workflow, the current software running the facility, and fluid tank monitoring.
The actual installation of a fluid management system can occur during off-hours, such as outside regular business hours or during lunch breaks. Companies also offer several inventive features which may allow for less disruption during the system installation process.
“The meters can work initially out of the box and will function without the Hub [software],” explains Holmstadt, referring to Graco’s fluid management system. In other words, the company’s Pulse Pro fluid dispensing meters can be installed and utilized before software installation. “We install the meters that they [technicians] are not using, so there really is not any downtime.”
With the OilCop from Liquidynamics, there is a bypass feature that allows a manual dispensing operation when necessary.
Once a system is installed, it is up to the facility how they want to streamline the operation process for using the system. Examples to consider include designating someone to enter work orders, assigning the fluids to be dispensed, and how much fluid to dispense per work order.
“You can set it up where the technician selects the work order or you can set it up so the person in the parts department turns on the fluid for the technician and the technician doesn’t even enter anything into the system,” Liquidynamics’ McClatchey says. “It’s up to [the facility] on how they want the system to behave.”
Tracking the data
All transactional data from a fluid management system is captured and can be viewed within moments. Fluid management systems provide fleets with records on not only how much fluid is dispensed, but also the date and time a transaction was completed, who completed a transaction, which type of fluid was used, the vehicle, asset, and/or location associated with a transaction, and more. Data can be sorted into reports and exported to be shared with others.
“You’re able to dissect and really go into detail with respect to what has been dispensed throughout a facility on any given day, week, month, and year,” SKF’s Bamford says.
Automatic reports can be generated and emailed to fleet personnel on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis as well, Graco’s Holmstadt adds.
Automatic reports can also benefit fleets by bringing attention to situations that may not have been otherwise noticed.
“You might end up having three different oils for different types of vehicles, and your tanks are usually not the same size; two might be 500 gallons and one might be 250 gallons,” Holmstadt says. “If you’re using your more common oils in the 250-gallon tank, you’re going to need to be getting more deliveries a lot more often. Reports will let you know to make sure you’re putting the right oil in the right tanks.”
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges with implementing a new system or process is change. Employees may be used to just grabbing an oil meter and dispensing the fluids or opening a container and topping off fluids. With a fluid management system, technicians may have to enter a pin number or the work order number first, before having access to these fluids.
There’s going to be a training process for both technicians who are doing the dispensing and for the fleet managers who are going to need to learn how to pull reports, Graco’s Holmstadt says.
Another potential challenge for fleets may be understanding shop needs and that companies offer a varying list of applications and services to accommodate different fleet operations, Liquidynamics’ Pfleeger says.
Once a system is in place however, it may be more challenging to go back to a manual process.
“It’s more challenging not to have one [a fluid management system], because once you have one that automates [the process], it gives you the capability to provide the security and accountability all electronically, so you don’t have to do anything,” Trak Engineering’s Blyth says.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to incorporating a fluid management system in the shop. Tracking fluids in real-time, retrieving viable data, and viewing the reports instantaneously can help fleets secure accountability and prevent profit loss.
In order to implement these systems, it is important to consider all the aspects of planning, and to train employees appropriately to make the most of these systems.
