**London**: Growing concerns about underperformance in fleets highlight issues beyond vehicle downtime, with insights from Braden Pastalaniec emphasising the need for accurate data to improve technician efficiency and asset performance, ultimately cutting costs and enhancing operational success.
Fleets are increasingly grappling with an issue that extends beyond the well-known challenge of vehicle downtime: the danger of underperformance. This concept involves fleet assets—such as vehicles, trucks, and vans— failing to operate at their peak capability, as well as a lack of productivity from technicians and maintenance shops. Braden Pastalaniec, previously the Vice President of Transportation and Logistics at Uptake, provided insights into this challenge in an article published by Automotive Fleet.
Underperformance affects fleet maintenance in two primary areas: assets and shop/technician productivity. From the perspective of assets, a vehicle or component that is underperforming may indicate either existing maintenance problems or potential future concerns. While these initial signs may not necessitate immediate action, neglecting them could lead to more significant issues later on. “The goal is to keep assets up and running and trying to do so with the lowest total cost and best efficiency,” Pastalaniec explained. “If an asset is underperforming, you’re costing yourself both time and money.” He highlighted that well-maintained vehicles could operate 3-5% more fuel efficiently than their less maintained counterparts, ultimately saving money for the fleet.
The impact of underperformance extends to the productivity of technicians and maintenance shops. Inefficiencies in their performance or technological limitations can contribute to increased downtime for fleet assets. Pastalaniec added that data can play a crucial role in assessing technician or shop performance, enabling fleets to improve diagnostic efficiency and turnaround times. “As we look at all of the maintenance data on the assets and visualize it across the fleet, you start to get an understanding of what you’re spending the most money on in terms of systems and issues causing downtime,” he noted.
According to Pastalaniec, underperformance poses a more significant challenge than downtime itself for two main reasons: it often remains concealed and is an early indicator of potential problems. “Both downtime and underperformance are challenges, but the thing with underperformance is that it can be harder to identify without the right viewpoint of your data and the right tools,” he said.
Uncovering these underperformance issues relies heavily on data. While many fleets possess a wealth of information, it is frequently marred by inaccuracies and inconsistencies. For example, if technicians across different maintenance facilities record data using varying nomenclatures or methods, it complicates analysis and trend identification. “It all begins with cleansed and normalized data,” Pastalaniec stated. He emphasised the importance of aggregating diverse data sources to provide a comprehensive overview that can highlight opportunities to streamline operations and reduce costs.
Once fleets have sorted out their data inconsistencies, they can compare historical and current information, pinpointing outliers that indicate areas for improvement. Metrics that can be monitored include diagnostic time, average component lifespan, operating costs relative to service duration, maintenance expenses on both system and component levels, and planned versus unplanned maintenance.
Pastalaniec explained that identifying underperformance enables fleets to implement corrective strategies, which might involve enhancing technician training or adjusting maintenance schedules. “As you identify the outliers or opportunities for improvement, you can implement techniques to improve the performance metrics you’re monitoring,” he advised.
The implications of addressing underperformance can be substantial, leading to greater asset availability, heightened operational efficiency, optimised parts supply chains, and reduced fuel consumption. “At the highest level, the ability to track underperformance can cut costs and identify when maintenance is needed before it’s too late,” Pastalaniec concluded. He stated that practical applications of data analysis have proven effective for fleets: one was able to increase asset uptime by 8%, another reduced diagnostic time by 9%, and a third saved $500,000 in labour costs by optimising inspection schedules.
The insights offered by Pastalaniec reflect an ongoing dialogue in the fleet management sector about the strategic deployment of data and technology to mitigate the risks associated with underperformance and to enhance operational outcomes.
Source: Noah Wire Services
Subscribe to Industry Updates
