PORR AG

Rosenberger Telematics solution facilitates planning and controlling at Porr AG

Worldwide operating Viennese company with a long tradition relies on individual telematics system with splash-proof and heat-resistant hardware for international operation.

Companies with locations in the German-speaking world that are looking for a suitable telematics solution have a large choice. But if you also have subsidiaries abroad, for example in Eastern Europe, you must make sure that the technology also works there. In such cases, one needs providers who can show an appropriate infrastructure.

Also important are individual solutions, because in the end every company has its own needs — and some properties of telematics hardware, which are otherwise completely irrelevant, can in individual cases be indispensable. Sometimes companies and suppliers learn together and in the ideal case the end result is the optimal solution.

When Porr AG started to look for a telematics solution, the employees were still complete newcomers to the field, Werner Zenz remembers, CEO of Porr Equipment Services. The internationally active construction company with headquarters in Vienna has existed for more than 145 years and is one of the leading companies in Austria and Europe. The services of Porr reach from buildings on the Vienna Ringstrasse during the imperial era and the construction of the Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse in the 1930s to construction projects in Qatar in the present such as track construction for subways and tunnel construction.

Operation at European level

A telematics solution for construction machinery and commercial vehicles was now in demand, says Zenz, responsible for the telematics project in the company. The Viennese wanted their own solution and spent three years looking for a system that they could install themselves. With the partner selection it played an important role to ensure that this is an area-wide provider which can also cover other countries, says Zenz.

After all, Porr is also represented in European countries such as Romania or the Czech Republic. Also the technology of SIM cards is a “huge topic” for Porr. Normally, the standard SIM cards would be used but at the Austrian construction company, the cards must also be able to endure environmental influences such as temperature, i.e. even extreme values such as 120 degrees Celsius.

The Porr devices are outdoors, exposed to heat and vibration, are cleaned with the high pressure cleaner.

“We wanted everything from a single source,” says Zenz. “We wanted a partner who already had experience with telematics and who could meet our needs.” The Viennese found this at Telekom Austria and Rosenberger Telematics as a telematics provider.

The task area of the new solution

There were several main reasons for the Viennese to rely on telematics. First of all it was about the predictability of the maintenance of equipment and vehicles, as well as the workload of the maintenance centres. Until then, maintenance was carried out when the operator called, Zenz remembers.

Now an information in the system automatically appears that maintenance is due again. It is therefore easier to plan, guarantee intervals are no longer exceeded, and costs can be saved. The control of cost blocks (e.g. fuel, maintenance, repairs etc.) per operating hour or kilometre is also an important tool to save cash: “You can recognize changes very quickly.”

Also theft protection and GPS tracking via the Rosenberger Telematics solution is possible, as well as the early detection of machine downtimes. In the control centre, the necessary evaluations can be made, Zenz explains: “Why is this thing standing?” The new telematics system would now move more machines across the group to where they are needed at the moment.

No superfluous data

In return, Porr waived information that might be important to other companies in the industry but the Viennese do not want, such as the oil temperature. “We want to have the mileage and the operating hours for construction machinery, we don’t need the rest” — unnecessary flood of data should not arise. The development of the suitable solution is “anything but easy”, reports Zenz, after all, the devices in the VW bus had to work just like a roller in civil engineering. “We didn’t want any differences there.”

What was installed in Berlin should also work in the same way when the machine is used in Austria. Not visible from the outside, the devices were installed from autumn 2014 on — splash water protected, with SIM cards, which made several million accesses possible. The mechanics documented with their smartphones the installation — all relevant information was recorded for everyone who would work with it later. Now everyone throughout the group could access it via a number in SAP and, for example, find out by whom and where a device was installed.

“Unbureaucratic and uncomplicated” support

Zenz and his employees felt well looked after by Rosenberger Telematics, which has its head office also in Austria, between Salzburg and Linz. There were fixed contact persons and fast help, “unbureaucratic and uncomplicated”.

During the development of the Porr solution, all the project participants “learn the hard way”, smiles Zenz, but the effort was worth it: “We see that it brings a lot.” In the meantime, the telematics solutions have been installed in 4,000 devices. It started with 100 units installed in Germany and Austria. “We wanted to see whether it delivers what it promises and whether the hardware works,” says Zenz.

Conclusion

Since January 2016, 4,000 units have been installed, which have been in real operation since May. Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic are 100 per cent equipped, but the devices are also running partly in Romania and Poland. Planning and controlling — these two points are named by Zenz as the areas in which a significant change for the better was achieved.

In the previous year, devices to the value of 4 million euros were shifted at Porr — thanks to the telematics of Rosenberger Telematics the need was recognized.