To say that 2021 was a tough year is an understatement. So many aspects of business have had to be reassessed. As companies review the year and set plans in motion for 2022, the focus will shift to leveraging existing assets and maximizing efficiency. Richard Clarke, VP Global Operations for Geoforce says many of his heavy industry customers globally, in particular the US and South America, are already maximizing the usage of owned, leased and rented assets, using technology to reduce the need for capex and instead extract every cent of value out of the field equipment they have.
“We are seeing a slower adoption in Canada for equipment and non-vehicle asset tracking, even though the vast majority of companies — especially in the energy sector — use significantly more equipment than they do vehicles in daily operations,” says Clarke. “Increased visibility into field operations helps customers use assets efficiently, prevents lost equipment, reduces redundant labour costs from manual processes and helps tremendously with billing justification and cost management.”
As organizations review last year and plan for 2022, Geoforce Canada is encouraging companies to have a broad conversation internally about how modern tracking technology and new affordable connectivity can be used to help drive businesses in the right direction. Basically, Clarke and his colleagues are asking: Why buy more equipment before you’re not sure where your existing equipment is located?
Geoforce has built specific solutions for assets and equipment in remote locations, focussing on reliability, durability and simplicity — all at price points that are proven in global markets.
“We have well over 140,000 assets tracked and 1300 global customers,” says Caitlin Murray, GM for Geoforce Canada. “Geoforce can help refine your operations with visibility and insights. It’s not complex engineering, so you can get started immediately. Customer onboarding and adoption is very quick now that business is so familiar with GPS tracking. Our value add is that we shed light on all asset classes and give you a full look at your operations through our proprietary GT product line.”
Murray explains that Geoforce Canada technology is ideally suited to working conditions in the western provinces.
“Our technology uses satellite as well as cellular to keep our trackers in range more often. With satellite, it’s almost certain that assets will be continuously monitored from a location perspective. For more complex information, our systems can store data and then send it as soon as cell coverage is restored,” says Murray.
Clarke is sure that loss prevention is going to be a big issue for business in 2022.
“I really feel that, with everything that has happened in 2021, next year is going to see many more businesses choose tracking as a way to reduce unnecessary overhead,” says Clarke. “If you have equipment and field assets that go missing… Or jobs where you are guessing what equipment went where … If you experience hoarding equipment between divisions.. If customers are disputing rental costs, and getting a free ride — tracking is going to help with all of that. And more. Give us a call — we can tell you where all of your assets are — all the time!”