October 2020
Overview
Lift truck fleets are the backbone of every supply chain. It is impossible to move large products efficiently and safely without a lift truck. This necessary evil of the supply chain can be considered an afterthought though. Similar to how we think of our cars, we know we need them and rely on them, but forget about maintenance until it is too late.
Challenge
Many 3PLs and fleet service companies outsource their fleet maintenance to third parties; and until 2011, Kenco did as well. The cost of outsourcing the work orders and running the necessary reports for regular fleet maintenance was costing Kenco an upwards of $72K per year.
Solution
Kenco’s IT department built a customized application that can be downloaded to an iPad. The KMHS (Kenco Material Handling Services) mobile app allows technicians to enter work orders on site. When the work orders are submitted, it saves the data to the database that can be accessed by the iPad. Using the web interface, Kenco employees can view asset information, labor rates, and part rates. There is also a component of the app that will notify the technicians when a specific asset needs to have regular maintenance performed. Kenco customers can see customized reports in live dashboards and review spending, expenses, downtime, utilization of equipment, and types of repairs performed.
Results
The positive results Kenco has been able to pass onto its customers are many. In addition to passing through savings of $72K per year to customers, Kenco has built a nationwide network to manage fleet maintenance and provides customized reports for customers’ ever-changing needs a personalized reporting platform. Unlike many outsourced fleet maintenance companies, Kenco owns the maintenance process and provides accurate, actionable MHE fleet data to our customers.