Investing in stolen plant recovery and increasing fleet efficiency
The latest figures from NFU Mutual confirm that plant theft has reached an all time high, increasing pressure on businesses operating plant fleets. However, 68 per cent of all stolen plant recovered by TRACKER, the UK’s leading stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) specialist, is found within 24 hours of its SVR unit being activated. And 10 per cent of those recovered are located within one hour. Recognising the power of TRACKER’s vehicle tracking and monitoring solutions, specialist plant, tool and equipment centre, Apex Plant Hire has invested in TRACKER’s telematics technology and is reaping the benefits of protecting its fleet.
Operating throughout the Midlands, Leicester based Apex Plant Hire delivers an extensive range of the most up to date, productive and reliable plant and equipment available, and places a firm emphasis on achieving outstanding customer service. The loss of equipment as a result of theft has previously had a significant impact on the business and its customer service levels, but the installation of TRACKER telematics on 22 pieces of plant has significantly improved its ability to protect its reputation and deliver the level of service on which it prides itself.
Apex Plant Hire chose TRACKER over and above its competitors because of its unique combination of Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM) and TRACKER’s successful and proven Very High Frequency (VHF) radio technology, which is employed within its SVR units. “In the past, we lost a number of pieces of plant for good, because police were unable to detect the GPS signal used by other tracking devices we were using at that time. However, innovation behind the TRACKER solution, combined with the company’s unparalleled relationship with the UK’s police force, ensures that stolen equipment can be quickly traced and recovered. A stolen excavator of ours was recovered in just over an hour thanks to TRACKER. The results speak for themselves,” says David Marriott at Apex Plant Hire.
Operated by all 52 police forces in the UK, TRACKER is the most advanced tracking device on the market. The system is Thatcham approved, and recognised by leading rural insurer, NFU Mutual, who offers its members a 12.5% discount off premiums if they have a TRACKER devised installed. Unlike other tracking systems, the device works no matter where the plant is hidden, even if taken abroad, offering farmers the ultimate protection.
Furthermore, Apex Plant Hire has enthusiastically embraced TRACKER’s fleet telematics offering. This enables them to monitor usage on and off-site, helping them meet employee Duty of Care legislation and increase efficiency.
Fundamentally, TRACKER’s fleet monitoring solution comes in a robust and waterproof unit, proven to withstand the harshest plant usage. It offers reports real time information about the usage of plant, such as engine running hours, and allows owners to set a location radius within which the plant can move freely, alerting them if it is moved outside of this location, known as Geofencing. TRACKER summary reports are emailed weekly containing clear and concise plant data, both on an individual item plant or as a group, for easy monitoring.
Marriott adds, “With TRACKER’s telematics on our HGV vehicles, we’ve been able to improve our day-to-day business practices which has boost customer service and fleet performance levels. The system locates the position of all our vehicles, allowing us to deploy the nearest vehicle to the next rental booking. We can also see if a job is running behind schedule without our drivers having to call in with updates, which means we can take action and enhance the level of customer service we provide.”
Stephen Doran, Managing Director, TRACKER, explains, “Our stolen vehicle recovery system and our fleet monitoring solutions help owners of plant equipment to better protect and manage their assets, all of which can play a vital role in improving fleet efficiency and bolstering a business’ bottom line.”
