Scania Makes Fluid Move
Located in Melbourne's northern suburb of Campbellfield, heart of Australia's road transport industry, the high tech service facility caters to as many as thirty heavy vehicles per day. Macnaught, a 50 year old, 100% Australian owned company, manufactures high quality, heavy-duty greasing and pumping equipment. Macnaught products are distributed in Australia by Castrol and are a perfect complement to Castrol's comprehensive range of oils and lubricants. The Inventory Control Plus system at Scania utilises a single Windows-based PC coupled to 8 "stand alone" units dispensing and monitoring four products each. This installation is sufficient to handle the demands of Scania's 14 truck and 5 bus bays, which can accommodate almost thirty vehicles at once. "The immediate benefits were in fluid quantity control," says Scania Workshop Foreman, Marcus Stadener. "We've eliminated over-filling, meaning that very litre we pour is sold. Any human error is virtually eliminated and the cost control is superb." The system is a modular one, based on the four-product "stand alone" unit. Users can expand the system to meet their own needs, either by adding extra product dispensers or extra units to cover larger premises. The PC is added to handle multiple units (up to 255), and can even be networked to communicate with existing dealership systems like Reynolds and Reynolds. Only the most basic computer skills are required to operate the system, with the PIN-accessed PCs working under the familiar and user-friendly Windows Operating System. Operators need only follow a simple 5-step process. 1- Key in PIN, 2- Key in Job No., 3- Select product to be dispensed, 4- Enter quantity and 5- Press Start. This simplicity is the key to the system which is designed to obtain maximum data and control with a minimum of operator input. The key benefits of the system are: * highly accurate quantity measurement and dispensing * continuous monitoring of bulk storage * product secured from unauthorised access * rugged and durable construction * year 2000 compliant * fully expandable and upgradable * all data is logged and printable at any time * can be networked or interfaced with existing systems. Fully backed by both Castrol and Macnaught, customers can continue to enjoy the high level of after-sales support already offered. |