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Equipment, employee, and vehicle tracking in the construction industry

Every year, billions of dollars’ worth of construction equipment is stolen around the world with only a 10-20% recovery rate. Monitoring and protecting your assets is vital to any organisation in any industry, and construction is no exception. With heavy equipment and machinery averaging at ,000 USD each, we cannot afford to leave construction sites poorly secured. A comprehensive telematics system is the perfect solution with many additional benefits. Not only will it protect your assets from theft, but it will also improve maintenance, project planning, task management, employee productivity, and fuel consumption. SONY DSC The GPS tracking device attached to vehicles, machinery, and equipment will collect their location information as well as CAN-bus, driver behaviour, and fuel level data. Analysing this data will allow you to optimise maintenance schedules that will minimise vehicle down time, reduce fuel consumption, detect fuel theft, and minimise costs on repairs and excess fuel – all leading to a better bottom-line. Knowing how long tasks take to complete will help you plan project timelines better, and this increase in efficiency will open up more time for you to focus on the daily operations of your construction company. ENAiKOON has a trusted telematics solution that has been tried and tested by many construction companies. Here is what one of their customers had to say about their construction equipment monitoring system: Construction equipment monitoring at Rühlmann-Bau Rühlmann-Bau is a medium-sized construction company in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. They have a large, modern machine park with a variety of specialised equipment, such as horizontal and vertical drills and asphalt packers. In total, there are about 120 units in constant use which need to be correctly coordinated and protected from theft. The more staff they have on the road, the more important it is for the smooth communication between the dispatcher and foreman at various construction sites. In March 2009, the first machinery equipped with the ENAiKOON starter package was tested. The benefits of construction equipment monitoring were quickly recognised by Uwe Rühlmann, CEO of Rühlmann-Bau. “For me, it is important to have all of our units equipped with ENAiKOON devices,” says Mr. Rühlmann. “First, because I can coordinate and control what is being deployed better and where it is at all times, and second, because I want to treat all of my drivers equally.” That following May, Mr. Rühlmann implemented the devices on all company machinery and since then have not experienced any theft or misuse. The ENAiKOON construction equipment monitoring solution Every construction company has to protect their assets, whether it’s equipment, vehicles, or their people. Whatever your needs may be, ask an ENAiKOON telematics expert for advice on equipment security using their reliable range of devices and software. Manage your assets and people better so that you can decrease costs and eliminate theft. Contact ENAiKOON today for your free trial.

Improved operations with telematics for construction equipment rental companies

Equipment rental is a relatively new yet rapidly growing industry with some international companies turning over €1 billion annually. The reasons behind its popularity are capital release, range of equipment availability, maintenance, and compliance with standards and regulations. This explains the uptick in telematics sales within this industry, as GPS tracking of equipment can help with the latter two reasons. Excavator and dumper A comprehensive telematics system for construction equipment can retrieve all the necessary data to run a flawless maintenance program. The equipment data collected and its analysis make complying with regulations a breeze. Furthermore, having an accurate log of equipment use and location allows rental companies to run a smooth operation. Let’s take a look at how Eberle-Hald improved their business with ENAiKOON’s equipment monitoring system. Construction equipment rental management at Eberle-Hald Eberle Hald Eberle-Hald is one of the biggest construction equipment rental companies in Stuttgart, southern Germany. They have been using ENAiKOON’s telematics solution since 2007. Since then, more than 300 GPS devices are being used at nine different branches. “Access to equipment data, such as operating hours, battery condition, and loading times, at any time is of the utmost importance to us,” says Michael Busch, the company’s rental manager. “If technical problems occur, our emergency service staff will need to quickly identify the problem in order to make the equipment operational again.” The ENAiKOON telematics system enabled them to produce precise rental contracts and customer invoices by knowing exactly where the equipment is located along with its time stamp. With inViu pro, the rental company receives real-time alerts and information on their rented equipment, and having an accurate account of equipment availability helped streamline their operations. Eberle-Hald even took ENAiKOON’s inViu pro web portal one step further and integrated it for their customers to use. They gave their customers the option to see which equipment at which site is currently being used, allowing their renters to have the complete billing information to give to their own clients. The ENAiKOON construction equipment monitoring solution The flexible telematics solution that ENAiKOON offers can be tailored to each customer as exemplified in the above case. Start saving time, increase productivity, and improve rental equipment management with the construction equipment monitoring system. Contact ENAiKOON today for your free trial.

ENAiKOON supports “Duo auf Reisen”

Kai Bagus is a 47 year-old man from Freiburg, Germany, who has been suffering from HIV since 1998. He is the one in the 3-wheeled Duo on tour to raise HIV and AIDS awareness. ENAiKOON proudly supports Kai on his journey from Freiburg to Vladivostok. We equipped his Duo with our GPS tracking device, the locate-04, allowing followers to track Kai’s tour on inViu web or inViu routes. Kai Bagus Having extensively worked and volunteered in AIDS prevention education, his goal is to give a positive face to being HIV positive, impart courage to those suffering from HIV, and raise awareness of the disease. The “HIV Aufklärungstour” (HIV Enlightenment Tour) will take Kai through Southern Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, and Mongolia over the course of 5 months. Duo The vehicle used on tour is the Krause Duo 4 2, which is a German 3-wheeled moped created for those with disabilities. The tour kicked off on April 23, 2013 and Kai is currently riding through the Ukraine. Follow his journey in real time, on your Android phone using the inViu routes app or on your browser by logging into ENAiKOON’s inViu web. https://sso.enaikoon.de Email: duoaufreisen@gmail.com Password: Kaibagus2013 Kai regularly posts his inViu location on Facebook and Twitter. Like the Duo auf Reisen Facebook page or follow @kaibagus on Twitter.

NFC Technology in Telematics

We are constantly being surrounded by new technology every day without actually acknowledging its grandeur. Let’s put the spotlight on Near Field Communication (NFC), a technology also referred to as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). As consumers, do we really understand the full capabilities of this technology? NFC has been around since 1980 with slow adoption, and now this trendy technology is on the rise as we see it in contactless payment systems, public transportation, and proximity marketing. That being said, are there other uses of NFC for businesses? Many. It can deliver convenience and efficiency to a variety of sectors that employ mobile workers. Don’t be intimidated by the new emergence of this technology. It’s surprisingly easy to comprehend, use, and incorporate into businesses. Tracking tasks and employees NFC tags can contain information such as task description and instructions for a specific location. With the mobile employees equipped with NFC-capable smartphones, they can easily scan NFC tags to acquire certain product or location-specific information related to their job. Tags can also be placed on certain rooms, places, buildings, and even equipment where employees can check into. This helps indicate who was where at what time using what equipment, etc. This feature is extremely beneficial for automating the tasks for mobile employees, eliminating paper log books and saving time on administration. It’s great for cleaning, hotel, and security industries as well as any sector with mobile workers. Tracking stock and inventory Not only can you read data from NFC tags but you can also write them using NFC-capable smartphones! This means you can update certain information on the tags, like product description and inventory counts. Doctors and nurses can easily scan patient tags to acquire prescription info and details from a last visit. Retailers and rack jobbers can place tags on merchandising shelves with product info and update the stock counts for precise inventory counts. No paperwork necessary. Add a bit of creativity to these two features and the possibilities derived from NFC technology for business are endless! The system requires very little overhead and a low start-up cost for something that can save you time in employee management and training. An NFC tag can cost as little as 30 cents depending on your application, and if your employees require mobile phones, there you go! You already have your hardware. All you need is reliable and powerful NFC management software, like inViu pro, to coordinate the scanned data with its user, time, and location. To learn more about NFC technology, visit the Wikipedia page.

NFC in the Hotel Industry

The striking new technology of NFC has been offering unprecedented features for the hotel industry. Guests can now check into their rooms using their smartphone as a key. People can easily gain travel information with a touch of their phone. We see how NFC can benefit the hotel guests, but how can it help improve the actual hotel operation? Before we get into hotel solutions, let’s talk about NFC. Near Field Communication uses a reader, or an NFC-capable smartphone, to read data on NFC tags. The ENAiKOON NFC solution records the time and location of the tags read using the Android app, inViu NFC-tracker. This information is then sent to the ENAiKOON server where the data can be further analysed on the inViu pro web portal. A hotel manager’s job is to oversee the entire operation, from the restaurant to house cleaning. Keeping an eye on every employee can be challenging, especially with so many different departments. One of the ways to monitor employee tasks is using NFC technology. Equipping mobile workers with an Android smartphone will allow them to use it to check into certain rooms, floors, and sections of the hotel. Housekeepers can easily follow special requests per room and maintain a flawless schedule without any paperwork. Security staff can log their patrol routes by scanning NFC tags throughout the hotel, eliminating all paper logs. Once the manager logs into inViu pro, all of the tracked employees and their activities will appear. This is a great way to manage employee tasks, especially those tasks that are location specific. Reports generated from inViu pro will eliminate all other paperwork, resulting in increased productivity and efficiency for all employees. To learn more about the ENAiKOON NFC solution, visit www.nfc-tracker.com or contact ENAiKOON for a tailored solution for your hotel

The 40-year history of the mobile phone

Living in a world full of convenience created by modern technological advancements, it’s hard to imagine a life without the existence of mobile phones. Man has become somewhat unappreciative of such modern technology, forgetting that it was only 40 years ago that mobile phones weighed a kilo, was almost the size of your head, had only 30 minutes of air time, and took 10 hours to charge the battery. It’s safe to say a lot has changed since the invention of Martin Cooper’s first mobile phone. 1 G: The First Generation Yes, there was a 1G network, and it was analog! The Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) was introduced to North Americans in 1978, bringing mobile phone technology to the masses. In 1983, Motorola released the world’s first commercial mobile phone.

The first commercial handheld mobile phone: Motorola’s DynaTAC 8000X

Digital World The subsequent network became digital. The 1990’s saw a huge rise in mobile phone use, with the European development of the GSM standard and the North American CDMA standard. 2G was probably when we all had our first experiences with a mobile phone. This was the era when the first smartphone was launched by BellSouth Cellular in 1994. The IBM Simon had mobile phone and PDA capabilities and weighed half a kilo. Aside from the usual calling features, this phone could send faxes, emails, and cellular pages. The Data Age The cell phone as we know it now uses data. The 3G network allowed data transmission, revolutionising the functionality of the mobile phone. Media streaming of radio and TV content became available and browsing the internet became faster with the advanced 3G+ network. Despite the emergence of advanced mobile phone features, the Nokia 1100 gained massive popularity on a global scale, becoming the world’s best-selling phone handset and the world’s best-selling consumer electronics device. Although now discontinued, more than 250 million handsets have been sold since its release in 2003.

Nokia 1100, the world’s best-selling mobile phone

Today’s Network The mobile phones and smartphones we are using today use 4G, an all IP network. Compared to its previous generation, 4G provides an even faster browsing experience with mobile ultra-broadband Internet access. With an increasing number of smartphones with GPS and NFC capabilities, applications for the mobile phone have also increased dramatically. The mobile phone. It wakes us up in the morning. It gives us the weather forecast. Tells us when to catch the metro. How to get to places. Where to eat. Becomes a flashlight in darkness and keeps us connected to friends and family. Without it we are lost, so thank you, Mr. Cooper, for inventing the mobile phone 40 years ago.

Putting a stop to timber theft with a discreet GPS tracking device

Timber theft has been taking the spotlight in recent news with almost no definitive solution for the crime. The illegal logging industry is increasing, leaving victims with billions of dollars worth of missing timber worldwide. It is also the leading cause of deforestation, affecting the eco systems and natural habitats of endangered species in many countries across the globe. Spraying the logs, taking records of stocks, immediately applying timber dye to logs, building relationships with the mill – these are only preemptive measures a forester can take to ward off thieves and will not stop professionals from stealing lumber nor will it put them behind bars. Suggested theft prevention measures until now, unfortunately, have proven to be ineffective in actually catching the thieves in action. Those days are now over. One logging company with an ongoing timber theft problem sought for an effective theft prevention solution when surveillance efforts failed to stop further theft. They came to ENAiKOON seeking a GPS tracking solution. After just three months, our team of dedicated hardware developers created the new locate-18 GPS tracking device. With its plastic, tube-like housing that fits discreetly into logs, the locate-18’s sole purpose is to stop timber thieves in action. The GPS device alone cannot stop timber theft. ENAiKOON’s complete solution includes an adjustable vibration sensor, a camera, infrared lights, a GPS receiver for localisation, a SIM card for GPRS transmission, a powerful set of batteries, and the use of telematics management software: inViu pro. Here’s how to stop timber theft. First, drill a hole into a log in a felled lumber pile and insert the 20 x 3.5 cm locate-18 with its vibration sensor activated. Make the drill holes invisible by covering them up with previously sawed wooden discs. Then, install cameras with infrared lights in various loading areas. When the tracked log is moved unexpectedly, the GPS tracking device sends an alert to the server and activates the surveillance cameras. This is exactly what the logging company did and just as we suspected, unusual movement of lumber piles were detected just a month after installation. They mounted a locate-18 in every lumber pile and hid security cameras in owl boxes that were hung near their loading areas. When the logs were moved it triggered the cameras which took photos of the theft at the crime scene; this evidence was later used in court to support the case. Knowing the exact GPS coordinates of the moving lumber pile, the logging company found out the logs were taken to the exact same sawmill that the usual shipments went to, concluding that it was an insider job. Turns out, the contracted truck drivers were taking extra loads to the mill. All stolen timber was recovered with the suspects successfully convicted in court. The company has not seen any criminal activity since then. Let’s put an end to illegal logging and timber theft. If you manage a logging company experiencing timber theft, ENAiKOON’s timber theft prevention is your solution. Contact us for a customised solution for your company.

EU introduces illegal timber import controls

Interpol estimates that around 30% of all the lumber in the global market is illegally sourced. This is caused in part by weak enforcement of laws, corruption of officials, economies lacking in other means of employment and high demand for lumber. Effective March 3rd, 2013, the European Union requires that all wood products being sold in the EU, comprising 35% of the worlds lumber consumption, must be certified to not be illegally sourced. According to their own website, the EU Timber Legislation defines “illegal logging” as “the harvesting of wood in a way that breaches the laws or regulations of the country of harvest” It also requires the seller of the wood in the EU to conduct due diligence in order to verify the legality of their lumber, which at least requires them to show on paper the country of origin, the species, the amount harvested, where it was harvested, address and name of supplier and pertinent governmental documents validating the legality of the timber. Furthermore, the EU now requires risk assessment where the seller of the wood must ensure the legality of the wood with a careful subjective analysis of the possible external risk factors that could be hidden inside the wood that is exported. So, if your wood is sourced from Nigeria or another country characterized with a low-level of governance, then this is another ‘point’ added to the final assessment of risk. Then, if there is a significant level of risk, the wood may not be exported into the EU. Taken in it’s best light, this legislation may be helpful to stop the flow of illegal logging into the EU because the seller of the wood must be able to verify the sourcing of the wood. This creates an extra layer of bureaucracy that makes selling to the EU a little harder for illegal loggers and makes a ‘fast-track’ entry into the EU for foresters practicing sustainable and legal methods of harvesting. The bad things for the sustainable foresters is that they will probably see a rise in the number of timber thefts as thieves will begin stealing their stamped or bar-coded timber because this certified wood can be sold to the EU and fetch the much higher profits than if they sold it to a different market that doesn’t have these laws in effect. A simple solution to these thefts will be increased usage of tracking devices, which is why ENAiKOON has developed the locate-18. This device is fitted into the end of a cord of harvested lumber and immediately detects and notifies when the theft of lumber occurs. This has been tested in the forests of Germany and was able to stop the theft of lumber and trace the whole theft process from wood pile to lumber mill.

How to increase business efficiency with telematics

I know that many business owners are initially hesitant to invest in technology that doesn’t directly correlate to sales, but if you’re not controlling costs and managing your people wisely then you are most likely experiencing leakages in expenses and labour. This is something no business can afford during tough economic times. Telematics is a great “trainer” that will keep your business in shape, allowing you to efficiently manage your business and free up valuable time to focus more on building sales. Telematics software on a laptop Let’s first address what telematics is. It’s the union between telecommunications and informatics. It’s not just navigation systems in cars and GPS trackers, but the use of such devices along with powerful software that allows you to manage, analyse, and export the collected data to help improve your business operation. The primary use of telematics is to remotely monitor trackables (tracked assets or people). This alone can save a tremendous amount of travel time and labour costs. Knowing exactly where these trackables are located and being alerted whenever there is a change from the norm can help prevent theft and unauthorised use of equipment, vehicles, and machinery. Now imagine being able to obtain precise CAN bus and fuel level information from your vehicles; locations and tasks being performed by your employees; temperatures of machinery and refrigeraeted trucks; hours of operation of rented equipment and vehicles; and communication records with your drivers and mobile workforce. Not only are you saving time and labour costs, but also minimising vehicle and equipment maintenance costs, damaged perishable products, and fraudulent activity. Having access to detailed records without having to manually collect the information is the convenience that telematics can bring to you and your employees. The relatively new use of NFC in telematics has revolutionised remote personnel management. Your mobile employees can now scan NFC tags using an off-the-shelf smartphone to create records or to check into places without the use of paperwork. If cutting back on administration and going paperless is one of your business initiatives, NFC technology is definitely one of the most cost-effective and eco-friendly solutions. Security companies for guard tours, health care for visiting nurses, and retailers with a mobile workforce are all beneficiaries of an NFC telematics solution. No matter how big or small your company is, cutting costs and increasing business efficiency should be prioritised in every industry. To find out more on how to integrate telematics into your business, contact us for a customised solution.

inViu routes: the route recording Android App

inViu routes: the route recording Android app that manages and shares your routes, POIs, and GPS photos We are proud to introduce our newest addition to the inViu app family: inViu routes. We are particularly excited about this app because of its comprehensive features that will attract travellers, geocachers, and outdoor sport enthusiasts as well as families and small businesses wanting to keep an eye on their assets and people. It’s the only GPS app out there that is integrated with a backend server, allowing the user to do so much more than just record routes! This ad-free app is now available on Google Play for free download! Let’s explore the robust list of features this app has to offer. inViu routes allows the user to: Record routes inViu_routes_on_phone_and_inViu_web_map This feature is great for anyone wanting to record certain travel routes, and special locations or photos associated with the route. Record a road trip and all the scenic stops you make, or hiking trails and the beautiful views from the top of a mountain. Create POIs and GPS photos Points of interest (POIs) and GPS photos are useful for anyone wanting to know the exact location of particular places. Share data with others Share_data_from_inViu_routes You can share any route, POI, or GPS photo via any installed app on your phone. This includes e-mail and social media apps, such as Facebook and Twitter. It provides an easy way to share locations with all the important GPS information. Set location-based reminders inViu_routes_geonotes Unlike time-based calendar reminders, inViu routes allows you to configure notifications depending on a specific location. You can receive notifications when you enter or leave a geofence or when someone enters or leaves a geofence. They can be text reminders or voice memos that get played as the notification. This feature is great for busy, on-the-go people that go to multiple recurring locations. inViu_routes_geonote_ inViu_web_geofence Turn your phone into a GPS tracking device That’s right. Installing this app on an Android phone is a great, money-saving option to buying an expensive GPS tracking device! Simply register for a free ENAiKOON iD within the app or online in inViu web, the free asset tracking software, and watch where the phone goes on the integrated map. Monitor multiple trackables With inViu web, you can register up to 4 devices at no charge! This means you can monitor family members to ensure their safety, or manage the locations of employees for small businesses. You can set e-mail notifications for when a trackable enters or leaves a certain location. Explore all of these features for free without any ads! If you would like to monitor more than 4 trackables in inViu web, contact us for a monthly software subscription package that suites your needs. Testing inViu routes Download app from Google Play on your Android phone now or use the QR code – try for free!
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