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MAP FUnCTIOnS InCReASe SeRVICe ORgAnIZATIOn eFFICIenCY

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The service vehicle is out on a job. The service engineer uses the navigation system to find the quickest possible route. The TMT information warns him of road works and long queues, and the system automatically suggests a quicker route. Modern? Maybe, but this summer the map will become a central part of the service organizations’ job planning. A new application developed by IFS in partnership with Tomra and Autotank increases efficiency while reducing impact on the environment and making maximum use of employees’ capacity and expertise.

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Every minute a service engineer spends en route between jobs is a minute that could have been spent on a job. Even though travel

time can be charged for, up to 50% of the charge is lost. However, combining the information from the job ordering system with the map data makes it possible to optimize job planning according to the resources available and customers’ needs, which can be directly transformed into a higher level of service, lower fuel con-sumption and better use of the service organization’s resources.

The application is based on a relative-ly new technique called mash-up. This means functions and information are borrowed from external sources such as open databases, and this information is used in its own application. In partner-ship with Tomra and Autotank, IFS has developed an extension of IFS Service

Management that draws on the mapping tool Bing Map for Enterprise (formerly Microsoft Virtual Earth). This has resulted in something usually termed location-based services, i.e. functions based on the application being aware of the geographical position.

“Many service organizations currently have reasonable control over where their vehicles and spare parts are. Planning, however, is at best based on experience and personal preferences rather than a business structure. At worst, the person chosen for a particular job, and how they get there, is chosen at random,” says Martin Gunnarsson, Product Manager at IFS.

The beneFIT OF knOWIngBy making the application aware of personnel, geography, infrastructure and service agreements, the system can easily

Martin Gunnarsson, Product Manager, IFS.

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The new map application uses information from the system to generate a map that gives a clear and natural overview of a situation. This has a direct effect on operations, according to Mikael Ljungmark.The new map application uses information from the system to generate a map that gives a clear and natural overview of a situation. This has a direct effect on operations, according to Mikael Ljungmark.

help plan work in order to minimize environmental impact and achieve the most efficient use of the company’s capacity.

Gilbarco Autotank develops and sells pump and payment systems for service stations. It is one of the two companies that have helped IFS develop the new map application and the company’s Head of Business Development, Thomas Goldschmidt, holds high hopes, “Being able to see each service engineer and all the job orders directly on the map, along with details of priority, type of service agreement and other important informa-tion, will make it far easier to plan the jobs. Tight margins and increased competition mean it’s not enough to be the best at building good equipment and good at servicing it. It’s also essential to be able to provide the most efficient service at the lowest cost,” Goldschmidt explains.

InTeRFACe MAkeS The DIFFeRenCeIFS is working hard to improve the usabil-ity of its business systems by adapting them to how people want to work. One such example is Enterprise Explorer, a revolutionary interface that increases efficiency. The new map application takes information from the system and, using the map, illustrates the situation in a way that’s clear and logical. Something Mikael Ljungmark at Tomra believes has a direct impact on the operation.

“We know that shops lose customers as soon as a bottle and can deposit machine is out of order. Consequently, every minute of delay before a service vehicle arrives affects profits. This is why it’s extremely important that we plan our work well and that we use the system to gain the best possible over-view so we can plan our jobs quickly,” says Ljungmark.

beneFITS• Better overview

• Simpler job planning

• Increased efficiency

• Illustrates potential problems before they affect the operation

• Enables more advanced services such as mobile storage

• Increased profitability, quick return on investment